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is South Africa – a “moral superpower”? | As the US sets up the African Standby Force at the end of last week’s US-Africa Leaders Summit, our top diplomat in Washington claims that South Africa should take over leadership as a “moral superpower” in the world by sertan sanderson If South Africa’s ambassador in Washington DC had his way, South Africa would become “a moral superpower” for the world, arbitrating between various global conflicts in the image of the late President Nelson Mandela. Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool made these striking comments in the framework of last week’s US-Africa Leaders Summit, where the US pledged over $100 million annually (for the next three to five years) to help assist in peacemaking efforts across the African continent. The funds would mainly benefit the African Union’s (AU) plans to create an African Standby Force (ASF), which had failed so far on account of lacking funds. Though not directly serving to benefit South Africa, it is understood that the ASF would be set up with heavy SA involvement, with the country already drafted to be on “standby” for the first three months after the programme is intended to launch in October. “I don’t think South Africans have realised how well poised we are to become a moral superpower,” ambassador Rasool said in reaction to the building of the ASF.

The South African ambassador and previous MP added that this step marked the greatest achievement to come out of the entire summit. But not everyone shares his view, and many even wonder whether South Africa is ready to lead Africa (let alone the world) in efforts to establish lasting peace in warring regions, as disagreements within the country continue to form much of the political dialogue. But as South Africa’s 20-yearyoung democracy is coming to grips with its constitutional boundaries, participating in such a wider defense initiative might also interally benefit SA by uniting opposing political factions under the same causes. The ASF programme is not only expected to rely on financial assistance from the US but would also build on existing defense infrastructures established by the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), based out of Stuttgart, Germany (command centre) and Djibouti (operations). Ambassador Rasool, however, seems to have a few reservations with regard to this approach, insisting that the vision for the ASF – in his view – should be a move away “the usual militarism to the Mandelaesque management of conflict.

“It is still going to be a chess game because the US would still want the ASF to be a fighting force, but as a proxy of Africom. I think Africa needs to say ‘we want an ASF, we want African solutions to African problems, but please ensure that the strategic backup is there for us’.” Rasool commented on the latest developments. US President Barack Obama meanwhile spoke enthusiastically about the initiative: “We’re launching a new African peacekeeping rapid-response partnership with the goal of quickly deploying African peacekeepers in support of UN or AU missions.” South African President Jacob Zuma also weighed in on the debate, welcoming the news and adding that South Africa had plenty of experience to offer in peacekeeping, referring in particular to the current crisis in the Middle East. “We came from a conflict that nobody thought would ever be solved – institutionalised racism in South Africa,” Zuma said. Whether or not South Africa’s history offers up new opportunities to learn is to be seen, as the African Standby Force begins operating later this year.

| ELECTRIC DUO: Mafikizolo will open their UK tour at London’s Hackney Empire on Friday 22 August. On Saturday 23 August they will be at the Ritz in Manchester and on Sunday 24 August they will conclude their tour at Club Platinum in Coventry

| 19 - 26 August 2014 | thesouthafrican.com

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Constitutional heavyweight MP Mario Oriani-Ambrosini dies

| The underdog politician, who helped to build and shape many aspects of the new South Africa and its constitution, succumbed to lung cancer aged 53 By sertan sanderson Dr Mario Oriani-Ambrosini, Member of Parliament for the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and one of the politicians instrumental in drafting elements of the South African constitution has lost his prolonged battle with cancer and has died aged 53 over the weekend. Dr Ambrosini, often viewed as a controversial and colourful figure in SA politics, was throughout his career dedicated to pushing the South African constitution forward, and can even be attributed with being one of its more enduring and silent authors. From championing for gay marriage to debating the legality of cannabis in SA law, Ambrosini fought relentlessly to make South Africa the most progressive state in Africa. The latter may even have prolonged his own life, as his ongoing battle with cancer was only moderated by an experimental therapy involving cannabis oils, which he championed in parliamentary debate as much as he did in public discourse. However, despite his dying wishes, Ambrosini did non manage to change the constitution to allow cannabis for medicinal treatments. The career of the IFP MP was as illustrious as his views were: born in 1960, his early days saw him moving from his native Italy, where at the age of 11 he had to be adopted by his granduncle, the then-President of the Constitutional Court, to the US, where he studied law in some of the country’s finest institutions, including Harvard University and Georgetown University Law Centre. The seeds for Ambrosini’s career in lawmaking were firmly sown, but it would be a while before he would discover his spiritual home in South Africa. With a Fullbright scholarship in hand, Ambrosini specialised in

constitutional matters worldwide, eventually attracting the attention of the Inkatha Freedom Party in 1990. Starting as legal advisor for the IFP during the CODESA negotiations, Ambrosini became closely aligned with the party, always pushing for libertarian values within the IFP and within South Africa’s democracy at large. With the IFP holding the largest faction in KwaZulu Natal Province, Dr Ambrosini was instrumental in drafting the KZN constitution and helping South Africa’s transition into democracy at large. Ambrosini managed not only to strike up a good working relationship but also a deep personal friendship with Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, leader of the IFP and Home Affairs minister under Nelson Mandela’s first national unity government. Dr Ambrosini served as cabinet adviser under Buthelezi at the time, integrating further into South African society and eventually accepting SA citizenship alongside his Italian and American passports. Chief Buthelezi said about his confidante and colleague: “He was a fighter. Not only in this battle, but in the many he engaged over the course of some three and a half decades in politics. He believed in challenging conventional thought, dogma and imposed limitations. It was what he dedicated his life to doing” During the 2000s, Ambrosini got involved in various other legal battles in the country such as South Africa’s gay rights movement while also running his own international consultancy, Ambrosini & Associates, before accepting public office in 2009 and becoming a member of the National Assembly. There, he served on many committees reviewing government performance, including Economic

Development and the Justice and Constitutional Development Portfolios. An adamant opponent of the “Secrecy Bill“, Ambrosini drew a lot of support from other political factions, chiefly from the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA). The DA and the ruling ANC have officially expressed their condolences following his death. “He was a fighter for human rights and democracy, a person of integrity who understood and advanced our cause, and a powerful friend. Mario will be remembered for his unparalleled contribution to

Parliament and the defence of our freedom and the Constitution,” DA chairman Wilmot James said. ANC chief whip Stone Sizani described Dr Ambrosini as a constitutional expert, who had helped to shape SA’s democracy: “Although we did not always agree with his political views, we held him in high regard for his constitutional expertise, remarkable experience on governance matters and for the contribution he made to our democratic transition process as an advisor to IFP leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.”

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Zuma shirks responsibility in official Nkandla response

| Four months overdue, President Jacob Zuma finally submits a reaction to the Nkandla report – passing the blame and responsibility to others by sertan sanderson President Jacob Zuma has finally published his official reaction to a number of separate reports on the security upgrades at his Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu Natal. Zuma’s own account submitted to the National Assembly serves to address – among others – Public Protector Thuli Madonsela‘s damning March report “Secure in Comfort”, which had placed a good deal of responsibility for the mismanagement of R246 million project with the president. However, many commentators have already slammed Zuma’s response as simply passing responsibility on to others, published as a proverbial epitaph to a matter, which the president considers to be buried, and exemplified perfectly in Zuma’s four-month tardiness in submitting his own report. Entitled “Report To The Speaker Of The National Assembly Regarding the Security Upgrades At The Nkandla Private Residence

Of His Excellency President Jacob G Zuma,” the 20-page report largely relieves the president of any blame and places the weight of any future investigation with other government figures, chiefly leaving Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko to assess any wrongdoing. Having served on several parliamentary committees before, the ANC heavyweight politician might appear to have the required background to evaluate the damage done, but his intimate relationship with the president as well as with other ANC leaders may make him a rather unlikely candidate to lead any sort of inquiry into one of the new South Africa’s biggest political scandals. The Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane reacted to Mr Nhleko’s controversial appointment to the position, saying that by choosing Nhleko the president had attempted to “avoid accountability for his role in the Nkandlagate scandal.” “[M]inister [Nhleko] is appointed by the president – it’s

|Nkandla, President Zuma’s homestead in KwaZulu Natal

the irony of a boss asking his junior to determine what the boss must pay back. Not only does his response undermine the public protector’s findings, but it is also an attempt by the president to act as both judge and jury on this matter,” Maimane commented on these latest developments. Zuma furthermore tried to excuse a portion of his upgrades by quoting a lack of infrastructure at his rural Nkandla homestead,

Dewani: “perfectionist” with “underlying anxiety”

adding that key facilities such as a hospital would not only be necessary but would also benefit the community at large. He distanced himself from the “construction of buildings, which provide infrastructural support for security personnel,” saying that these were “directly attributable to the fact of my residence being located in a rural area with all the attendant challenges.” The controversy surrounding Zuma’s Nkandla homestead had

formed the backbone for many opposition party campaigns during the run-up to the general elections in May 2014, with various political factions using the Public Protector’s report to lay charges against the president and invoking impeachment procedures. Having defended the upgrades as necessary measures following the 1998 rape of one of his wives on one occasion, Zuma had retreated into silence until publishing his official account this week.

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| The Western Cape Government’s Forensic Mental Health Service has released a psychiatric report on Shrien Dewani’s mental state ahead of his trial

by deva lee After a unanimous decision by the mental health panel at Cape Town’s Valkenberg State Psychiatric Hospital, Shrien Dewani has been found to be mentally fit to stand trial. The Western Cape Government’s Forensic Mental Health Service has released a psychiatric report detailing his condition. The report states that Dewani experienced flashbacks and nightmares following the murder of his wife Anni in 2010. Details of the report include a description of his attempted suicide in the UK, in which he overdosed on tranquilisers.

Following the suicide attempt, Dewani underwent a series of admissions to psychiatric facilities in the UK in 2011, in which he became “acutely sensitive to ambient noises”. After feeling “much better” in 2014, he was extradited to South Africa in April. Since arriving in South Africa, the report states, “his medication has been withdrawn”, but he “occasionally needs a tranquiliser to sleep”. He is “often tearful” and “complained of experiencing panic attacks”. During his observation period, states the report, “[h]e impressed as being of superior intelligence”. The report concludes that “[h] e seems to have perfectionist

personality traits with underlying anxiety”, but that he is “not certifiable”. Dewani is accused of hiring two South African men, Mziwamadoda Qwabe and Zola Tongo, to murder his wife Anni in November 2010. Tongo and Qwabe, have agreed to testify against Dewani as part of a plea bargain. Both claimed that Dewani coordinated a kidnapping, robbery and murder. They were sentenced to 18 and 25 years in prison, respectively. Dewani has a hearing scheduled in September, and his trial will start early October. He has not yet been asked to plead.

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An Armageddon of cyberspace | Is it possible that days can be so frustrating, so wasted because I cannot send emails? That not connecting has me hyperventilating? What has happened?

The Optimist Karen de Villiers

So how is your week? Going well, sorting it out? I decided to change websites and hosting companies and now ‘platsing’ with frustration – only because I am so stupid when it comes to the little people that live inside my computer. Some of the bigger guys, those monsters called Adobe and

Yahoo, are basically telling me we are no longer BFFs. They have shut me down. Adobe won’t open any attachments, and those attachments come from men who want money. Not even my Eurostar tickets will print off – Adobe say ‘no’ and then ze French gendarmes will say no when I want to enter ze Eurostar terminal. I can receive emails, but sending out – computer say no to that too. Just spiffing. I am not brain-dead. I have followed the instructions and entered the correct SMTP and FUCKU’s in the right slots. I have deleted and downloaded fresh applications but … no. I feel like a mother with a

sick, coughing kid who has a temperature and I can but hopelessly look on. There was of course the funny bit: the one where you ‘live chat’ to some chap in America and he says ‘so howya doing?’ I tried: he wanted codes, helixes, the recipe to longevity, of which I knew none. Then he asked me to rate his service. Try shitty. No, in fairness it’s not his fault. Back in the day studying hieroglyphics was not for the common man. Understanding neurology, or the fruit bat’s sleeping habits were happily left to those inclined to wanting to know. Now, with junior Mac attached to the end of my fingers,

I am expected to learn all about HTML, SMTP, POP goes the weasel and an Armageddon of cyberspace – oh God, it’s too taxing, I just want to see what’s on Facebook and Lastminute. com. Say hello once in a while and look at my beautiful newborn website. Is it possible that days can be so frustrating, so wasted because I cannot send my emails? That not connecting has me hyperventilating? What has happened? So I am having an intervention. It’s like the time I thought I would wash my own windows. On the third floor of the building. I thought I would lean around the

open window and with my new squeegee, slooshing, slurping device, my windows would look like those chaps did it at the service stations back home. One side smear the window with soapy water and the other, scrape the window clean. I am still trying to see the view through streaky, ugly, soap caked glass. I am not going to master this. I am going to get a professional to sort it out - as with darling little Macfrustrated child at the moment. I am going to call a professional to cure the Adobe virus and sort our Yahoo (they just sit there, those emails. In the outbox, like barnacles on a rock.) My week was fine thanks.

SA writers head to Edinburgh Book Fest | Damon Galgut, Zakes Mda and Mpho Tutu feature as part of the “Voices from South Africa” programme. Lauren Beukes, Niq Mhlongo, Margie Orford and Mark Gevisser also form part of the South African contingent represented at the festival By staff reporter South Africa’s best-known authors have been invited to participate in this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival, “the world’s largest public celebration of the written word”, taking place in the Scottish capital from 9 to 25 August. Damon Galgut, Zakes Mda and Mpho Tutu feature as part of the “Voices from South Africa” programme. Lauren Beukes, Niq Mhlongo, Margie Orford and Mark Gevisser also form part of the South African contingent represented at the festival. Author CA Davids has been nominated for the festival’s First Book Award for her novel, The Blacks of Cape Town. The award is chosen by the public, and voting closes on 17 October. The Edinburgh International Book Festival is one of the most important events on the world’s publishing calendar, with an estimated 220 000 visitors expected to attend this year’s event. The “Voices from South Africa” theme focuses on

novelists and writers from South Africa whose works are “making waves internationally”. The programme reads: Twenty years since the end of apartheid, South Africa is still struggling to make sense of itself as a democracy. Yet despite its political troubles (or perhaps because of them?) the country is building a powerful community of novelists and writers whose work is now making waves internationally. Alongside Mpho Tutu, literary heavyweights Damon Galgut and Zakes Mda join us in 2014, along with the brilliant crime writer Margie Orford, stunning debuts from CA Davids and Rosie Rowell, bestselling thriller writer Lauren Beukes and one of the fastest rising new stars of the South African scene, Niq Mhlongo. If you happen to be in Edinburgh this month, look out for Mpho Tutu in conversation with Ruth Wishart on 21 August, when they talk about the pain of reconciliation and The Book of Forgiving, co-written with her father, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Galgut’s reading workshop, which will take a close look at EM Forster’s classic A Passage to India, is on 19 August. Check the Edinburgh Book Festival site for booking and more details: www.edbookfest. co.uk. www.southafrica.info

| CA Davids will be visiting Edinburgh Book Fest this year

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In conversation with SA guitar phenomenon Guy Buttery

| Multiple South African Music Award-winning guitarist Guy Buttery returns to London for two concerts. Steeped in the tradition of South African guitarists Tony Cox, Nibs van der Spuy and Madala Kunene, Buttery will be playing at Putney’s The Half Moon on Tuesday, 19 August followed by a performance at The Green Note in Camden on Wednesday, 20 August

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Each of your five albums has been nominated for a South African Music Award (SAMA), with two of them winning. How did this acknowledgement affect your career prospects? I guess in many ways it has. Outside of SA, people refer to the SAMAs as the “South African Grammys” and any kind of recognition for one’s work on a national level is never a bad thing. However, I do feel music is particularly subjective and should never be weighed up by its accolades but rather by its emotional responses. I’m just happy that this kind of music has a platform that allows me to take it around the world.

Your music is predominantly instrumental, but on 2011’s To Disappear In Place you feature multiple singers. Madala Kunene sings in Zulu, Piers Faccini adds vocals, and Chris Letcher’s distinctive tones are mantra-like. What are your views on collaboration across genres? Collaborations across genres are almost involuntary in SA if you happen to make it out of your door. We are called the Rainbow Nation after all, and I feel the music should aim to reflect that. Working across cultural borders in any industry is always a healthy step to some form of growth. It helps us understand a little bit more about each other. Perhaps on some level, music is a tad more free of these borders and, at the risk of sounding pretentious here, is a universal language but regardless I find it imperative to take those steps and take myself further outside of what I previously understood and educate myself more of what is around me. Last year I did a 10-day tour with a Tuareg musician from Niger. We had no common language so the music was really our only form of communication. I feel like I learnt a lot from him and it furthered my understanding of different rhythms and melodic possibilities. Guy Buttery performs at The Half Moon, Putney (19 August) and The Green Note, Camden (20 August). More info on guybuttery.co.za

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It’s been a year since you last performed in London). What can audiences expect to hear in terms of your repertoire, style, and sounds? I’m very lucky and feel deeply honoured that these stages, and others around the world, welcome me back. I always find it incredibly healthy and enriching to play in different parts of the globe. The music somehow carries a deeper maturity and relevance of both its own internal workings and my relationship with it, when performed outside South Africa. My upcoming shows in London will be a mixed bag of the last six albums as well as new work from my upcoming release.

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Described by The Sunday Independent as “one of South Africa’s most influential artists over the past decade”, Guy Buttery is a guitarist and composer who deftly toes the line between traditional guitar traits and folk music while being steeped in the South African music tradition. His playing is all at once inventive and fresh while greatly influenced by those who’ve come before (Tony Cox, Steve Newman, Nibs van der Spuy, and many more). A five-time SAMA nominee and two-time winner, Buttery has performed for audiences in Africa, Australia, America and Europe. He returns to the UK for two shows on 19 and 20 August. It’s been a while since TheSouthAfrican.com last interviewed Buttery, so we caught up with him ahead of his shows.

just a few of the guitar gurus who make up SA’s musical landscape. You’ve performed with many. What are your views on the guitarists who have come before you? Are there any emerging SA guitarists that meld South African folk traits with a broader palette, as you have? I could talk on the subject of South African musicians for hours. South Africa has produced many of the world’s finest artists (and not only guitarists) across a multitude of many genres. Personally for me, the SA artists who reach me on a deeper level are those who honestly reflect their environment and their culture. South Africa has so many diverse traditions, people and cultures, which makes for a never ending source of inspiration to draw from. The people you have mentioned continue to inspire me along with a very long list of others. There are still today musicians turning to SA for influence and this excites me beyond belief.

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Ifa Lethu Foundation of South Africa presents its UK Invest in South Africa dinner

with

Hugh Masekela and Larry Willis Exclusive Private Performance Gala Dinner Charity Auction

Join key investment stakeholders from the UK and South Africa Location:

The Lord Mayor’s Residence, Mansion House, London

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Event Endorsed By:

Lord Robin Renwick, Baroness Lynda Chalker, Baroness Patricia Scotland, The Honorable Fiona Woolf, Alderman Sir Michael Bear, Dame Nicola Brewer and Lord Anthony St John

Recipe for Apricot Malva Pudding with Brandy Glaze

| Malva pudding is part of our South African heritage – try cooking this recipe over an open fire, but it will work really well in your oven, too!

By Petrus Madutlela I was very privileged to work as a chef judge on the latest series of Ultimate Braaimaster, which was recently filmed in South Africa (to be aired from 11 September in South Africa). Malva pudding is part of our South African heritage and it was great fun cooking this recipe over an open fire while I was there, but it will work really well in your oven, too. Apricot Malva Pudding with Brandy Glaze 1 cup of brown sugar 2 eggs 2 tablespoons of apricot jam 1½ cups of cake flour 2 tablespoons of butter 2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar a pinch of salt ½ cup of milk ½ cup of dried apricots, chopped 1 cup of cream ½ a cup of brandy a big knob of butter ½ a cup of sugar Beat the sugar and eggs in a bowl until the mixture is smooth and fluffy, then stir through the apricot jam and set it aside. In a separate bowl, sieve together the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Melt the butter, wait for it to cool slightly then mix with the white wine vinegar and the milk. Add the flour mixture and combine thoroughly, folding as you go. Stir in the chopped apricots and set the pudding batter aside. Take some butter and grease a small flat bottom potjie pot. Pour the batter in and place the potjie on a grid over moderate coals, with a scattering of coals over the top. Bake the pudding for about 45 – 60 minutes – when it’s golden on top

| Photos by Louis Hiemstra

and if you stick a knife or skewer through the centre of the pudding and it comes out clean, it’s ready. (For oven cooking: Pour into a large, greased baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C / 160°C fan for 45 – 60 minutes). To make the brandy glaze,

simply melt the butter and sugar, stir through the cream and brandy and keep warm until the pudding is ready. While the pudding is still nice and hot, pour the glaze over the top. Serve immediately with lashings of double thick whipped cream.

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South African husband and wife acting team star in The First Actress

| South African actors Sifiso and Melonie Mazibuko, studying at Ohio State University, star in the stage play ‘The First Actress’ in London, a play about Britain’s first actress Margaret Hughes and the history of women on stage By staff reporter Believed to be staged for the first time since its premiere run in 1911, The First Actress is the second performance featuring two South African actors visiting London from Ohio State University this summer. Husband and wife acting team Sifiso and Melonie Mazibuko came on tour to London having completed their second year of a three year post graduate degree in Theatre Studies at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Branches, their first play, was performed as a workshop piece at the start of their tour, and The First Actress is a collaborative piece between London based Palindrome Productions and the Department of Theatre at Ohio State University. It is more than a hundred years since suffragette play The First Actress debuted on the London stage. However, some would argue that many of the issues raised in the play and by the players at the time are as relevant today as they were in 1911.

“There are so few female roles out there, and a huge amount of female actors going for those roles. It is the opposite for men – fewer male actors and many more male roles,” says Melonie Mazibuko who plays Mrs Margaret Hughes, the original first actress. “The vast majority of acting roles are for men,” explains Melonie, “I saw Henry IV at the Royal Shakespeare Company this week and out of a cast of 23, four of them are women.” Written by Christopher St. John (born Christabel Marshall, 18711960), this short (just 35 minutes), but plucky drama takes the form of an historic pageant in the popular style of the time. Very well connected, the playwright was at one time secretary to Mrs Randolf Churchill and occasionally to her son Winston Churchill before making her mark as a dramatist. A fierce campaigner for women’s rights, St. John used this play as a forward thinking argument for women’s suffrage by telling the story of the history of women on the stage.

Beginning in the first act with Margaret Hughes in her debut role as Desdemona in Othello in 1661, the narrative moves into the future, where in the second act, homage is paid to the first actress from the nostalgic perspective of future actresses who followed in her footsteps and found success and fame on stage. This takes the form of a parade of historical characters and documents their acting styles, personas, reputations and popularity – a fascinating window into a time long forgotten. “It was amazing playing the first actress here in London,” admits Melonie, “It’s really been helpful to be in the country where the play was written and where the actors lived. Having been to the various settings where the suffragette movement took place, the play and my role just came alive for me.” Melonie Mazibuko’s performance was convincing as the vulnerable and angst-ridden Margaret Hughes, who frets about her acting and bemoans the disservice she will have done for future generations of women on stage.

Sifiso Mazibuko showed his comic prowess, commanding the stage and setting the dramatic tone in the first scene of the play as Sir Chares Sedley (16391701), an historical figure of infamous reputation as a bit of a court jester and politician, who was imprisoned for a short time because of a drunken disturbance. In the intimate setting of the tiny Theatro Technis in Camden, the actors were within touching distance, which allowed the audience rather an impertinent access to the drama and placed the actors under enormous pressure under the glare of lights and eyes. “This is my first time on a London stage,” says Sifiso “It was great to experience the diversity of an international cast – age, race, nationalities. We didn’t have much time to create a bond with the UK actors. We only had one day before performing. That experience was very exciting because we needed to work together in a very short time.”

Sifiso explains what their London tour has meant to him and Melonie: “There is a legacy of British theatre in South African theatre. There was so much support for South African artists in the apartheid times. All of the protest plays came here and many actors performed here; Athol Fugard, John Kani, Winston Ntshona and many others made their mark on the London stage. London was part that engine that fuelled the discourse about what was going on in South Africa. Ex-pats in that sense, and British artists who came to South Africa, have done a lot to establish that relationship between South African and British theatre, which, when I see it here in London, holds something familiar and beautiful for me.” Sifiso and Melonie Mazibuko have returned to Columbus, Ohio where they will start their final year at Ohio State in September. After graduation in 2015 they hope to find acting work in the USA and in their words: “Maybe we will find ourselves back in London.”

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Book Review: Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes

| Lauren Beukes is a novelist of unflinchingly keen eye and ambitious ideas. If she is capable of writing novels of this kind of depth once a year, I feel that we are in for a treat as her readers By zoe hinis Broken Monsters follows in the tradition of Moxyland, Zoo City and The Shining Girls in using cities as characters, backdrops and plot points. In Broken Monsters, Detroit is both ruined and beautiful, the corpse of a model to which artists and hipsters flock as others tut over her corpse and say its just such a shame, and for the grace of god etc. In this Detroit, bait of urban explorers and home of tough cops, a murderer is stitching corpses and art together, a man tormented and the bearer of something beyond his power to control. But this is no Red Dragon – this is something more sinister and beautiful than that. Detective Versado, her daughter Layla, Jonno Haim, Clayton Broom and TK make up the constellation of characters that are all interlinked to the Detroit Monster. This story is further complicated by what it means to be living in this naked age of social media, of constantly shifting identities and the repercussions the online world has on day to day life. As we see the CSI Effect damaging the American justice

system, the novel explores how the rapid nature of the internet might get in the way of careful, thoughtful justice. The references to websites that millennials live on are rapid-fire and likely to be missed by many readers, but that is of no harm: it is Beukes showing her love of the internet, an exploration of our love-hate relationship with the world’s repository of cat pictures and memes. I was filled with the fuzzies at seeing a mention of Nyancat, possibly the most joyous meme (other than Pope Happycat, maybe) to come out of the noughtteens. (Shut up, that’s a real word, I’m using it now.) Beukes’ research is remarkable, and the ability to incorporate her bottomless research without bogging the plot down is a rare skill – it informs rather than lectures, and she fleshes out Detroit as she has Chicago, Johannesburg and Cape Town before. Her characters are each exquisitely well-formed, especially Layla and her mother Gabriella Versado. Detective Versado takes no prisoners and no shit, and unlike many other

female detectives in crime novels, never needs to be saved from her womanly self. She swears, she drinks whiskey, she tries to give a dead child his dignity while raising a daughter post divorce with no time to do it in. While another character calls her broken, I don’t think people who are genuinely broken are so capable, strong and empathetic, and maybe the definition of broken depends on who’s using it. As always, Beukes covers a myriad of topics in each work; in Broken Monsters she covers bullying, the rapid dissemination of videos that ruin lives, urban exploration, grief, loss, divorce, police procedure, sex, the vastness of the internet’s invasive reach, hipsters, the art scene, homelessness, revenge, the proliferation of cyber-paedophilia, alcoholism, Detroit as the corpse of America’s hopes, clickbaiting, pottery, Buzzfeed and Upworthy, and Santeria. While the novel does teeter near the line of claustrophobia with so many ideas battling for even a scrap of the spotlight, it contains and expresses its ideas in

small details, settings and turns of phrase. Also: hooray for thorough editing. Not a single spelling or grammar mistake in the entire work, which is indeed a rare joy these days. One day when I am big, I hope to put my work before Helen Moffett, Beukes’ editor. I hesitate to use the word paranormal because that word has been completely ruined by ridiculous ghost-hunting shows and drippy teen novels, but this story does push at the boundaries of what’s real, what lies on the other side of the dimensional fabric and what gives the monsters power. It manages to infuse the story with a sense of genuine horror without getting Lovecraftian (Lovecraft was a racist asshole, which is worth knowing) and instead doing something more avant-garde with horror (The birds! The glass! The flowers! The tattoos!). There is also a gorgeous reference to Our Patron Saint of the Internet Neil Gaiman‘s stupendous American Gods, another delicious treat for pretentious people like me who like to catch references like other people catch pokemon.

Beukes is a novelist of unflinchingly keen eye and ambitious ideas, her body of work constantly building on some themes while incorporating others. Her love of the cityscape is palpable in her work, and her social commentary biting. Brett Easton Ellis should take notes. Broken Monsters is available in the UK both in-store and online. See thesouthafrican.com for details

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Pieter-Dirk Uys converts hit ’80s play into a novel | Panorama celebrates the people who through their shared passion for a beloved country managed to communicate and even laugh with each other in spite of fear, guilt and prejudice by staff reporter Panorama, the moving and thought-provoking new novel by Pieter-Dirk Uys is based on his remarkable early play of the same name. During the last half of the previous century Robben Island was the international symbol of resistance against apartheid. Nelson Mandela was but one of the imprisoned who eventually led South Africa into democracy in 1994. And yet there was suburban life in the shadow of the prison. Rosa and Karin are two white Afrikaans schoolteachers who do not look at the walls and barbed wire along their path to their cottage on the island. They sit in their small world and look at the magnificence of Table Mountain across the bay, a view that has become iconic, an inspiration they call their “panorama”. For 24 hours in 1987, Sibi Makhale is allowed to visit her dying father in the maximum security prison. The daughter of banned parents, Sibi comes face to face with the two suspicious and frightened schoolteachers. It will prove a life-changing experience for all of them. Over two decades later, Sibi returns to the island - now a World Heritage Site - with her two bornfree sons. It is an attempt at closure for her, an adventure for her boys, and for the reader a remarkable journey back from the dark past. Panorama celebrates the people who through their shared passion for a beloved country managed to communicate and even laugh with each other in spite of fear, guilt and prejudice. The story and its characters will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading this poignant and funny novel. We spoke to Pieter to find out a bit more about Panorama: You’ve written many plays over the years – what made you choose to convert Panorama into a novel? The original story was told in my play in 1987 – set on Robben Island at the same time, showing audiences a dark place that was shrouded in secret. Mandela was already in Pollsmoor, and yet there were still passions and energies trapped in that island hell. Not just black prisoners inside, but also white ones outside. Then around 2006 with all the build-up to the

2010 World Cup, I realised that the new mega-stadium would be a rude addition on the face of the panorama that my characters looked at in the play. Karin and Rosa and Sibi knocked on the door of my imagination and said: ‘Yes? Don’t you wonder where we all are? Now, all these years after 1987?’ So that’s where it started. First finding a road map of facts: who was where, what happened when. The only artistic licence I took was moving the Purple Shall Govern riot earlier into 1987. What is the message of the novel? Message? Impression is what I hope for – a reminder of where you, the reader, were during that time. If too young then, how much do you know about what happened to ordinary people then? And how different are our lives today with all the freedoms we take for granted and the information we have, but still so little knowldege. PANORAMA is a small story about small people set against a huge backdrop of famous giants and political tornados. So I hope that besides being shocked by the reminders of suffering and fear, the reader is inspired by the survival of the human spirit. And moved to shed a tear for them – and for us. You describe the life of Sibi’s

father, Alfred Makhale, in detail – was he based on a real prisoner? I had to make sure that he was not mixed up with Mandela or Walter Sisulu or Robert Sobukwe. I did a lot of reading and even more imagining and hopefully I gave him the dignity of reality and place. What will South African expats find in this book? I don’t believe there is such a thing called an Ex-South African: there are just South Africans somewhere else. And so let them settle down calmly and read a story that might be very familiar, or go on a discovery of people that sound familiar and end up shockingly personal. A mother, a sister, a cousin. A maid. A whiff of memory from those years in the SADF. Panorama is not Homeland or House of Cards or West Wing. But it is a story that everyone who walked on Table Mountain, swam at Blouberg beach, visited Robben Island on that tour – or have young sons and daughters who filter life through Google and Twitter – will enjoy the journey with Rosa and Karin, Grobbelaar and Sibi- and maybe stick that postcard of Table Mountain on the fridge door in Putney just to remind them of another special place called home. Panorama is available on Kindle, and the paperback version in South Africa is now in its second printing.

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| 19 - 26 August 2014 | thesouthafrican.com Follow us on Twitter: @TheSAnews

Orange is the happiest colour: | It is said that the Danes are the happiest people on earth – and I believe Roskilde Festival may have something to do with this…

By heather walker Never before have I been surrounded by so many smiling, blonde, blue-eyed, tanned and good-looking individuals. Thankfully I this was not an Aryan People’s Convention but the rather more entertaining Roskilde Festival. I attended my first Roskilde Festival over a sweltering July weekend this year. The largest music festival in Scandinavia and one of the biggest in Europe, Roskilde was created in 1971 by two high school students. It is held 35km outside Copenhagen on the fields south of Roskilde, one of Denmark’s oldest cities. The bands performing at Roskilde are traditionally a mix of well-known headliners, cuttingedge artists from contemporary genres and up-and-coming Scandinavian names. Over the years, the festival has presented acts such as Arcade Fire, Beastie Boys, Björk, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Coldplay, The

Cure, Daft Punk, Bob Dylan, Foo Fighters, Gorillaz, Iron Maiden, Jay -Z, Kraftwerk, Metallica, Muse, My Bloody Valentine, Nirvana, Prince, Radiohead, Rage Against The Machine, Rammstein, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Rihanna, Slayer, Slipknot, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, The Strokes, Tiësto, U2, Kanye West, The White Stripes and Neil Young. This year’s line-up included The Rolling Stones, Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, Damon Albarn, Outkast, Haim, Interpol, Jack White, Rob Zombie and Stevie Wonder – but this was just the tip of the iceberg. With more than 100 acts performing across six stages over four days, there is really something to suit every taste. With several acts performing concurrently, the only problem is that it’s just impossible to see everything you want to! The main Orange Stage has been the symbol of Roskilde Festival since 1978. Its distinctive orange canopy was originally designed in the UK for The Rolling Stones’

summer tour in 1976 (the present canopy, however, is a new and larger version from 2001), so the Rolling Stones were no doubt delighted to be reunited with ‘their’ stage this year. The headliners were of course a treat to see live, but discovering new acts is always a thrill. I can recommend Mali’s The Ambassadors, Scotland’s Mogwai, USA’s Warpaint and Sweden’s Jenny Wilson, Temple, and I Break Horses. I am now busy catching up on the bands I didn’t get to see, online! New Zealand’s Connan Mockasin was a big hit on the Pavilion stage and Australian metal band Mournful Congregation introduced me to a genre called funeral doom, which I never even knew existed. The festival is run as a non-profit organisation for the development and support of music, culture and humanitarian causes and is made possible by 31,000 volunteers. A previous review described Roskilde as ‘dirty, disciplined and Danish’ and I think this phrase captures the atmosphere well.

thesouthafrican.com | 19 - 26 August 2014 |

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Roskilde Festival

SA artist chosen to paint mural at Roskilde | Capetonian artist Leigh Cupido, based in Denmark, was among the few chosen to paint graffiti murals at this year’s Roskilde Festival by Tina van der Heyden Art features prominently at Denmark’s Roskilde Festival. Its annual graffiti art project has been going since 1999 and this year South African artist Leigh Cupido was among a select group chosen to create murals at the Festival in July. A quick look at Leigh’s mural and those distinctive glasses could have you thinking ‘Spoek Mathambo’, but his take on the project’s ‘pop art’ theme was inspired by a young Stevie Wonder – one of the headliners at Roskilde 2014. Leigh might not even have heard about Roskilde Festival if he hadn’t gone to a party in Observatory, Cape Town, and fallen in love with the Danish student he eventually followed to Copenhagen. He was one of several hundred artists who submitted applications from all over the world to volunteer at Roskilde’s graffiti project where more than 100 artists decorate 1km of walls. Most of the murals are created by street artists including Denmark’s

Everything was exceptionally well-organised and everyone seemed chilled and content – those happy Danes! Although who could fail to be happy when the sun is shining? Despite the copious amounts of alcohol consumed on the premises, people were well-behaved and I didn’t see a single incident of violence. There was no pushing to get to the front, no impatient words – remarkable considering there were about 130,000 people sharing the festival space. As far as the dirty part goes, despite an army of volunteers working around the clock to keep things tidy, at a festival this size, things are bound to get a bit messy! The toilets start to smell nasty and at the end of each day you find yourself covered in a layer of brown dust from traipsing all over the site. But that’s the nature of any festival and if you’re not prepared to get a little dirty, you’d best stay at home!

Huskmitnavn (‘remember my name’) and British artist Pref. But the project is not limited to street artists. Conceptual artist Kristian von Hornsleth, one of Denmark’s most prominent artists, also created a mural this year. A major part of the art project is the graffiti workshop giving novice artists who aren’t used to having free access to lots of spray paint the opportunity to get creative alongside the volunteer artists from around the world. An artist and illustrator, Leigh has been painting since 2007 and is part of the Cape Town based Core collective that also includes Rayaan Cassiem, Anwar Davids and Amedeo Bisogno. Earlier this year, the Core Collective was commissioned to create a 5m x 12m mural in Woodstock to mark the launch of the Creation Generation Media project. The collective has also previously participated in the El Qasbah street festival in the United Arab Emirates.

Leigh Cupido at work on his mural at Roskilde

Zimbabwe Community

| 19 - 26 August 2014 | thesouthafrican.com Follow us on Twitter: @TheSAnews

Mugabe becomes head of SADC

| At the ripe old age of 90, Robert Mugabe takes over leadership of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for the first time amid widespread condemnation of his human rights record The SW Radio Africa team says goodbye

Voice in the wilderness silenced, as SW Radio Africa shuts down

| One of the only non-state controlled media outlets broadcasting in Zimbabwe closes down, as the outlook for the country’s political future remains uncertain By sertan sanderson One of the few media outlets opposed to President Robert Mugabe‘s leadership in Zimbabwe has closed down due to a lack of funding. SW Radio Africa, which had been broadcasting from London to Zimbabwe, finished its operations after 13 years in business. “It is with regret that SW Radio Africa announces that it is closing down,” a final press release reads on the company’s website. The radio station had been created in tandem with the opposition to Mugabe’s ZANU-PF rule in the early 2000s, which was chiefly led by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party under the helm of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai at the time. However, with disagreements within the MDC leading to various levels of infighting over the years, the broadcaster lost donor support and was forced to shut down last week, leaving Zimbabwe’s broadcasting channels largely in the hands of the state’s monopoly. The controversial radio station estimates its follower base to have

remained stable around one million listeners throughout most of its existence in spite of all efforts on part of the Zimbabwean government to block the airwaves used by SW Radio Africa. Despite all adversity the now-defunct radio station shares a hopeful outlook for a better future in Zimbabwe: “We hope that one day Zimbabwe will have a government who understands that its sole responsibility is to ensure a safe, healthy, prosperous life for every man, woman and child in the country.” Supporters of Mugabe’s ZANUPF had labelled SW Radio Africa a “pirate station” and a “platform for propaganda” according to comments left on the company’s website. SW Radio Africa, however, says that it remained loyal to a broad listener base, bowing out with gratitude at the end: “In particular we’d like to thank our listeners, who have shared their lives, hopes and dreams with us and helped us to tell the story of Zimbabwe’s sad decline to the world.” GET YoUR SPoRT 24/7

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By sertan sanderson Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe is to take over leadership of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) following the annual conference of the 15 member states this week. The summit, held at Victoria Falls, marks the 34th anniversary of the organisation, which was originally conceived as a gathering of various African liberation movements but grew into a platform to discuss the economic development of southern African states. But in many ways Mugabe’s leadership does not seem to bode well – not in the department of economic development nor when it comes to his country’s relationship with human rights. Amnesty International has

already slammed the moved, explaining that it had some “serious concerns” about Zimbabwe’s human rights record. Amnesty did not, however, single out Zimbabwe in its indictment and expressed worries about other SADC member states, specifically Angola, Malawi and Swaziland, saying that economic development could not be furthered while human rights were not fully respected. Other human rights organisations also joined in to criticise SADC’s decision to hand over leadership to Zimbabwe. However, little of this resistance is felt within the ranks of SADC; in fact, the only SADC country to ever historically speak critically of Robert Mugabe is Botswana, which ironically is also host to the headquarters of the organisation.

Robert Mugabe will be taking over SADC leadership for the first time, giving the 90-year-old President another opportunity to leave a legacy beyond the borders of Zimbabwe. However, notorious for overpromising and underachieving, it is unlikely that SADC will actually witness any noteworthy changes or developments under Mugabe’s helm even if the rhetoric of the organisation might momentarily change to Bob Mugabe’s signature style of expression. Already the deputy chair of the African Union (AU), the seven-time nonagenarian leader seems to be collecting a host of accolades and honours rather than fulfilling actual leadership responsibilities at the end of his days, leaving the question of Zimbabwe’s political future rather unanswered.

South Africa introduces new permit scheme for Zimbabwean immigrants | As the old visa regulations for South Africa’s quarter million Zimbabwean immigrants are set to expire, the government introduces a new programme, which hints at eventual integration By sertan sanderson South African Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba has announced the details of the new Zimbabwean Special Dispensation Permit (ZSP) – an government initiative to integrate illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe into SA. Outlining the particulars of the ZSP, the Minister made clear that this will mark the beginning of a new phase, as the Dispensation for Zimbabwe Project (DZP) applied so far was officially to be closed on 31 December 2014. Under the DZP, Zimbabwean nationals, who had been living in South Africa illegally, were granted an opportunity to legalise their stay. With this programme expiring, the Department of Home Affairs developed a new proposal with regard to the ZSP, which was

accepted by Cabinet on 6 August 2014. Minister Gigaba said that Zimbabwean nationals, who are in possession of the DZP permits, will be eligible to apply for the new ZSP. However, this is only if they wish to extend their stay in South Africa. The Minister added that certain conditions, however, would have to be fulfilled. “These conditions include, but are not limited to: a valid Zimbabwean passport; evidence of employment, business or accredited study and a clear criminal record,” Minister Gigaba said. The ZSP is designed to allow permit-holders to live, work, conduct business and study in South Africa for the duration of the permit and will be valid until 31 December 2017, at which point the fate of the quarter of a million

Zimbabweans living in SA will be reevaluated by the government. However, with almost ten years in South Africa by 2017, most Zimbabweans in the country should qualify for permanent residence by then. Applications for ZSP permits, will open on 1 October 2014, and close on 31 December 2014. The previous special dispensation programme had been introduced in 2009 to regulate the stay of Zimbabweans working illegally in South Arica as a result of the political and socio-economic situation in their country following the contested 2008 elections. Approximately 295,000 Zimbabweans applied for the permits. More than 245,000 permits were then issued, with the balance being denied due to lack of documentation or non-fulfilment of other conditions.

thesouthafrican.com | 19 - 26 August 2014 |

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SAA partners with Boeing to make jet fuel from tobacco | South African Airways and Boeing have signed a memorandum of understanding in which they agreed to work together to develop and implement a sustainable aviation biofuel supply chain in southern Africa – a first for the continent By staff reporter South African Airways is partnering with US aerospace giant Boeing and Amsterdam-based SkyNRG to make sustainable aviation biofuel from a new type of tobacco plant, in a pioneering project that could make aviation more environment-conscious while advancing rural development in southern Africa. “It’s an honour for Boeing to work with South African Airways on a pioneering project to make sustainable jet fuel from an energyrich tobacco plant,” said J Miguel Santos, Boeing’s MD for Africa, in a joint statement on Wednesday. “South Africa is leading efforts to commercialise a valuable new source of biofuel that can further reduce aviation’s environmental footprint and advance the region’s economy.” According to the statement, SkyNRG is expanding production of the hybrid plant, known as Solaris, as an energy crop that farmers could grow instead of traditional tobacco. “Test farming of the plants, which are effectively nicotine-free, is

under way in South Africa, with biofuel production expected from large and small farms in the next few years,” the companies said. Initially, oil from the plant’s seeds will be converted into jet fuel. In coming years, Boeing expects emerging technologies to increase South Africa’s aviation biofuel production from the rest of the plant. “By using hybrid tobacco, we can leverage knowledge of tobacco growers in South Africa to grow a marketable biofuel crop without encouraging smoking,” said Ian Cruickshank, SAA’s group environmental affairs specialist. Maarten van Dijk, chief technology officer at SkyNRG, said his company “strongly believe[s] in the potential of successfully rolling out Solaris in the southern African region to power sustainable fuels that are also affordable”. SAA and Boeing signed a memorandum of understanding in October last year in which they agreed to work together to develop and implement a sustainable aviation biofuel supply chain in southern Africa – a first for the continent.

As part of the project, Boeing and SAA are working with the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials, an international multi-stakeholder initiative, to position farmers with small plots of land to grow biofuel feedstocks that provide them with an income without harming food supplies, fresh water or land use. According to the two companies, flight tests show that biofuel, which is derived from organic sources such as plants or algae, performs as well as or better than petroleum-based jet fuel. “When produced in sustainable ways, biofuel contributes far less to global climate change than traditional fuels, because carbon dioxide is pulled out of the atmosphere by a growing plantbased feedstock.” In 2011, aviation biofuel refined to required standards was approved for a blend of up to 50 percent with traditional jet fuel. Globally, more than 1500 passenger flights using biofuel have been flown since then. www.southafrica.info

Rand Strengthened against the Dollar

| The Rand strengthened further against the US Dollar yesterday by 1st contact The Rand strengthened further against the US Dollar yesterday, closing at USD-ZAR 10.55, compared with Wednesday’s close of USD-ZAR 10.57. The Rand appreciated into a steady to slightly mixed performance from the Dollar against the major crosses. The local currency strengthened alongside appreciation across almost all of the commodity currencies (the NOK, steady on the day, was the only exception) and across all of the EM currencies we monitor for purposes of this report. The Dollar strengthened mildly against the Pound and the Yen, while weakening slightly against the Euro. The Rand was the second-best-

performing commodity currency (beaten only by the NZD) but ranked third from last among EM peers (beating only the IDR and the RUB). Turning to commodity prices, Brent, copper and platinum fell by 2.2 percent, 0.9 percent and 0.1 percent respectively. Gold meanwhile rose by 0.1 percent. Non-residents were meaningful net buyers of local equities (ZAR 699 million) and of local bonds (ZAR 589 million) yesterday. Brought to you by

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Obtain visa sponsorship via the Tier 2 permit | BIC are often asked by clients how they can either immigrate to the United Kingdom to take up employment or how they can remain in the country Kingdom if they are already in the United Kingdom in another capacity, for example as a student

by JP breytenbach One of the routes open to clients is called the Tier 2 route. The tier 2 route is further subdivided into various subjections, but for the purposes of this article we will deal with the Tier 2 General work permit. The Tier 2 General work permit deals with how one can either enter the United Kingdom or remain in the United Kingdom by being sponsored by a UK company to work for them. In order for this to happen, a few different requirements have to be met. I will deal briefly with them below. The company that wishes to sponsor you will have to have a licence to do so. There are currently over 28,000 companies in the United Kingdom who have a licence – called a sponsors licence, which would allow them to potentially sponsor you to take

up employment with them. If the company that wishes to employ you does not have a sponsors licence – do not despair! It is relatively easily obtainable and we assist many companies, both large and small in obtaining a sponsors licence. Once a company has got a licence to sponsor you, they will be able to issue you with what is known as a certificate of sponsorship or a COS certificate. Without getting into too much detail, this essentially is a document that the company issues confirming that they are offering you employment. Prior to the company being able to issue you with this certificate, they would have to go through a process called the ‘Resident labour market test’. This process is basically used to ensure that British and European nationals are given a fair chance to apply for the position open at the

company that will be sponsoring you. As a general rule one could say that as the company would be looking to sponsor you in the first place they would have looked into recruiting local talent first and that they could not find any local talent suitable for the role. We will assist the company with this process, which involves placing an advertisement advertising the job in question for 28 days. All the applicants that have applied will then have to be looked at by your potential employers and the company will have to justify why you are the only suitable candidate for them. The final step in the matter would be to apply for you to obtain either entry clearance if you are outside the United Kingdom or further leave to remain, if you are already in the United Kingdom on certain types of visas. We will assist with this process and make sure it is pain and hassle free.

Some other interesting things to note, are that if you are in the United Kingdom, for example as a student, then your potential employers may be able to sponsor you without having to do the resident labour market test and you do not necessarily have to fly to your country of nationality in order to apply for entry clearance again; you can just extend your leave to remain in the United Kingdom by switching from student- to Tier 2 status. Other benefits for people who are moving to the United Kingdom as Tier 2 General work permit holders are that they can take their families with them. Their spouse can work in any capacity they want too and the children can attend local schools without having to pay very expensive international school fees. You and your dependents will usually be granted a visa for three

years which can be extended once for a further period of three years. Once you have been in the United Kingdom and have adhered to all the terms and restrictions of your stay you could be issued with indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom which would allow you and your dependents to remain in the United Kingdom permanently. You can then thereafter apply for British nationality with your family if you so wish. If you are interested in applying for this visa, please contact BIC at info@bic-immigration.comor visit our website at www.bicimmigration.com

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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

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| 19 - 26 August 2014 | thesouthafrican.com

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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 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

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 the finest herbs and spices and 100% British grass-fed beef! Our FINEST range is also gluten, sugar, msg and preservative free. For 10% EXTRA FREE use code SAFFA10 in the shipping instructions box at the checkout. www.biltongcompany.co.uk / 01243 216196

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

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thesouthafrican.com | 19 - 26 August 2014 | Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/thesouthafrican

Sport

Great week of Touch summer finals come rain or come shine | The O2Touch Summer Season at Regents Park has come to an end with the Finals taking place for the Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday evenings last week, with the weather keeping on teasing the teams

By in2touch All the teams were ready to take on their final matches using all the skills they had learnt over the past eight weeks. The Tuesday league was the first to have their Finals evening and it kicked off with a bang. In the Mens League Frosty Boys took on Chip and Chase in a mentally and physically tough match. Both teams tried their best but in the end Frosty Boys edged ahead to win 5 – 3 over Chip and Chase. Then there were some more close finals in the Mixed Divisions, Green & Gold lost to Honey Badgers 6 – 3 in the Mixed Division 1 Final. In the Mixed Division 2 Perfect Strangers won 5 – 4 in a close game against Thunder from Down Under. In another tight game in the Mixed Division 3, Ladies Love to Dump took on Switcharoos in their final and Switcharoos won the game 4 – 3. Finally in the Mixed Division 4 league it was a great game to watch with many touchdowns scored. Laser Cats won the match comfortably with a 10 – 4 win over Investec Social Zebras. Next up we have the Regents Park Wednesday League Finals. First up was the Mens Division with To Affinity and Beyond vs Good Touch Bad Touch, this proved to be a fantastic match with amazing skills and teamwork on show to give To Affinity and Beyond the win over Good Touch Bad Touch, 7 – 2. The Mixed Divisions had some very different scores and outcomes. In the Mixed Division 1, Infinity Awesome won their final 9 – 2 against Dillon Can’t Read. Then Nachos took on Victorious Secret and tried their best but Victorious Secret edged ahead with a 5 – 3 win in the Mixed Division 2 League. With the Mixed Division 3 Magic Touch – Legends won their match with a comfortable lead and winning 8 – 2 over No Woman

No Try. With the Final Mixed Division 4 Cognifide Ballsers put in everything they had to take on Magic Touch – All Stars but it just proved to be not enough as Magic Touch – All Stars went on the win the match 13 – 3. With a thunderstorm taking place an hour before the teams played their Finals on the Thursday evening at Regents Park it was looking to be a difficult evening of touch. However the rain stopped and the sun came out just in time to see some great Touch games. We had Artful Dodgers taking on Rocky Raiders in the Mens Division and what a game it was. It was one for one and eventually the game ended in a tie, which meant of course the dreaded Drop – Off (all spectators love watching this exciting way of getting a winner). The game went down to 4 players on each team and Rocky Raiders scored the winning touchdown with a 6 – 5 victory. Then in the Mixed Division 1, the Artful Dodgers Mixed team went head to head with EY. In a closely contested match Artful Dodgers nudged ahead and won the game 6 – 4. Last up was the Mixed Division 2 Final where Fiendish Feet won their game against Can’t Touch This 5 – 0. It was a fantastic week of touch at Regents Park and with the last of the Summer Season finishing on Monday evening; the teams have showed their appreciation of all the Referees and Venue Managers that put in a lot of effort and commitment into getting the Leagues up and running night in and night out. There are some more leagues coming up at Regents Park in the next few weeks and the registrations are still open for any teams to enter. If you would like some more information, then please have a look on www.in2touch.com or you can contact us on 020 8542 0827.

Sport

19 - 26 AUGUST 2014

great week of touch summer finals p15

NEWS FOR GLOBAL SOUTH AFRICANS

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south africa WIN despite “worst conditions” ever

| Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer on Saturday said he was very pleased with a tough 13-6 win over Argentina on Saturday night at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria in conditions that captain Jean de Villiers described as “probably the worst I have ever played in”

By staff reporter The win at Loftus Versfeld was described by South African captain Jean de Villiers described as “probably the worst conditions I have ever played in”. This victory pushed the Springboks to the top of the Rugby Championship table after the first round of play, with Australia and New Zealand playing to a draw in Sydney earlier in the day. Meyer noted that a number of young players with limited Test match experience played in pivotal positions and did very well in very testing conditions. “We had a 20-year-old [Handré Pollard] running play at flyhalf and a 21-year-old [Lodewyk de Jager] calling the line-outs and they did very well,” the Bok coach said. “We showed a lot of character by keeping them out from our line. They had two great line-out options near our line and our guys kept them out. I am very happy with that.” The Springboks scored an early try to set up a possible bonus point winning margin, but as thunder, hail and heavy rain set in, both teams struggled to get any flow in their play. Meyer indicated that they wanted a more flowing game, but Argentina made it difficult. “They are not a continuity team, they are a contesting team, so it is not always easy to get a flow to your match.

l PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA: Francois Louw of the Springboks during The Castle Rugby Championship match between South Africa and Argentina at Loftus Versfeld on August 16. Photo by Steve Haag/Gallo Images/Getty Images

“We played well for 30 minutes, but we did not get the points to justify that and affected us, as we had a mindset of attacking play. “Their kicking game was better

than ours, but luckily Willie [le Roux] was excellent.” The Springboks will be set on running their own race in this year’s competition, Meyer said.

“The result in Sydney had no impact on our frame of mind or style of play. We want to win all our matches, because then we will be good

for winning the championships. Don’t read too much into this match. “The new combinations worked well for us. “The new guys showed the character I expected from them. A lot of the guys are 23 years and younger. “I will be happy to keep on winning, even if it is by one point in every match. That is what rugby is all about.” Springbok captain Jean de Villiers said it was possible the worst conditions he has played in . “Still, our guys came through nicely,” he said. “We could not play the brand we wanted to. “We have five matches left to do it. Now we must regroup and do it [in the return match against Argentina] in Salta. “Our execution was poor. We did not expect these conditions, so adapted as best we could. “We were looking for five points, but the fact that we got four is still very pleasing.” Willem Alberts will not travel with the squad to Argentina due to a hamstring strain. As a result, Golden Lions captain Warren Whiteley has been drafted into the squad for the tour to Argentina. The Springboks depart to Buenos Aires on Sunday.

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