The South African 22 – 29 April 2014

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22 - 29 April 2014

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20 YEARS OF FREEDOM: REASON TO CELEBRATE

| From a South African feast to a photo exhibition to voting in the national election – here are some ways you can celebrate Freedom Day

INSIDE:

by staff reporter

Freedom Day on Sunday 27 April marks 20 years since South Africa’s first democratic elections.

As we reflect on this milestone, there’s no denying the past two decades have been a bumpy ride; today South Africa continues to experience major economic and socio-political challenges.

However, it is also important to take stock of how far we’ve come since 1994 and to celebrate what has been achieved, while looking ahead to the national elections next week.

There are numerous events being held to commemorate Freedom Day in South Africa but you don’t have to feel left out here in the UK. These are just some of the ways you can toast South Africa’s 20th birthday on foreign soil – read more inside or see our website for details.

Plot for Peace screening 24 April Directed by Spanish director Carlos Agulló and Johannesburg filmmaker Mandy Jacobson, Plot for Peace is a whole new take on the heritage of central and southern Africa.

The documentary thriller tells the true, untold story behind Nelson Mandela’s release from prison featuring a protagonist straight out of a John le Carré novel. His name: Jean-Yves

p2 | Caster Semenya, Danny Glover to receive highest SA honours p4 | Coffee and Economics with DA’s Tim Harris p8| Five surprisingly endangered animal species of South Africa to Mandela’s prison cell.

Plot for Peace will be screened

by UK Jewish Film at Tricycle Cinema on 24 April at 8pm, followed by a Q and A session with Jean-Yves Ollivier.

Book on http://ukjewishfilm.org/ event/plot-peace-qa-jean-yvesollivier/

Grant Fleming’s End of Apartheid exhibition runs from 25 April to 16 May

Ollivier, also known as ‘Monsieur Jacques’. To some, such as former President Thabo Mbeki, he was a mysterious

French businessman or spy. For others, he was a trusted friend and a man of bold vision. For the first time, heads of state, generals,

diplomats, master spies and anti-apartheid fighters reveal how ‘Monsieur Jacques’ positioned himself to be the improbable key

The End of Apartheid photo exhibition 25 April to 16 May Following his long-serving membership to the anti-apartheid movement in London and years of marching, boycotting and hours of vigil, Grant Fleming travelled to South Africa for the first time as a photojournalist to ...continued on page 3

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| 22 - 29 April 2014 | thesouthafrican.com

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Campaign calling for voters to spoil ballots to spite ANC is ‘reckless’

| Pointless, reckless and badly timed – how numerous critics have described a new campaign encouraging people to spoil their votes to avoid giving votes to the ANC in the national elections by staff reporter A number of struggle veterans and former government leaders have launched a campaign encouraging people to spoil their votes, and by doing so avoid giving votes to the ANC in the national elections.

On Tuesday, former ministers Ronnie Kasrils and Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge launched the “Sidikiwe! Vukani! Vote no!” campaign at Wits University, appealing on South Africans to either vote for a minority party, or spoil their ballot in protest against corruption in the ANC. Kasrils said, “The South African electoral system does not offer a ‘none of the above’ option as in India or Australia.

He said if a voter couldn’t do a purely negative vote, spoiling the ballot was perhaps an answer.

He acknowledged it was an extreme choice but would prefer it to staying away from the ballot

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sacrifice made in recognition of the fact that no government can claim authority unless it is based on the will of the people, and as such our people would forever jealously guard this hard-won right. Reactionary statements therefore that call for such careless behaviour as spoiling ballot papers is tantamount to undermining the long struggles and the sacrifices of our people.”

Activist and comedian PieterDirk Uys said, “To now suggest a spoilt ballot in the general election as a protest against ANC corruption and ineptitude is pointless. During the last election there were nearly 300,000 spoilt papers which had no effect on the outcome, other than to indicate that nearly 300,000 voters had left their glasses at home.”

The Bishop of Tshwane, the Right Reverend Abraham Thamsanqa Sibiya, said he felt let down by Kasrils. “In the past 20

years of our hard-earned freedom, I have never felt as failed as I am today by the stance taken by former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils and former deputy minister of health Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, of mobilising people to spoil their votes rather than vote for the ANC,” Sibiya said in a statement.

Ranjeni Munusamy of the Daily Maverick commented, “Had the Sidikiwe! Vukani! campaign started a year ago, taking on board the losing faction from the ANC national conference in Mangaung, those fed up with the monocracy in the South African Communist Party and disgruntled sections of Cosatu, it might have grown into a significant force…

For now, however, it appears to be nothing more than a group of tormented people, adopting a tough love approach in the hope that the ANC will admit its faults and go into political rehab.”

SA to host Cyprus peace talks in April

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box entirely. It would also set a more interesting course for the next elections, by which time an organised workers’ party might have emerged, as the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) posits. “That could well provide people with a real future choice.”

A quarter of a million people on average have spoiled their vote in each election since 1994.

Kasrils’ campaign has come under heavy criticism.

The ANC called the Vote No campaign ‘disruptive, reckless and counter-revolutionary’.

ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu said, “The people of South Africa, led by their organisation the African National Congress, paid the highest price for the right to vote. The right of our people to vote was not a benevolent act bestowed

by Ronnie Kasrils upon South Africans; it was the supreme

| South Africa is expecting to host negotiators from Cyprus to move forward their peace talks by sertan sanderson Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot negotiators are due to arrive in South Africa at the end of April to learn from the country’s reconciliation process and apply lessons back home as party of the divided island’s own ongoing peace process.

Kudret Ozersay of the Turkish delegation and Andreas Mavroyiannis from the GreekCypriot delegation will meet in Mzansi from April 25th to April 29th 2014 as part of a US American initiative, according to the Turkish Daily newspaper Milliyet.

Roelof Petrus Meyer, who had

led negotiations for the white minority government during the transition to democracy in South Africa in the 1990s, will form part of the group invited to instruct the statesmen from the Mediterranean island nation, which has officially been at a state of war since 1974.

According to an unknown diplomatic source, Meyer might go on to serve as a Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General for Cyprus to replace Australian diplomat Alexander Downer - if the visit to South Africa turns out to be an initial success.

However, the United Nations did not comment on this prospect independently.

Meyer also served as Minister of Constitutional Development and Provincial Affairs under President Nelson Mandela and is regarded as one of the key figures in South Africa’s own transition to democracy. After a prolonged absence from politics, this might just be his ‘comeback’ moment as an international diplomat.

Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu seemed confident about the peacemaking process ahead of the upcoming trip. At a meeting in Nicosia, Cyprus, he told reporters last week:

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“Today everyone in the TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) is talking about an agreement. We are all searching for a viable and permanent solution.”

However, that optimism was overshadowed by rumours that Eroglu was about to grant TRNC citizenship to more than 40,000 settlers in Northern Cyprus, who had previously been brought in from Turkey to deliberately alter the ethnic make-up of the island.

Greek Cypriot leaders called the latest developments “very disturbing”.

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Caster Semenya, Danny Glover to receive highest South African honours

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

| National Orders, the highest awards that South Africa bestows annually on its citizens and eminent foreign nationals, will be handed out on Freedom Day to recipients including Olympic athletes Caster Semenya and Cameron van der Burgh by staff reportter Top athletes Caster Semenya, Lucas Sithole and Cameron van der Burgh, businessman Raymond Ackerman and activists and struggle stalwarts Dawid Kruiper, Frances Baard and Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa are some of the names on the long list of South Africans and eminent persons who are the recipients of prestigious Presidential honours.

The award ceremony for the recipients will be held on Freedom Day (27 April).

Dr Cassius Lubisi, the chancellor of the National Orders and Director-General in the Presidency, announced the list of recipients of National Orders – the highest honours in the land – to recognise those who have contributed to the advancement of the country.

Lubisi said that the awards also recognise the contributions made by individuals towards building a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa, as envisaged in the Constitution.

“National Orders are the highest awards that our country bestows on its citizens and eminent foreign nationals, who have contributed towards the advancement of democracy and

who have made a significant impact on improving the lives of South Africans,” he said.

Announcing the list, Lubisi said Semenya, 23, a middle-distance runner and an Olympic silver medallist, was recognised for her achievements while faced with trying times from local and world athletics bodies. She will be awarded the bronze Order of Ikhamanga, which is given to South Africans who excel in the field of arts, culture, literature, music, journalism and sport.

“For her outstanding contribution in the sporting field of middle-distance track running, her performance against all odds has made the country proud,” Lubisi said.

Record-breaking Olympic medallist Cameron van Der Burgh, 25, was also recognised for his excellence in breaststroke and will receive a silver Order of Ikhamanga, while 27-yearold Paralympian Lucas Sithole, who made a comeback from losing two legs and his right arm in 1998 to becoming the first African to win a Quad Grand Slam, will also receive the same honour.

“For bearing witness to resilience; he pushes past

his limitations to achieve the seemingly impossible and has made history in the process,” Lubisi said.

Businessman Raymond Ackerman will be bestowed with the Order of the Baobab, which recognises those who contribute to community service, business and economy, science, medicine and technological innovation, for providing scholarships to young people and conducting a socially responsible retail business.

Dawid Kruiper, the late leader of the Khoisan people, will also be recognised in the same category for his excellent contribution in raising awareness of the plight faced by the Khoisan community and successfully initiating the land restitution claim for his people.

Kruiper, well known for his acting role in The Gods Must Be Crazy II, made headlines after hitch-hiking from the Kalahari to Cape Town in 2004 to speak to the then South African President Thabo Mbeki.

Other recipients on the list include renowned author Zakes Mda, soccer boss Jomo Sono, struggle stalwart Ruth First and anti-apartheid activist and actor Danny Glover.

...continued from page 1

Freedom Day: 20 years on

cover the country’s first free and fair elections in 1994. He will be exhibiting his black and white photographs of that momentous election at Forge & Co in Shoreditch from 25 April to 16 May 2014.

Details on http:// theendofapartheid.tumblr.com/

The Walk for Freedom Day in London and Gloucester 27 April Five UK charities working in Southern Africa are launching The Walk for Freedom Day in London and Gloucester on Sunday 27 April to raise money for their work with children at risk of abuse, unemployed young people and supporting peace, human rights and justice in the region.

The Walk for Freedom Day offers a family friendly walk in Wimbledon Park in London, or around Gloucester’s historic city centre, to both celebrate the anniversary of democracy and to

remember Nelson Mandela’s life by walking 2.7 miles.

The ASHA Centre is the UK host charity for the initiative and is working with four partners – Action for Southern Africa, Joburg Child Welfare, the Trevor Huddleston Centre and The Borien Education Foundation to raise awareness and funds in the pursuit of freedoms which we all need in order to thrive.

Sign up on www. thewalkforfreedom.com

SA supperclub popup 29 April Celebrate Freedom Day and UK polling day for the May election with a South African event over two nights in a supperclub kitchen with chefs Pieter Maritz, Linda Galloway and Grant Hawthorne along with Jean-Louis Holtzhauzen from The Cape Wine Academy in London.

They will present a five-course tasting menu with matched wines in Shoreditch on 29 April. Dishes

on the menu include vetkoek, springbok pie and peppermint tart.

Book on /www.edibleexperiences. com/p/70/Bootleg-Banquet

Cast your vote 30 April Celebrate 20 years of freedom by exercising your democratic right to vote. South Africans abroad will cast their ballots on Wednesday 30 April, a week earlier than South Africa’s election date, on Wednesday 7 May. If you submitted a VEC10 form to confirm your intention to vote abroad and it was approved, you are eligible to vote at your chosen embassy.

The only voting station in the UK is at South Africa House, Trafalgar Square, which will be open from from 7am to 9pm on 30 April. There’s sure to be a festive atmosphere as thousands of expats are expected to queue up outside the embassy throughout the day.

Details on elections.org.za

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Coffee and economics with Tim Harris | Sertan Sanderson catches up with the Democratic Alliance (DA) politician and Shadow Minister of Finance in Cape Town by sertan sanderson IN the shadow of the South African Parliament I wait for Tim Harris MP, Shadow Minister of Finance and universally beloved poster-boy for the Democratic Alliance, as suddenly it dawns on me that this will be the first occasion that I shall be speaking to an actual South African parliamentarian. For a second I ask myself whether the experience will turn out to be any different from meeting politicians and dignitaries back in the UK, but before I can even finish the thought Tim appears seemingly from out of nowhere.

While exchanging pleasantries and introductions we dig into a pot of coffee, which always is a gamble in South Africa: will they serve you actual ground beans or just present stirred up instant carcinogens? Much to my delight, we share a nice few cups of freshly brewed java, as I try to learn more about the charismatic Democratic Alliance politician who seems to work overtime examining how South Africa can grow into a leading worldwide economy.

“If you make sure that this democracy works, our potential to succeed in the world is significant.”

This is one of the first things he tells me, and he knows that he’s got my attention. However, instead of just listening to what quotes I can tease out of him, I rather want to understand Tim Harris as a product, as a brand: what Tim is presenting to me is a highly polished view of South Africa’s future, especially with regard to the economy. I continue to observe, for instance, how Tim Harris doesn’t seem to care for an actual breakfast; I can only assume that he is running on a diet, which is probably based on protein bars and salads (although he insists he eats whatever he likes to eat).

You can ask anyone in South Africa and you’ll probably hear agreement in unison that Tim Harris is the most handsome man in politics – even his adversaries think so. But I’m hardly meeting him to discuss his skin care regimen or work-out routine.

What fascinates me much more is how he radiates an inherent understanding of the contemporary zeitgeist of SA politics. Listening to Tim Harris makes me feel as if I’m almost listening to an erudite audio book version of “South African politics for Dummies”, putting me firmly in seat of said dummy.

“South Africans have to vote for change as their first obligation.

And second, they have to open up their eyes to the potential of this continent. Most South Africans don’t know what’s happening on their continent. For instance, tell me, what do you know about Gabon?”

Nevermind Gabon, I can barely find my way around the Mother City. But Tim seems to have made it his destiny to understand what South Africa needs by understanding the country in its African context. Our entire coffee chat revolves strongly around the relationship between South Africa and the rest of the continent while Tim also elaborates on what he considers to be significant discrepancies within SA, holding the country back from all it can achieve: “The fate of South Africa is inherently linked to the fate of the rest of Africa. In fact, South Africa is the only economy in Africa with a significant manufacturing base. Our country has done well globally but is ignoring African markets, mainly because of political and diplomatic failures on part of the current government.

And unfortunately, there are no indications of South Africa becoming more competitive on this continent under that current political climate.”

And he knows what he is talking about: Tim took a twoyear sabbatical from his career in politics in 2007 – not because his job was getting too much or because he wanted to focus on any other career aspirations – but to simply learn more about the continent that he was born into.

Along with two friends he decided to travel up the west coast of Africa and then on through Europe and all the way to London, while enjoying a little bit of surfing along the way. It sounds like the sort of epic adventure that only few people dare to take on these days.

“Why fly to London when you can drive?” he jokes, while the reality of his trip actually took him and his friends through conflict zones and countries destroyed by civil war. “That pot of coffee you’re drinking there: do you know where it comes from? Do you know under what circumstances it is harvested?”

I simply take another sip, as I listen to some of the lessons that Tim learned on his journey through Africa – like being stuck in the Congolese jungle with a failed car battery. After all this exploration, Tim says that he is now trying to inspire young leaders to understand more about how to best harvest the African continent’s potential, saying that it remains a much-misunderstood place.

“We all love South Africa. We all want to see South Africa work.

Our country has many challenges, but it also has so much going for it. There’s nothing wrong in South Africa that you can’t fix with what’s right in South Africa.”

With quotes like that, it is evident that he is out on a charm offensive ahead of the 7 May national

elections – and with good reason: in the last elections, the DA managed to get just under 17 per cent of the overall vote, continuing a growing trend over the years.

But this time around, the party is hoping “to do significantly better than that,” as Tim confirms without disclosing any firm projections.

While his hopeful attitude may inspire many of his fellow party member, as he continues to tour the country alongside other DA heavyweights during widely publicised election rallies, it is clear that the DA has its work cut out for itself: above all, the party is competing to retain control in the Western Cape in the provincial elections – the only province that is currently held by the Democratic Alliance but challenge by a growing ANC electorate.

In addition to the Western Cape, heavy campaigning is also focusing on the Northern Cape and Gauteng Province, which Tim says the party is “excited” about, with DA spokesman Mmusi Maimane pushing for change there. But it is unlikely for the ANC to even fall below the 50 per cent mark in that province, where they are targeting the emerging black middle class as the party’s future base, as the struggle generation is beginning to be confined to history books.

With publicity debacles like the failed merger of the Democratic Alliance and Agang SA earlier this year, and with a growing number of DA defectors, Tim’s optimistic messages may begin to fade amid the noise of the very politics of politics themselves, as the DA and Agang are having a go at each other once more on the Twittersphere. Nonetheless, Tim

maintains that his party’s objective is to move SA forward and “in the next two national elections to get into a coalition government, which will most likely be a coalition of current opposition parties.”

I slightly choke on a sip of coffee and interrupt, asking, “and how exactly do you want to go about doing that?”

“The ANC is obsessed with the past. At the DA, we honour the past, but own the future. We have something better to offer, especially to young voters. We have young candidates for young voters. The increase of young votes for the DA is encouraging, as it is very racially diverse as well.”

Perhaps it is indeed that element of youth that keeps the party focused and driven. To be honest, it feels almost odd to witness anyone talk with such conviction anywhere in the political landscape of South Africa - especially someone as young as Tim Harris and especially not over an innocent cup of coffee on a Friday morning.

Aged 33, he’s just recently celebrated his 10-year anniversary in politics, having started 2004 as a parliamentary economics researcher before moving on to work under Tony Leon as his Chief of Staff while Leon was the leader of the Democratic Alliance.

Now under Helen Zille, his role as the Shadow Minister of Finance requires him to routinely widen his gaze to outside South Africa’s borders, keeping abreast with what’s happening elsewhere in the world.

“South Africa is underperforming compared to other emerging markets around the world because of our politics. Our growth rate

is in some cases half that of other emerging markets. The DA policy is exactly designed around achieving higher growth. We are a market-orientated party. We want to create growth and jobs.

The DA is always engaged in an internal dialogue to improve what we can do for our electorate.

There is no dissonance within our party. There is no such internal dialogue to create consensus in the ANC. The Problem with the ANC is that there is no coherent ideology to trust or follow. Their economic development plans are incompatible with what the rest of the ANC does. That lack of direction scares potential investors away from us. South Africa lacks investor certainty because of lack of single, coherent economic policy.”

Of course, being an opposition politician it comes as part of Tim’s job remit to criticise the powers that be. And with a growing trend of anti-ANC sentiments across Mzansi on account of President Jacob Zuma’s falling popularity, he might well be hitting a popular nerve. However, we never get to cover the interesting subject of the taxpayer-funded vanity project known as Nkandla or other fiscal issues, which he might be just the perfect resource to quiz about, as we run out of coffee and, probably, time (or is that Tim?).

I ask him what his final thoughts are ahead of the election.

“Remember, there is a huge potential in this continent and indeed in this country. But the real, final test of South Africa’s democracy will be at the ballot box.”

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Record number of tourists visited South Africa in December

| A total of 937 792 tourists arrived in SA last December, making it the highest ever recorded number of tourists in the country in any one month

Democratic Alliance (DA) Cape Town Metro chair Grant Pascoe is the latest DA councillor to defect to the ANC ahead of the national elections this month, it was announced on Monday.

Nearly one million tourists visited South Africa in December 2013, with most of the visitors coming from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) said this week.

“A total of 937 792 tourists visited South Africa during December 2013, making it the highest ever recorded number of tourists in the country in any one month. This was an increase of 7.6% from the 871 774 tourists recorded in December 2012,” said Stats SA. Statistician-General Pali Lehohla presented the findings of the Tourism and Migration Report

for December 2013. The statistics of the report were derived from data routinely collected by immigration officers from the Department of Home Affairs at all the ports of entry and exit of the country.

Lehohla said that over twothirds of all tourists to South Africa came from the SADC region, followed by those from overseas at 28% and about 2% from other countries in Africa.

Tourists from Southern Africa mainly entered the country by road, while those from overseas and other African countries came mainly by air.

Zimbabwe led the top 10 list of SADC countries’ tourists visiting South Africa at 30.3%, followed by Lesotho at 18.9% and Mozambique at 15.8%.

The United Kingdom, the US and Germany were among the 10 leading overseas countries

visiting South Africa in December 2013.

Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana led the list of the top 10 African countries visiting South Africa.

Generally, December attracts more tourists than any other month in the country.

The report found that the main

purpose of visits in December 2013 was for holidays. Lehohla said a relatively higher proportion of those from North Africa, Asia and the Middle East came for business.

The report also found that most tourists were men, particularly from the overseas region.

The majority of tourists were aged between 15 and 64.

Annually there has been a general increase in the number of tourists visiting the country.

Last year nearly 10 million tourists were recorded. This was an increase of 3% over the nine million who visited in 2012.

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UK Jewish Film screens South African thriller ‘Plot for Peace’

| ‘Plot for Peace’ introduces a previously unknown, international view on the demise of apartheid and South Africa’s transformation By staff reporter Directed by Spanish director Carlos Agulló and Johannesburg filmmaker Mandy Jacobson, ‘Plot for Peace’ is a new take on the heritage of sub-saharan Africa.

The documentary thriller tells the true, untold story behind Nelson Mandela’s release from prison featuring a protagonist straight out of a John le Carré novel. His name: Jean-Yves Ollivier, also known as ‘Monsieur Jacques’. To some, such as South Africa’s former President Thabo Mbeki, he was a mysterious French businessman or a French spy. For others, he was a trusted friend and a man of bold vision.

For the first time, heads of state, generals, diplomats, master spies and anti-apartheid fighters reveal how ‘Monsieur Jacques’ positioned himself to be the improbable key to Mandela’s prison cell.

Plot for Peace will be screened

by UK Jewish Film at Tricycle Cinema on 24 April at 8pm.

Attending the event: Jean-Yves Ollivier At 17 years old, Jean-Yves Ollivier and one million other French nationals left their homeland Algeria after the country’s independence in 1962. During his first visit to South Africa in 1981, he recognized a similar fate – as he put it, white inhabitants ‘sleepwalking to the brink of disaster.’ To avoid their being ‘thrown into the sea,’ he saw the need for a peaceful negotiation to end racial discrimination and segregation. Using his professional connections as a commodities trader, he helped set up a system of parallel diplomacy between African front line states and negotiated an international prisoner exchange programme which paved the way for the 1988 signing of the Brazzaville Protocol and ultimately the release of Nelson Mandela and South Africa’s peaceful transition to democracy. He continues to work as a raw materials broker and intermediary.

Marina Cantacuzino Marina Cantacuzino is an awardwinning journalist who founded The Forgiveness Project, a UKbased non -profit that uses the real stories of victims and perpetrators to examine how ideas around forgiveness, reconciliation and restorative justice can be used to impact positively on people’s lives.

Marina also has a regular blog on The Huffington Post. In 2012 she spoke at the UN before Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about her work and is a contributor in the film documentary feature Beyond Right and Wrong directed by Roger Spotiswoode.

She also co-created www. theforgivenesstoolbox.com and runs workshops exploring concepts of forgiveness.

Book: http://ukjewishfilm.org/ event/plot-peace-qa-jean-yvesollivier/

Not the official brochure

| I feel like a champion in South Africa, not sure why, but I do.

The mountains around me sing of history and strength

The Optimist

Karen de Villiers

If the sun is weak in England, she was super healthy in the Cape. I am’ a springin’ up in the morning like a new born lamb, full of the joys of Vitamin D. ‘Good morning ladies’ I greet the confusion of guinea fowl on the Estate.

‘Sqwaak, gooolo, goolo’ they throw back at me. Most likely telling me to piss off.

Photo opportunity; me and guinea fowl with distant ocean in background. Off I march to join the happy breed of estate dwellers similar in dewy disposition.

Perfect abode.

Pretending to embrace gym, I recognise someone from years back. Catch up, catch up, little snippets of information. He tells me he loves living there.

‘So how is that lovely son of yours?’ I enquire, still high on sunshine. w‘Oh, he just turned sixteen last week, and had his throat slit.’

Whoa! Come again? What the…!

‘Oh no!’ I stammer, the blood draining from my face.

Could have been talking about biscuits. ‘Yeah, should never have given him that fancy new phone.

Walking home from school when a guy held a knife to his throat.

It was an accident, he moved and the blade just slipped. 87 stiches but it goes to show, never walk around with a fancy phone.’

So right, so true. Lesson to be learnt here. Really?

In greeting, he reminds me just how fabulous it is to live here.

‘We have the best weather in the whole world.’

Stumbling towards coffee, I am greeted by a brigade of car guards. In French.

‘Bonjour!’

Friendly fellows but the fluorescent jackets are blinding me at twenty paces. Get to that flipping coffee. Before me, the mothership of food stores. The best in the world. Woollies food nirvana. The seriously expensive mocha slips in like nectar. Around me, the art of vegetable stacking is unsurpassed only by the flower display. Sushi station, bakery station, wine and cheese selections to make Harrods look tired.

The papers scream Oscar.

Nkandla. Dewani. Toss the papers, I prefer to plot my outing to a wine farm. But the episode haunts me. Here I am in the most beautiful part of the world, surrounded by happy people and

I hear this. Still the happiness is intoxicating. Even the beggars at the traffic light are chatting and clearly unperturbed by my decision to donate or not. Poverty parallel to privilege is normal, but should I write about it? Would I feed the fear of those who want to believe the worst?

How do I do justice to this mad and exciting and sublime place?

By telling the story of how bad things happen, how life is not fair. How hope is not an option; it is a common bond. Even the tiniest shanty is treated as a palace: the palace relies on the shanty folk. How manners keep the nation afloat and most of all, that everyone can have a good laugh about just about anything.

Even themselves. I feel like a champion in South Africa, not sure why, but I do. The mountains around me sing of history and strength.

‘Good evening, my busy ladies.’

I salute the guineas as the sun sets pink behind them.

‘Googlie, paaaw, paaw.’ They reply. Maybe they were not telling me to piss off. Maybe they are telling me to shut up and enjoy the moment.

Reminded me of a pilot’s quip as we came into land in Cape Town.

Life is what you make of it, he said. And if you don’t make it, that’s life.

That must be a guinea fowl motto.

thesouthafrican.com | 22 - 29 April 2014 |

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London photo exhibition charts end of apartheid

| British photojournalist and anti-apartheid activist Grant Fleming marks 20 years of South African democracy with his breathtaking black and white photos from the 1994 elections, which will be on show in London from 25 April to 16 May

by staff reporter In 1994 Grant Fleming travelled to South Africa for the first time as a photojournalist to cover the country’s first free, one personone vote, multi-racial elections.

Knowing that South Africa would be swarming with photographers who had been commissioned to cover the event, Fleming booked a flight and travelled to the centre of the action without securing an assignment. Following his long-serving membership to the anti-apartheid movement in London and years of marching, boycotting and hours of vigil, his desire to be there on a personal level outweighed the need for a glossy commission from a colour supplement or magazine.

This was a party that he wasn’t prepared to miss.

In 1994, concluding a process that began five years earlier with the desegregation of public facilities, the unbanning of the ANC and Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, South Africa held its first non-racial elections.

Mandela became president as the head of a government of national unity, the last remaining international sanctions were lifted, and the country took up its seat again at the UN General Assembly after an absence of 20 years. It was a time for rejoicing but also, for anti-apartheid campaigners around the world and not least in Britain, the end of a journey.

The struggle was not over by any means and the hard work of reconciliation and re-building society was now to begin but at the time it did feel like an almighty relief, an overwhelming victory for common decency and an incredible step forward for mankind, as the pure ecstasy on the face of the man in the exhibition’s lead picture surely testifies.

Fleming explained, “Initially though, it was unclear whether it’d all turn out rosy or end up in a horrendous civil war from which blood would flow for as many years as there had been apartheid.” It turned out to be the most life-affirming and joyous trip he says he’s ever made (some ‘lively’ moments aside, more than made up by the fact he met Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, and being side-by-side with the fearless and inspirational ‘BangBang’ club of local photographers on the East Rand), among the other 120+ countries he’s been to on his adventures and he feels privileged to be able to show you a time he’ll never forget. He will be exhibiting these black and white photographs at Forge & Co in Shoreditch from 25 April to 16 May 2014.

“I hope my images reflect the bravery and dignity of an undefeatable people and the honour of a man who was cruelly banged up for 27 years for what

he believed in, a man willing to die for his principles, a fighter of the highest order and quite easily the greatest, most inspiring hero I’ll ever have,” Fleming said.

He added, “I also hope my photos at the very least give a small taste of how incredibly amazing that time was and what it meant to the people there to do what most of us take for granted, and what so many of us so criminally waste, to simply queue up and vote. Seeing democracy and freedom burst into life before my very eyes makes me tingle even now just thinking about it. On 27 April this year it will be the 20th anniversary of that momentous occasion and with the world seemingly in perpetual turmoil, just as good a time as any of reminding ourselves a little of what’s right, and what’s wrong.”

Fleming is working with charity partner mothers2mothers and donating a percentage from sales from the exhibition to contribute to the fight to end paediatric AIDS across Africa and the UK. Private view: 24 April 7pm-11pm Exhibition dates: 25 April-16 May Venue: Forge & Co 154 - 158 Shoreditch High Street London Opening times: Mon-Sun 11am - 7pm, late night Thursdays till 10pm

Join The Walk for Freedom Day in London and Gloucester

| The Walk for Freedom Day offers a family friendly walk in Wimbledon Park in London, or around Gloucester’s historic city centre, to both celebrate the anniversary of democracy and to remember Nelson Mandela’s life by walking 2.7 miles by staff reporter Five UK charities working in Southern Africa are launching The Walk for Freedom Day™ (WFFD) in London and Gloucester on South Africa’s Freedom Day, Sunday 27 April to raise money for their work with children at risk of abuse, unemployed young people and supporting peace, human rights and justice in the region.

Sunday 27 April 2014 is the 20th anniversary of democratic elections in South Africa.

The Walk for Freedom Day offers a family friendly walk in Wimbledon Park in London, or around Gloucester’s historic city centre, to both celebrate the anniversary of democracy and to remember Nelson Mandela’s life by walking 2.7 miles.

The Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, said

‘we are delighted to give support to this innovative method of drawing people together to walk on perhaps the most important day in the South African calendar, and in the momentous calendar of world events in the last twenty years.’ ‘The Walk for Freedom Day invites us to reflect what freedom means to us, and what it means to others – recognising that we need each other to sustain and expand our freedoms – be that in our street, our village or our nation.’

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, who is also backing the initiative, said ‘as followers of Christ, we have found a special quality arising from walking in solidarity with others, where we can share something of our stories, our hopes and dreams, in companionship with humanity as well as with our Creator.’ ‘If

you live in the UK, you can get involved in the Walk for Freedom Day’ he said. ‘You’ll be helping young people find the freedom they need to thrive in our global village we call Earth. It’s another way to create a neighbourhood to which we can all belong.’

The ASHA Centre is the UK host charity for the initiative and is delighted to be working with four partners – Action for Southern Africa, Joburg Child Welfare, the Trevor Huddleston Centre and The Borien Education Foundation to raise awareness and funds in the pursuit of freedoms which we all need in order to thrive.

Tricia Sibbons, a spokesperson for the walk, said “As spring is here we invite people to come out and enjoy a couple of hours with friends and family, while raising money for a good cause.”

Zerbanoo Gifford, Founder of the ASHA Centre added ‘We share much heritage between the UK and Southern Africa, and we can help young people create the future they desire through democracy and peace-building in the region, .

Anyone can donate to the campaign through Just Giving or by other charitable donation via the Walk for Freedom Day website walkforfreedomday.com Walkers register on the site and details for the day will be emailed to them. All the funds raised go to the projects as Walk for Freedom Day is entirely organised by volunteers.

For further information please contact Tricia Sibbons or Rhonda Crandle: 020 7 252 2915 visit www.thewalkforfreedom. com or email info@ walkforfreedomday.com.

London Walk – anytime between 11h00-16h00 Gloucester Walk – begins at 14h00.

Details and directions are sent to everyone who registers.

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| 22 - 29 April 2014 | thesouthafrican.com

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Five surprisingly endangered animal species of South Africa

| It’s not just rhinos, elephants and big cats that are under threat. Here are five less glamorous but equally endangered South African animals

by frank burbage Pickersgill’s Reed Frog IUCN Status*: Critically Endangered At only 3cm in length, the Pickersgill’s reed frog is one of the smallest as well as one of the most critically endangered amphibians in South Africa. Found along the of KwaZulu-Natal, the population is spread right up the state’s seashore and is under major threat from property development, habitat fragmentation and drainage of semi-stagnant water that the reed frog requires for breeding.

The Pickersgill’s reed frog has been named ‘flagship species’ by the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) for its amphibian conservation programme, meaning more focus should now be paid by humans in the area with regards to ways that they can minimalist the damage they cause to the reed frog’s natural habitat. South Africa’s first breeding project for endangered amphibian species also features the reed frog, meaning there may well be hope for the species yet despite the fact that only 1 per cent of their natural habitat is protected.

Amphibians are the most threatened class of vertebrates on earth. Of the 7,000 known species, 3,900 are believed to be threatened in some way and 170 species are believed to be extinct.

African Penguin – IUCN Status: Endangered Bristol Zoological Society has recently led a chick-bolstering project in a number of different South African penguin colonies in an attempt to boost population figures which are at just 2.5 per cent of the numbers from 80 years ago. This is primarily due

to overfishing in the colony areas, resulting in mass migration and starvation. Chicks are frequently abandoned by their parents during the moulting period at the end of the breeding season. If this happens, they are then admitted to the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) where they are handreared for three months or so until they are no longer underweight or unwell and then released back into the wild.

Dr Christoph Schqitzer, head of research at the Bristol Zoological Society said: “This is a huge effort to conserve an endangered species and every chick is vitally important.

Unless conservation organisations intervene, these chicks would starve to death. The African penguin is on a downward spiral anyway due to lack of food near their nesting colonies, and there is a substantial risk that this species could eventually become extinct.”

Vanessa Strauss, conservation director at SANCCOB, said: “Research has proven that handreared chicks fare as well as naturally-reared chicks in the wild.

With less than 19,000 breeding pairs left in the wild in SA, African penguins are an endangered species and it remains critical to save every individual possible to bolster numbers in the wild.”

African Wild Dog - IUCN Status: Endangered There are now less than 450 African wild dogs left in South Africa due to the frequency with which they are brutally snared and killed by farmers. Also known as the painted dog, this canine sub-species has a very negative reputation, which has resulted in them being hunted to nearextinction.

One of the rarest animals on the African continent, the painted dog has an evolutionary ancestry which can be traced back over 40 million years. They once ranged through 39 different countries on the continent but today can only be found in South Africa, Tanzania, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Famed for their large, round ears and multi-coloured coat, African wild dogs are very social creatures with developed social systems.

In South Africa the Endangered Wildlife Trust is working hard to try and protect the painted dog in its natural habitat by sponsoring a major monitoring and reintroduction programme in Kruger National Park.

“Suddenly they were there, lean, ghost like shapes in the moonlight with Mickey Mouse ears; wearing their dappled coats of black, tan and gold, like ink spots on blotting paper. Only a new day would reveal their full beauty. Only Man could hope to prevent their extinction.” - An extract from ‘Shadows In The Forest’ by CD McClelland Blue Crane – IUCN Status: Vulnerable South Africa’s national bird is under major threat due to habitat

loss, poisoning and collisions with electric wires: because the birds have a blind spot in their vision they frequently end up entangled in power lines, a problem that is exacerbated by their long, gangly legs. The African Crane Conservation Programme is consequently currently exploring possible ways of making the wires visible to the birds.

There are still 26,000 blue cranes in South Africa but the population has been in a decline since 1980 which has yet to plateau. In the last two decades the blue crane has largely disappeared from the Eastern Cape, Lesotho, and Swaziland. The population in the northern Free State, Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West Province has declined by up to 90 per cent.

Cape Vulture – IUCN Status: Vulnerable Also known as Kolbe’s vulture, the Cape vulture nests on cliffs and lays just one egg a year. Endemic to South Africa, it can also be found in Lesotho, Botswana and some parts of northern Namibia.

They are the largest raptor in Africa but their current population is estimated to be just 8,000 due to poisoning, power line electrocution

and the loss of habitat due to human activities.

Vultures generally often have a bad reputation due to their association with death, but what is often disregarded is that these birds stop diseases from spreading through the animal kingdom by eating carcasses.

Current conservation efforts are being stepped up in South Africa, with the vulture conservation organisation VulPro leading the way. VulPro aim to raise awareness as well as protect vultures and conserve their habitats. They launched a breeding and rehabilitation project fairly recently and the first captivebred vulture chick hatched on 1 September last year in the Johannesburg Zoo. *The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List ranks species from least to most threatened in the following order: Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in the Wild Extinct

thesouthafrican.com | 22 - 29 April 2014 |

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Remarkable Robertson - underrated and overlooked

| Robertson is a greatly underestimated winemaking district in South Africa which is making its mark in the world as a premium producer now

Ah Robertson, the valley of wine and roses.

While not as internationally renowned as Stellies or Paarl for its wine making, it is home to some of the best winemakers in South Africa. The best known estates include, Graham Beck, Rietvallei, De Wetshof Wine Estate and Springfield Estate.

Situated in the Breede River Valley region of the Western Cape, the District of Robertson is associated with the production of rich, fruit-driven red and white wines. These used to be mostly made from Chardonnay and Shiraz but today copious amounts of different grape varieties are being experimented with and successfully made into some fantastic value for money wines.

The District covers the area surrounding the town of Robertson, from the ward of Eilandia in the west to Bonnievale in the east. The Langeberg

Mountains separate it from the semi-arid Klein Karoo region in the north and one of the most beautiful rivers, the Breede River, meanders through the region.

Many of Robertson’s scattered vineyards sit along its tributaries, as well as in the foothills of the surrounding mountains.

Being a very dry and hot climate this District is perfect for the production of premium grapes. The river is used often for irrigation because the annual rainfall is only 400 - 500mm. Relief comes in the form of south-easterly breezes from the Indian Ocean that have a cooling effect on the vineyards and bring much needed moisture to the vines. The occasional morning mist, due to the river, also helps in cooling the vines.

Days are hot and nights are cool which helps the grapes retain acidity and freshness.

The wine industry in Robertson has grown from less than 25 cellars in 1995 to more than 50 wine cellars currently. It is, I believe, a greatly underestimated winemaking district in South Africa but due to the awards that some of the wines have recently received, it is making its mark in the world as a premium wine producing area.

Here are some prime examples of the affordable quality that comes from the Robertson Revival: Springfield Estate Firefinch Sauvignon Blanc 2012 Fruity nose shows a whiff of flint and richness. Juicy gooseberry and green apple on the palate, cut with flint and mineral notes. This is a very good, value for money, entry level drinker from some real Sauvignon winemakers.

TheSavanna.co.uk Rietvallei Estate Stonedale Shiraz 2011 This attractive spicy red has layers of soft and appealing ripe berry fruits, a hint of white pepper and slight toasty oak. The palate is supple, well balanced and the fruit is concentrated.

BiltongStMarcus.co.uk Graham Beck Brut Rose NV This is a lightly salmon coloured sparkling wine with elegant and tiny bubbles. There are light cherry aromas followed by fine touches of yeast. It’s very dry and creamy on the palate with notes of dried cherry, biscuit and a light nuttiness. Difficult to put down once you’ve started!

Slurp.co.uk

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Travel

| 22 - 29 April 2014 | thesouthafrican.com Follow us on Twitter: @TheSAnews

A beginner’s guide to Dubai

| From OTT bars to OMG restaurants, we uncover some tips and tricks for first-timers to the shimmering Middle-Eastern city of Dubai

By Nicole Crowley

Luxury Big Five Game Lodge CO-OWnERShiP OPPORtUnity (nOt tiMEShARE)

Located in Dinokeng Big 5 Game Reserve, only 40 mins from Johannesburg International Airport.

Fantastic value from just R81,500 (appr £4,600) per week.

Whole ownership also available, from R4.3mn (appr £245k) • • • • • • • • •

Ultra luxurious 3 or 4 bedroom Game Lodges Flexible usage – book when you want to use it Organised and guided game viewing Braai area, fire pit and plunge pool/jacuzzi Super low levies Malaria free zone Secure environment Fully managed, fully serviced and hassle free Rental income opportunities

Get in touch now!

Prices rising May 2014 Call FD Express on SA (011) 0838733 or UK 01252 724663 email sales@fdexpress.co.uk Visit www.fdexpress.co.uk for more details

It’s the flagship United Arab Emirate. Really, try to name another. Due to the release of Sex and the City 2, we all know the tourism campaign that is Abu Dhabi, but for years now it has played the supporting role to its benchmarking big sister: Dubai.

Dubbed Little-Miss-Perfect by a wealth of travel literature, I had on good authority that it catered to the tastes of the even the fussiest of palates. From its myriad malls to crisp polo grounds and man-made… well, just about everything, I flew the 12,000 kilometres London to Dubai to find out if the Hokey Pokey is in fact what it’s all about. With flights to Dubai from 140 destinations, including eight direct a day from London, you’ll be sure to find a price and date to suit, with a little hunting.

Touching down, you sense a touch of Arabian magic as if you’ve rubbed the genie’s lamp to conjure a sanctuary of green from the stretch of barren browns. Its neat perfection knocks your breath for a moment and you indeed feel as if you’re swooping into a place far more flawless than departed.

New Dubai shimmers. Whether it’s the flamboyant fountains and distinct architecture, or the stark contrast of desert against manicured lawns, everything in this city screams Over-The-Top. It takes a moment to notice that Sheikh Zayed Road seems to somehow slice through the city with a promenade of pictureperfect hotels and buildings that bounce light off every mirrored wall, making them look like emerald towers.

With the stimulation of colourful beauty hogging my senses, I almost forget how warm it is. I almost forget everything here is somehow authentically unauthentic.

While Dubai’s famed shopping malls and almost clinically-clean

Metro system have been well documented, I sought to navigate the city at my own pace and uncover some tips and tricks for first-timers.

Get introduced to New Dubai in old ways They’re geeky, but hop-on hop-off tours are one of the greatest introductions to a city that money can buy. For just over GBP£40 you’ll get a 48-hour pass on an air-conditioned bus with commentary and the freedom to travel at your own pace. With a red and blue route that splits the city into New and Old Dubai, you get an immediate sense of East meets West.

New Dubai is a life-size tour of brochure-like perfection. Chief among the 21 places of interest, you’ll drive along perfect roads to the famed Burj al Arab, Mall of Emirates, Jumeirah Beach Park, Burj Khalifa, Palm Island and Atlantis on the Palm.

Currency conversion in a foreign city is always a test of your maths skills An easy cheat is to divide the AED (Arab Emirates Dirham) by six for the British pounds equivalent. For example, a 60 Dirham taxi is approximately £10. This will reassure you that the tax-free mecca is indeed very reasonably priced. Accustomed to criminally expensive black taxis and tube passes in London, you’ll be delighted to see a state-ofthe-art Metro system and easy to navigate landmarks. TIP: Under no circumstances should you eat or drink beyond the yellow marked lines into the stations. A fine of 100AED can be imposed.

Don’t discount Old Dubai in lieu of shiny new lights From its origins as a pearl fishing port, Dubai has remarkable buildings alongside the Deira side of the Dubai Creek (TIP: a Big Bus Tour pass will include a free Creek ride) and a culture rich in its spice souks, mosques and Al

Fahidi Fort museum. It may not be a replica of Atlantis with an underwater oasis of dolphin swims and four celebrity chef restaurants, but Dubai’s most famous market, the Gold Souk, is well worth the stop. With over 200 stores in the Gold Souk it’s estimated that at any one time the souk contains more than 10 tons of gold.

Appreciate the numbers There’s heavy stigma attached to the obligation to see Europe’s historical attractions. After all, no one goes to Rome without the pressures to see Vatican City or Colosseum. So you’d be forgiven in thinking Dubai a beach-clad trip with little to see and remember.

It doesn’t take long to learn that almost every square metre of the city is unusually blessed with its own tale, and the numbers are everywhere: the man-made World Islands can be individually purchased for anywhere from USD$10m-$100m, Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building at 828m, Dubai Mall is the world’s largest shopping complex covering 1.1 million square metres, and you’ll learn Dubai’s most iconic landmark and 7-star hotel, the Burj Al Arab, hosted the first simulated tennis match between Andre Agassi and Roger Federer on its helipad.

In the land where anything seems possible and too much is never enough, Dubai glistens high on the list of top destinations to visit. From OTT bars to OMG restaurants, this megalopolis that is Dubai truly has something for everyone.

Visit: November to April for more bearable weather Eat: At.Mosphere at Burj Khalifa – Guinness World Record for Highest Restaurant from Ground Level Drink: 360° – Sip in style at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel for Arabian Ocean views and front-row seats to the Burj Al Arab light show (from the Fountain, nightly)

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thesouthafrican.com | 22 - 29 April 2014 |

Zimbabwe Community

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Directory of Zimbabwean charities in UK

| Looking to support a UK-based Zimbabwean cause? Here’s a selection of ten registered charities, in alphabetical order, for your ease of reference

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Jacaranda Trust Jacaranda Trust is a small UK based charity that was set up in 2009 to provide support and promote co-operation and awareness for carefully selected charitable organisations in Zimbabwe that support vulnerable children, young people, those with special needs and the elderly. www.jacarandatrust.co.uk

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Vimba Vimba is a small charity established in 2007 by a group of friends who were united in their common desire to do something about the suffering occuring across Zimbabwe.

Vimba strives to create environments which foster a child’s development. This environment provides shelter, food, informal education, regular health checkups and the chance for a child to lead as close to a normal existence as possible. www.vimba.co.uk

Zimbabwe Health Training Support Zimbabwe Health Training Support (ZHTS) is a voluntary UK based diaspora organisation, set up in Aprll 2006 by a group of health professional concerned about health training in Zimbabwe.

The group supports health professional training and continuing education in Zimbabwe through leveraging the commitment and skills of UK based Zimbabwe diaspora as well as mobilising a wider support base within the UK, including facilitating the establishment of sustainable institutional links between Zimbabwe, the UK and elsewhere. www.zhts.org.uk

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375 495 465 444 415 569 545 459 709 589

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Hwange Conservation Society Hwange Conservation Society was established as a UK charity in 1992 to help protect the wildlife of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. They aim to support the national park and its environs by raising funds which are used to help protect the wildlife and support the surrounding community with such things as medical supplies, and school equipment.

They have just donated four diesel engines and a load of spare parts to help pump the underground drinking water for the animals within the park. They are run purely on a voluntary basis which means all money raised goes directly to help the park.

Makomborero Makomborero is a UK registered charity that helps to relieve poverty in Zimbabwe, Africa through the education of children.

Makomborero achieves this by investing time in disadvantaged communities, and by supporting talented students to allow them to complete their education and attain excellent grades in their A-levels. www.makomborero.info

Zimbabwe Educational Trust Zimbabwe Educational Trust (ZET) is a Leeds based charity that works to promote children’s educational rights in Zimbabwe.

They work with local partners in Zimbabwe to raise awareness and provide vulnerable communities with the facilities, funding and support they need to get children into school and out of poverty.

ZET receives voluntary funding from various grant making trusts, commercial organisations and private individuals. www.zimbabweeducationaltrust. org.uk

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Friends of Kids in Zimbabwe Friends of Kids in Zimbabwe is a UK based charity trust that aims to provide financial and other support to children in Zimbabwe suffering from any form of life threatening disorders or disability. www.friendsofkidsinzim.org

Love Zimbabwe Love Zimbabwe is an independent, non-government charity, working directly with the Chinamhora community near Harare in Zimbabwe. Fairtrade is an important aspect of their work as they help individuals and groups to start their own businesses, making African arts and crafts, and get a fair price for them. They are associated with Love Zimbabwe Fair Trade, a company that sells the goods in the UK. http://ilovezimbabwe.co.uk/joomla

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Charityhope trust Charityhope Trust distributes reading books, stationery and t-shirts to underprivileged rural children in Zimbabwe.

Charityhope Trust believes that every child has a right to access good quality education and that education is one of the most effective ways of empowering and enhancing the quality of life children, young people and their parents, guardians or relatives. www.charityhope.org.uk

Zimbabwe a National Emergency (ZANE) ZANE is a UK registered charity working to help the most destitute, vulnerable and impoverished people in Zimbabwe. Homes In Zimbabwe merged with ZANE earlier this year and the combined charity is the largest supplier of financial aid to pensioners in Zimbabwe.

Over 2,400 pensioners rely on ZANE simply to survive with the figure growing on a daily basis. www.zanezimbabweanationalemergency. com

Ji

Action for Southern Africa (Actsa) works to eradicate poverty, support rights, justice, sustainable development and democracy across southern Africa. One of its projects is to raise awareness and funds to provide the women of Zimbabwe with safe and hygienic sanitary protection. www.actsa.org

439 437 265 459 551 468 443 750 520 389

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www.hwangecons.org.uk

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Business

| 22 - 29 April 2014 | thesouthafrican.com Follow us on Twitter: @TheSAnews

Seeing South Africa through the eyes of foreign investors

| South Africans tend to believe we are the only country with problems and that anything that goes wrong is directly self-inflicted. But the rand isn’t being punished because of our politics or strikes. South Africa is experiencing the same challenges as other emerging economies at the tail end of a global recession. Jeremy Gardiner believes that the key to psychological survival in South Africa is being able to see us the way foreign investors do, and comparing us to the countries against whom we compete for investment flows. He elaborates below:

By Jeremy Gardiner My brother has just returned to South Africa after living in Geneva, Switzerland, for 14 years. He is going to reside in Johannesburg and work for Discovery Health and he is deliriously happy.

What is exhausting, though, is the question (accompanied by a look of near disbelief) asked by almost every South African, from the travel agent to his friends to the real estate agent and the car salesman: “Why are you coming back? Especially now?”

What is it about us South Africans that make us truly believe that we are ‘die vark in die verhaal’ (the pig in the tale) in every story?

Whether it is the economy, politics, the currency, corruption, you name it – we really do seem to believe that South Africa is the only country with problems and that anything that goes wrong is directly self-inflicted.

A few points are worth noting.

First, most of the pain we are feeling economically is currently being felt more or less similarly across all emerging markets. Very simply, it is our turn. For the first three years after the global financial collapse, former US Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke plumped up the global economy with billions of US dollars and emerging markets were a happy beneficiary of this liquidity.

South Africans looked on in amazement as the developed world came close to collapse, companies slashed their workforces and these developed economies ground to a halt. Meanwhile, life in South Africa was good – we were still growing, retrenchments were there (but not widespread) and the sun was shining.

But then, inevitably and eventually, the developed world started healing. Today the US economy is recovering, economic numbers are improving and they’re fast becoming energy neutral.

Producing all their own oil and gas will make them more competitive, improve their deficit and reduce their debt.

On the other hand, the European recovery – while nowhere near the US recovery – seems intact, and while they are hardly growing, they are at least no longer shrinking.

Their risk now is deflation, although recent data has been encouraging and any signs of deflation will be doused quickly enough through monetary methods. Britain is almost booming with growth forecasts for 2014 being raised from 1.5% a year ago, to the current predictions from the Bank of England of over 3%.

So with all the good news coming out of the developed world, the quantitative easing drip is slowly being removed. Global investors, seeing the recovery, also decided they could generate decent returns closer to home.

Suddenly the rug was pulled out from underneath the feet of the

emerging markets currencies and stock markets. What was described in general economic parlance as Brics (a grouping to which we as South Africans felt unworthy, but delighted to be part of) quickly became referred to by many pundits as a Bloody Ridiculous Investment Concept.

Emerging markets remain resilient From Argentina to Indonesia, via Turkey, economies are slowing, unemployment is growing and currencies have been smashed. But the time for the emerging markets is not over. Many are in far better shape than 1998, and in many cases, they are in better shape than the developed world. They have lower debt-to-GDP ratios, more reserves, better demographics, higher growth prospects, and are generally more resilient.

As members of this “club” known as emerging markets, we benefit when times are good, but similarly we suffer when sentiment towards emerging markets sours. As South Africans, we sometimes delude ourselves that we are “first world”, yet whether we like it or not, we are just another emerging market.

Interestingly, there was a time we experienced contagion as a result of our proximity to Zimbabwe and the rest of Africa. Today, South Africa will lift from our current growth impasse due to our preferred emerging market status. Preferred, ironically, due to our proximity to the rampant growth economies of Africa.

Key to psychological survival in South Africa is being able to see us the way foreign investors do, and comparing us to the countries against whom we compete for investment flows. Nobody asks whether they should invest in London or South Africa, or New York or South Africa. What they do say however, is should they invest in South Africa or should they rather invest in South America, the rest of Africa or Asia? And against those countries or continents we generally stack up (reasonably) well.

‘We’re not that fascinating’ So, the South African economy isn’t alone in facing tough times.

The Brazilian and Indian economies have also slowed significantly, as has foreign investment into these markets. Their currencies are at record lows and their deficits and unemployment levels are high. In fact, most emerging market economies have slowed considerably. The rand isn’t being punished because of our politics or strikes, for that matter. Despite ourselves, the rand has been punished along with most emerging market currencies, simply because massive inflows suddenly become massive outflows as sentiment towards emerging markets deteriorated.

We have enormous youth unemployment, but the levels are not dissimilar to that of many other

emerging markets. For that matter, many European countries have similar youth unemployment levels.

We grumble about our politics, but politicians across the world behave badly. “Gravy” is not unique to South Africa; after all, was it not expedient politicians feeding tax breaks to voters in exchange for votes that led to the European collapse (and in many cases debt levels that will take generations to repay)? The French president’s approval rating is below 20%, less than half the level of our president.

From a corruption perspective we have much work to do, but we are by no means worse than other emerging markets. In fact, we are better than (or equal to) the majority of South America, the rest of Africa and most of Asia, according to Transparency International’s 2013 Corruption Perceptions Index. On the list of 177 countries, we rank 72nd.

We have to continue to jealously guard our media freedom, for which the country has fought so hard.

We also have to appreciate that we currently have one of the freest presses in the world. According to the World Press Freedom Index for 2014, we are in line with the UK and the US and once again freer than the majority of South America, the rest of Africa and Asia.

In short, we are not nearly as fascinating to the rest of the world as we think we are. Very simply, we are part of a grouping known as emerging markets, and when they are in vogue, so are we, and the reverse applies when they are not.

As I have argued earlier, what we are going through at the moment will pass. Almost like winter eventually becomes spring and then summer, so too will the sun return to the emerging markets and indeed to South Africa.

Then this phase will be forgotten, and my brother – along with the 359,000 other skilled South Africans who (according to Adcorp) have returned home since 2008 – will stop getting asked why they came home.

13

thesouthafrican.com | 22 -29 April 2014 |

Business

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South African Reserve bank fines SA’s big four banks R125 million

| First Rand, Absa, Nedbank and Standard Bank have been fined for failure to comply with the regulations of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act

By Staff reporter The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has fined the country’s big four banks R125 million collectively, it said on Wednesday.

“In terms of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA), the SARB is mandated to supervise and enforce banks’ compliance with FICA to ensure that the necessary anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism controls are in place.

“Flowing from these responsibilities, the inspections were conducted to assess whether the appropriate measures were in place to ensure compliance with the relevant provisions of FICA. “Stemming from the findings of the inspections, the SARB has imposed administrative sanctions,” said the central bank.

The sanctions were imposed on First Rand, Absa, Nedbank and Standard Bank following inspections at the banks by the SARB. “The administrative sanctions are not an indication that the banks in question have in any way facilitated transactions involving money laundering and the financing of terrorism,” noted the SARB. Standard Bank received a penalty of R60 million – the heaviest fine out of the four institutions. The bank was directed to take remedial

action to address deficiencies in maintaining customer and transactional records as prescribed, as well as for failing to report all cash transactions above R24 999.99 to the Financial Intelligence Centre as well as the systems, processes and other resources necessary for detecting and reporting suspicious and unusual transactions.

Both FirstRand and Absa were directed to take remedial action to address deficiencies in identifying and verifying customers’ details, maintaining customer and transactional records as prescribed. Absa, which was fined R10 million, was also instructed to take remedial action of the management and processing of potential suspicious and unusual transactions.

FirstRand was fined R30 million and was instructed to take remedial action on the governance processes for making amendments to automated suspicious and unusual transaction monitoring and reporting systems.

Nedbank received a financial penalty of R25 million and was told to address deficiencies in identifying and verifying customers’ details, and controls and systems relating to the detection of property associated with terrorists and related

activities.

Each bank must pay the financial penalty imposed into the Criminal Assets Recovery Account as required by FICA.

“All the banks are co-operating and working with the SARB to address the identified compliance deficiencies and control weaknesses, and have undertaken

to remediate the identified shortcomings,” said SARB head of group strategy and strategy, Hlengani Mathebula.

- SAnews.gov.za

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Will my child be a British citizen?

| South African clients are often in doubt about how their UK immigration status will affect their children by breytenbachs South African clients are often in doubt about how their UK immigration status will affect the status of their children. This week we discuss two scenarios, in order to provide some clarity.

If the parent was born in South Africa and naturalised in the United Kingdom as a British citizen, the British citizenship will be passed to all children born after the date of Naturalisation with the exception of illegitimate children born to British fathers prior to 1 July 2006.

If the parent was born in South Africa, and also have British citizenship, obtained via his/her parents, there are three possible ways in which registration for the child can be done; The first is registration as of right where the parent lived in the UK for three years prior to the child’s birth.

The second is registration as of right where the parent and child

lived in the UK for three years after the birth of the child.

The final route is discretionary, based on strong links to the UK. So if you are British by descent, you are welcome to contact us and we will be able to advise if your child could be eligible for British citizenship.

For further information or for assistance with your application, please contact one of consultants who will be able to provide specific information in your unique case.

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

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Business: Classifieds SERVICES

| 22 - 29 April 2014 | thesouthafrican.com Follow us on Twitter: @TheSAnews

SERVICES

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’

Richmond Practice GP - Paediatrician - Gynaecologist A South African owned and managed practice with doctors available Mon -Sat. For checks, ultrasound and private pregnancy care including scans.

Try a GP package including unlimited visits for £45 per month.

Appointments: 020 8940 5009 or mail@ richmondpractice.co.uk 19 Sheen Road (opposite Waitrose car park), Richmond, TW9 1AD

Susman’s Best Beef Biltong Co Ltd If you’re missing home give us a call, supplying you with all your favourite South African products and more. Phone: 01273 516160 Fax: 01273 51665 Web:www.biltong.co.uk Email:sales@biltong.co.uk 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

LIFESTYLE

St Marcus One of the most amazing emporia the capital offers to the carnivorous gourmet. People have been flocking to St. Marcus for their amazing range of Biltong & Boerewors Visit us at: 1-3 Rockingham Close, Priory Lane, off Upper Richmond Road West, Roehampton, London SW15 5RW Call us at: 0208 878 1898 Online: www.biltongstmarcus.co.uk sales@biltongstmarcus.co.uk Use accountants that do more than ‘crunch’ the numbers... let us help grow your business Company formations and Secretarial Services Business planning & development • Management support • Team training & development • CFO/FD Services • pay only for time required by your business • Compliance Services • Accounting Services • Profit improvement programs • Taxation planning • Personal and Corporate • Contracting solutions

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

SA SHOP DIRECTORY savanna Good friendly customer service is Savanna’s core principle. Our standards are high, and our rapidly-expanding network of shops are clean and bright and well-laid out, with friendly first-rate staff. Find us at: 20-22 Worple Road, Wimbledon London SW19 4DH Call us at: 0208 971 9177 Online: www.thesavanna.co.uk wimshop@thesavanna.co.uk Biltong Direct Biltong Direct, in the business of making superior South African meat products since 2004. Online or from our shop (directions on website – www.biltongdirect.co.uk). Retail and wholesale sales.

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

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

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

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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Cambridge & Villages Toft Shop – Village Shop & Post Office With a South African section selling all your favourite tastes from home! Pop in and pick up your treats – Biltong; Boerewors; Koeksisters; Rusks; Sweets; Chips; Groceries etc. Web: www.

ToftShop.co.uk Tel: 01223 262 204. CB23 2RL

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

KALAHARI MOON The Southern African Shop in Bristol.

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

Connecting South Africans. Tel: 0117 929 9879 Address: 88 - 91 The Covered Market. st Nicholas Market, Corn Street, Bristol, BS1 1JQ Email: Info@kalaharimoon.co.uk Website: www.kalaharimoon.co.uk Limpopo Butchers We believe in small, well run family businesses, where quality is the number one priority. Come and try our delicious traditional recipe biltong, drywors, and boerewors, as well as aged beef steaks, chicken flatties, and succulent lamb.

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

Shebeen bar Edinburgh’s only South African bar has opened in Leith. A unique, stylish bar with something for everyone,delivered by experience and friendly staff. As expected we stock a large range of South African beers, wines, ciders and snacks, including a classic selection of cocktails and Dom Pedros.

Opening hours are from 12pm to 1am. Come down and enjoy a true taste of Africa.

3-5 Dock Place, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6LU. 0131 554 9612.

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

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

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

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

15

thesouthafrican.com | 22 - 29 April 2014 |

Sport

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Commonwealth Games medals unveiled in Glasgow

| These are the gold, silver and bronze medals that Team South Africa’s athletes will be competing for at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow By staff reporter Team South Africa’s athletes will be part of a huge line-up of 4,500 athletes across the Commonwealth and to mark Monday’s milestone of 100 Days to Go to the Opening Ceremony, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Medals were revealed to the public for the first time.

The medals were unveiled in spectacular style at Glasgow’s iconic Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

The unique awards are silver gilt (for the gold), silver and bronze – the traditional make-up

of medals at Commonwealth and Olympic events, and weigh in at 100g each.

They have been designed by internationally renowned jeweller Jonathan Boyd who worked with a team of 11 specialist jeweller-makers at the prestigious Glasgow School of Art (GSA) to hand-make the gold, silver and bronze medals through a series of complex processes meaning each one is truly unique.

They were revealed at a special event which also recreated the medal procession ceremony showing the ceremonial outfits to be worn by the male and female medal bearers, the trays

Flappers, Finals and Fun is just the START of the Summer Season | With the sun shining across our fine capital all week – it has been the perfect weather for some great Touch rugby

by Jessica Powell With the semi-finals being played across both April Shoot-out and Active Week, our April Shootout Party on Thursday the 17th of April seems like the perfect way to finish the week and welcome the Easter break!

Active Touch Canary Wharf finals were played on Monday the 14th, with front runners, Tumeke maintaining their winner’s trophy!

It was no easy feat however, as their opposition One Hit Wonders kept them on their toes for the entire game. With the final score coming out as 18-8, Venue Manager and Ref, Tracy Andrew, said it was the game of the season with some incredible skill work displayed on the court.

Tuesday Active Touch Semifinals saw this season’s two rivals go head to head. Long standing London club, Hot Custard took on a motley crew of touchies thrown together with the delightful name of Lie to me Pinocchio. After an intense 30minute low scoring game, it was ‘The Pinocchio’s’ who just managed to break away with a 9-7 win.

Both Tuesday and Wednesday night at Clapham Common for the past 3 weeks have been home to some fierce touch action. The format is quite different from the normal Spring and Summer touch games. April Shoot-out will see each team will play 2 x 20 minute games a night and the league will run for 4 weeks, finishing just before the Spring Leagues start.

The last week will be a Finals week with teams playing 2 x 20 minutes of special format ‘Drop Off’ games. For those of you who have never played in a ‘Drop Off’, it is a really exciting way to decide a normal knockout game of touch, where the team drops a player after a certain time period until there are

3 on each team and then it is first to score that wins!

With our April Shoot-out coming into its final week as well, bringing back the roaring twenties in style, Thursday the 17th April of April at Gigalum was adorned by girls in pearls and guys in ties. Following the huge success of our “Cowboys & Indians” themed shoot-out party last April, our first social event for 2014 was the April Shoot-out “Flappers & Gangsters” party.

There were some AMAZING outfits and prizes for best dressed male and female - so gals, make sure to grab that bobbed hair wig, short low-waist dress with pleats and gathers (all the better to Charleston in). Guys, think Gatsby – slick, sleek and sophisticated (because, that’s what we all are like on a touch night out, right?)

The 20’s epitomised the spirit of a reckless rebel who danced the nights away – what decade could describe a touch night better?

To get involved in the best social sports scene in the UK, email jess@in2touch.com call here on 020 85420827 or visit the In2Touch website at www. in2touch.com/uk

the medals will be placed in and specially created gifts which will be given to the winning athletes.

The creative team behind the medal ceremonies also includes fashion designer Kerry Nixon, who designed the dresses worn by the female medal bearers and styled the male medal bearers with the support of Harris Tweed who made the speciallycommissioned fabric.

The design team has drawn inspiration from many elements of Scotland including the Isle of Harris itself to the parks of Glasgow. Incorporating the unique and iconic Harris Tweed fabric into the Medal Ceremony

demonstrated the age-old tradition and artisan skills of the weavers in a modern and contemporary setting.

GSA has been involved with developing both the medals and the dress fabrics with the school’s Centre for Advanced Textiles printing the distinctive Glasgow 2014 Official Tartan material onto the silk fabric.

Former Commonwealth Gold Medallist and TV presenter Iwan Thomas hosted the event which also featured Scotland’s most decorated athlete, Allan Wells, MBE and aspiring future athletics star Joseph Amouzou, 18, who

attends The Glasgow School of Sport. Joseph is the reigning Under-20 Indoor Triple Jump champion and hopes to compete in future Commonwealth Games.

Said the Chairman of Glasgow 2014, Lord Smith of Kelvin, KT, at the ceremony: “These medals are unlike any I have seen before and are a unique representation of the stunning, contemporary vision of Scotland that will be beamed around the world. With just 100 days to go until the Opening Ceremony, the stage is now well and truly set for an outstanding XX Commonwealth Games.”

Sport

22 - 29 APRIL 2014

commonwealth games medals unveiled p15

its the start of the in2touch season p15

NEWS FOR GLOBAL SOUTH AFRICANS

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Be a sports star for Starfish

| Starfish offers some unique outdoor events to keep you fit and active while contributing to a great cause

The annual Starfish Breakfast Run and Picnic on Sunday 16 March was a great success. They had a record breaking turn-out on a sunny Clapham Common. Pic by Mahesh Patel

By staff reporter It may be just a week after the 2014 Virgin London Marathon but the next important charity sporting event is just around the corner: if you were inspired by last week’s marathon runners then why not join the Starfish team for the BUPA 10k run on Sunday 25 May? BUPA 10k The 10k run starts and finishes in

St James’s Park and takes you on a tour of central London, passing the capital’s most famous landmarks.

You can register online at www. starfishcharity.org and raise £150 to help Starfish bring hope and to AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa. Starfish will help you to be a sporting star by providing a fundraising pack, including sponsorship forms, which explains everything you

need to do.

Ride London Alternatively, you can join the Starfish team for Ride London on Sunday 10 August and be part of Britain’s biggest cycling festival and pedal a route made famous by London 2012 Olympians. Starfish will also assist you with all steps along the ways to get ready in time.

Royal Parks Half Marathon Later in the year, there is also an exciting half marathon coming up on 12 October, taking you through Hyde Park, Green Park, St James’s Park and beyond. The perfect time to get into shape before winter starts beckoning again.

If all these option sound like too much activity to you, and you happen to still have some time available on your social calendar

in May, why not join the “Care To Taste” event? Facilitated by the Cape Wine Academy, it’s a unique opportunity to sample the best of South African wines for charity while networking with professionals from all over the world – now that’s what we call an easy marathon to take part in!

Please visit www.starfishcharity. org for more information on any of these events.

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