The South African, Issue 484, 9 October 2012

9 October – 15 October 2012 Issue 484

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London-based daughter of elderly SA doctor in Abu Dhabi prison says his spirit is broken and they are extremely worried about his health

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SA Power 100: Andrew Feinstein | p13

The former ANC MP, arms deal whistleblower and author gives his prediction on who will win the presidential race at Mangaung.

Material world | p10

We review South African comedy ‘Material’, which stars popular funnyman Riaad Moosa and will be screened at the London Film Festival this week.

South African Property Monthly | p10

Our monthly pull-out features some of the hottest properties for sale in South Africa, as well as tips and guidance for owners and prospective buyers.

INSIDE:

‘GET MY INNOCENT DAD OUT OF JAIL’

by STAFF REPORTER

ASOUTH African doctor being held in an Abu Dhabi jail has been refused bail

for the fourth time, causing his family increasing anxiety over his wellbeing.

77-year-old Professor Cyril Karabus, a world-renowned paediatric oncologist from Cape Town, was arrested while in transit at Dubai International airport on 18 August. He then discovered, for the first time, that he was a convicted felon and alleged “fugitive from justice” and has since experienced the full might of the United Arab Emirates criminal justice system.

Unbeknown to him, he had been charged, tried, convicted and sentenced in absentia for manslaughter in that country 10 years ago. In 2002 Karabus worked as a locum for approximately five weeks at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical Centre in Abu Dhabi. During that period, he treated a young girl who unfortunately died as a result of terminal blood cancer. Other medical professionals involved in the treatment of this patient have corroborated that she received the best possible care from Karabus, and that her death was unavoidable.

Karabus returned home two

weeks after her death, at the conclusion of his locum. Sometime after this, without his knowledge, he was convicted in the UAE criminal courts on charges of manslaughter and falsifying documents. It is alleged the patient was not given a platelet transfusion when required and that it was this, and not her terminal cancer, that led to her death. The specifics of the case are still unclear but it is alleged that Karabus falsified a document saying that the transfusion had been ordered. He was sentenced without being asked to mount a defence, to three years and six months imprisonment and ordered to pay so-called "blood money".

Like many South Africans, Karabus has family scattered across the globe, including a son in Toronto, whose wedding he was returning from when he was arrested. His daughter Judith

FAB FOUR: The Parlotones will close their annual European tour with a few dates in the UK this week, including London on Monday 15 October. See page 8.

...continues on page 2

2 | 9 October – 15 October 2012 | thesouthafrican.com

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Editor: Heather WalkerProduction: Paul Christopher DanielsPublisher: Gordon Glyn-JonesRegistered office: Unit C7, Commodore House, Battersea Reach, London SW18 1TW.Tel: 0845 456 4910Email: [email protected]: www.thesouthafrican.comDirectors: P Atherton, J Durrant, N Durrant and R PhillipsPrinted by: Mortons of Horncastle Ltd

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Karabus, who lives in London, said, “Our family is worried, upset and confused about why my father has again been denied bail. It is terrifying that he's been in jail all this time – he has a pacemaker, he recently suffered an attack of angina and has been transferred to the medical ward. He has surrendered his passport and we can't fathom why he should need to face these charges from within the prison walls.

“He was shackled at his last court appearance, and his spirit is broken. It is infuriating that this will be all people remember about him despite his many years of service to public health care in South Africa and abroad.”

She said he was being very brave, but they were desperate to get him out where they could take care of him, so he can fight to clear his name from outside prison.

According to the doctor's family, it would have been a simple matter for the UAE and/or Sheik Khalifa Medical Centre authorities

to notify him of the charges, to request his input or to attend the court proceedings, as he has been living at the same home for the last 40 years.

His children believe that the charges must have followed upon information that could not have been properly considered, as he had no opportunity to provide any explanation. They also do not understand why it was necessary to arrest him.

The SA International Relations and Co-operation Department is assisting the doctor and ensuring he receives his medication. However his family hopes for more support from the South African government to secure bail.

The legal team is trying to obtain the deceased patient’s medical file which his family believes will exonerate Karabus, but it could take up to a year to fully investigate the file.

Numerous medical practitioners have written letters to the UAE court testifying to the doctor’s expertise and integrity. Karabus

continues from page1... has a long and distinguished record as a kind, dedicated and highly skilled medical specialist. His family have no doubt he would have treated the late girl to the very best of his considerable ability. He has dedicated most of his working life to needy children in some of the most disadvantaged areas in South Africa. During his term as head of oncology at the Red Cross Children's Hospital the mortality rate of children with leukaemia was reduced from 80 to 20 percent.

He was denied bail on each of

his four court appearances, where he was legally represented and an official of the South African embassy attended. He will have to reapply for bail on Thursday.

A petition on www.avaaz.org campaigning for the professor’s release has attracted more than 10,600 signatures, while a Facebook page titled “Prof Cyril Karabus” has also been created to support him.

TheSouthAfrican.com/

News

“He was shackled... and his spirit is broken”

by HEATHER WALKER“THE ANC will increasingly disintegrate, and the story of that disintegration will be the major story in South Africa over the next five to seven years,” said Western Cape Premier Helen Zille in her address to some 200 people at a South African Chamber of Commerce UK event in London last Monday.

Zille, who is also the leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) is visiting London with a delegation from Wesgro, the official destination marketing, investment and trade promotion agency for the Western Cape. She and her colleague Alan Winde, Provincial Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, addressed a packed auditorium at Freshfields law firm on, The Changing Landscape of Investment in South Africa.

During her talk focusing on the political landscape, Zille said, “The ANC is definitely on the decline and in many ways disintegrating, and Marikana is a symptom of this, no question. The party will increasingly split over the next seven years. It’s already begun. It began a long time ago actually when the UDM broke away from the ANC and it continued obviously very strongly when Cope formed. But it’s also paralleled by our [the DA's] growth with ‘mergers and acquisitions’, to use the language of commerce. ”

She said however, “Although South Africa is a much better place today, we are facing the adolescence of our democracy. Despite the many challenges we face, there are remarkable indications of what we can become.

“Every time we have a political crisis people go into a panic and think the country is going into a

meltdown. They forget that this has happened countless times before and we have always come through it. Decades ago, the famous historian Professor CW de Kiewiet famously said that South Africa progresses through “economic windfalls and political disasters”.

Zille believed there were many positive signs for South Africa’s growth.

She said that boundaries between political parties were starting to become obsolete as people from across the spectrum came to agree on four values by which the country should be governed:

• Defending our constitution and securing its promise of equal rights and fair opportunities for all.

• Nurturing genuine non-racialism on the basis of reconciliation and redress.

• Growing an appropriately regulated, market-driven economy that can achieve the levels of sustainable growth needed to reduce unemployment significantly and lessen inequality.

• Building a state that puts competence above party loyalty, values service and punishes self-interest and corruption.

“If we get these right, I have no doubt that South Africa can succeed,” she concluded.

“ANC will disintegrate over next 7 years”: Zille

Helen Zille said she believed the disintegration of the ANC will be one of the biggest SA stories over the next few years

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Do you have what it takes to survive? No pain, no gain! The Bear Grylls Survival Academy runs from 3–9 November 2012

Join the inaugural 6-day Bear Grylls Survival Academyby STAFF REPORTER MANTIS has been offered the opportunity of a lifetime.

Worldwide Experience, a branch of the company’s education arm, has teamed up with the world-renowned Bear Grylls to provide 10 lucky outdoor enthusiasts from around the globe the chance to participate in his first ever Bear

Grylls Survival Academy. Here they will learn Bear’s extreme survival techniques.

The inaugural six-day Bear Grylls Survival Academy runs from 3–9 November 2012 in one of the last true wilderness areas of the British Isles in Sutherland, Scotland. It comprises a combination of remote land/

sea survival and adventure tasks that will culminate in a wilderness expedition designed to put the participants’ newfound skills to the ultimate test.

Bear Grylls is renowned as the face of survival and outdoor adventure. With experience gained during his seven seasons of Man vs Wild/Born Survivor and the

many skills learnt during his time with the British Reserve Special Forces, participants will come out enlightened and enriched.

Bear has teamed up with Mantis’ Worldwide Experience, the professional in delivering high-quality, experience-led conservation and volunteering courses around the world.

Worldwide Experience strives to conserve what man is fast destroying – his environment, and ultimately his planet. The company specialises in wildlife conservation, and offers self-funding volunteers of all ages the opportunity to work on meaningful projects that will, hopefully, make a difference.

Paul Gardiner, Mantis Marketing Director and the Managing Director of Worldwide Experience explains, “Nature, conservation and education are our priority. We are therefore excited about working with Bear and his highly-trained team. Together we aim to inspire people to reconnect with the natural world. The course will give participants a raw but fulfilling experience and hopefully leave them feeling challenged – but with smiles on their faces!”

After the November launch, the course will roll out to the US and

South Africa in 2013.The Bear Grylls Survival

Academy course costs £2,999 (excluding flights) per person.

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Phone: 01483 424 438.

The Bear Grylls Survival Academy will take place in Sutherland, Scotland.

Dwarf dinosaur species discovered in South Africaby STAFF REPORTERA NEW species of plant-eating dinosaur described as a cross between “a bird, a vampire and a porcupine” has been identified in a piece of 200 million-year-old rock from South Africa.

This “punk-sized” herbivore is one of several tiny, fanged dinosaurs called heterodontosaurs, which were among the first dinosaurs to spread across the planet.

The specimen was originally chipped out of rock in SA in the 1960s and discovered in a collection of fossils at Harvard University by University of Chicago palaeontologist Paul Sereno.

Sereno, whose research involves mapping the dinosaur family tree, published the findings on Wednesday in the scientific journal ZooKeys. He said he actually made the discovery in 1983 as a graduate student and intended to write about it immediately. “I realised it was a new species the moment I set eyes on it,” Sereno said. But he grew distracted by other things, and had a more ambitious research project in mind. He said that there was always a danger that someone would discover it and write about it, but that it worked out for the best because he was able to apply his

current knowledge to the find.The strange-looking species

which Sereno has named Pegomastax africanus, or “thick jaw from Africa” lived between 100 million and 200 million years ago.

Sereno said Pegomastax would have been part of one of three groups that form the base of the dinosaur tree. It was the size of a small house cat, stood less than a foot (30cm) off of the ground and was covered with porcupine-like bristles. “I describe it as a bird, a vampire and a porcupine,” Sereno said.

The species had tiny, 3cm-long jaws, a short, parrot-shaped beak, a pair of stabbing canines and tall teeth tucked behind for slicing plants. The parrot-shaped skull may have been adapted to plucking fruit.

5thesouthafrican.com | 9 October – 15 October 2012 |

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

On “New Nando’s ad: The unofficial SA anthem”

Gordon Robinson: Absolutely love Nandos ads … thanks

for sharing.

Rachel: So much sense of humour in my country. #ProudlySA

Ismail: Love Nando’s here in London and back home in SA. Anyone else notice how many Nando’s are popping up in London. Every high street… it’s amazing. And quite a few halaal ones as well. Proudly Saffa brand.

Collitjies: I don’t see it being funny, just some female prancing around as if doing aerobics. I’ve seen better Nando’s adverts in the past.

Michael: How can Nando’s be 25 years old when they started as a takeaway/restaurant on the West Rand in 1976, when we moved from Durban to Boksburg. People would drive from all over the Rand to go to the new and wonderful takeaway. Even their website shows that they started in 1986. Why are they ashamed of their past? They are 36 years old, not 25!

AnnelieL: I love this song :) and the moves are to die for LOL!

On “‘ANC will disintegrate over next 7 years’: Zille”

Ben Rootman: Well said Helen – let’s build the SA brand!

Vusumuzi O Sibanda: Ek stem saam. Is dit nie presies wat ek het om te sê mede-diaspora folk? Minder afleiding en meer traksie na sukses vir almal.

Mark The re-election of Zuma may be a blessing in disguise for South Africans. It’s been under his leadership that the dramatic decline in the ANC as representative of all South Africans began, and it looks as if narrow tribalism and ideological focus will cause its demise.

Busi: You could be right there you know. I think the man on the street will be so horrified at the prospect of another five years of Zuma

they’ll either abstain or vote for someone else, which will at least decrease the ANC majority. A good thing for the country.

Kastro: @Busi, you are delusional and I say that with respect, the decline in ANC majority will mean doom for South Africa. Imagine the DA in power. The Helen who you appear to be supporting called black people who are moving into Cape Town refugees. And Cape Town under the DA is the worst performing province in empowering black people under the BEE laws. My sister, a decline of ANC majority will mean doom for black South Africans. You seem like a smart person so you do the maths. Viva ANC.

Sean Haywood: Helen Zille has another supporter after last night’s talk. A strong and positive leader, I left feeling inspired!

Schalk Burger: We are all prone to panic and negativity especially when we see what our government and its cronies get up to and of course there is always the side show which is Malema, and I must admit to losing my faith every time I hear and see these “leaders” (and I use that term loosely) get up to their lunacy and doing so without

realising their failures. Thanks to Helen Zille I feel a little more possitive about prospects in the long run but I still feel the next decade is going to test us all at levels we have not been tested at before. This country is big enough to house and feed all its people, we need a government that will look after all the people and the future of its children in a peaceful country “God save SA and its beautuful people!”

Eric Singh: Dreams are great. The only problem is that sleep breaks at some some point. My advice to you Helen is: go on sleeping.

Mfa: No matter what happens, in seven years South Africa will never ever be ruled by settlers.

Carole York: @ mfa, why not? America is ruled by “settlers” and it seems to work well for them.

Kastro: Viva ANC, The ANC will be in power for a very long time to come. All you daydreamers dream on. Viva to the movement of the people. Down with the movement of the Boers.

The new Nandos advert reveals the country’s unofficial national anthem – ‘Nkalakatha’ by kwaito star Mandoza.

Manny de Freitas, SA Shadow Minister of Home Affairs writes:

At a recent question time session in Parliament the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs advised that presently there are still “negotiations” on the lifting of visa requirements of South African citizens visiting Britain. Considering the high volume and number of South Africans visiting Britain and our important trade relations between the two countries, this issue demands priority attention.

The Deputy Minister further stated that discussions are underway on lifting or relaxing visa requirements in a number

of other countries. It appears that little is actually happening on this matter when it comes to important countries which would benefit our economy and as a result possibly even create jobs locally. Certain European countries with which we have great trade relations come to mind. Exactly what is the hold up? Why is our government not working with urgency on this considering the much needed growth for our economy?

Although it is welcomed that visa requirements have either been lifted or relaxed with Latvia and Lithuania, they are not high priority trade countries for South Africa.

SA govt needs to prioritise British visas

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

6

Community Follow us on Twitter:@TheSAnews

| 9 October – 15 October 2012 | thesouthafrican.com

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If you have been spotted in the circle on this week’s scene page please call us on 0845 456 4910 or email your address to [email protected] to claim your prize.

PREMIER EVENT: The South African Chamber of Commerce UK hosted a talk by Western Cape Premier Helen Zille and her colleague Alan Winde, Provincial Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism at Freshfields law firm last week. Photos by Andrea Huisamen.


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What’s on brought to you by

Please email your events to: [email protected] more listings, please visit www.thesouthafrican.com/events

Hugh Masekela’s ‘Songs of Migration’ at Hackney EmpireDate: 10-14 October,Venue: Hackney EmpireSongs of Migration, featuring Hugh Masekela and Sibongile Khumalo, will be playing at the Hackney Empire from Wednesday 10 to 14 October, following a run at the Koninklijk Theatre Carre in Amsterdam and prior to performances at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC and Artscape Opera House in Cape Town.

The show, which is written and directed by James Ngcobo, was created by internationally-acclaimed South African trumpeter, composer and lyricist Hugh Masekela, who stars in his own production. The musical director is Ezbie Moliwa.

Josie Field and Malory TorrDate: 17 October, 8pmVenue: The TroubadourSouth African singer–songwriter Josie Field will be performing in London next month, supported by peer musician Malory Torr.

Josie, deemed “not good enough” for Idols six years ago, is the recipient of six South African Music Award (SAMA) nominations, including Best Female Artist as a result of her 2011 album 1984.

Malory will be playing from 8:15pm – 9pm and Josie from 9:10pm – 9:40pm.

Desmond Tutu: Conversation for ChangeDate: 23 October, 7.30pmVenue: Fairfield Concert HallsInternational peace campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu will host a public debate called Conversation for Change, which will also include his daughter Reverend Mpho Tutu, an ordained priest in the Anglican church.

His talk in Croydon will focus on how to resolve tensions and divisions in the UK, and is expected to address the causes of the riots in the borough last August.

Members of the public, organisations and schools are invited to what the Tutu Foundation UK said would be a “historic national conversation in words, dance and music”, on 23 October.

Three South African films at 56th London Film FestivalDate: 28 OctoberVenue: Various venues in LondonThere are three South African feature films at this year’s BFI London Film Festival and two also from Angola and Mozambique. The SA films are Accession, in the festival’s Dare section, Sleeper’s Wake, in the First Film competition, and Material, in the Laugh section.

Accession is screened on Thurs 11 at Renoir at 20.45, Sat 13 at Mayfair 2 at 18.30 and Sun 14 at Ritzy at 18.30.

Sleeper’s Wake is screened on Fri 19 at NTF1 at 18.00 and Sun 21 at Ritzy at 14.00

Material is screened on Thurs 11 at Screen On The Green at 21.00, Sat 13 at Cine Lumiere at 13.00 and Mon 15 at NFT3 at 13.15.Festival tickets: www.bfi/org.uk/lff

NEED your help here. I’ll fill you in on the picture and then you can tell me if I am a heartless, cold fish or a mouldy, soft target for every sad story on the planet.

On leaving South Africa I practically built my staff a brand new house. They had been loyal for 25 years. We raised each other’s children and generally had a happy existence filled with good memories. Some not so good. Apart from salaries, I think I could have bought the Star of Africa Diamond with all the loans coaxed from me and never repaid. I always knew that money was down some river but then, the Guilt Angel was sitting right there on my shoulder. Like time, money fell into the vague category.

We cried buckets in the three months prior to leaving. Apart from the house building, every piece of furniture I could have sold for a bit of cash went directly to those big eyes that said, ‘I cleaned this, polished that, have been eyeing it forever’ and Mother Karen simply handed it over; after all I was abandoning a family that had given so much in return. Did I mention that I paid all the school fees, the uniforms, the books and anything else that came to mind? Could I have given more glowing referrals? The eldest daughter who helped out in the last year was desperate to do a nursing course and in lieu of severance due we handed over the equivalent in cash for the course.

In the three years since leaving, not one member of the family has worked. I return and contact them as I genuinely miss them. They meet me, I buy lunch and they tell me that they have no money and life is tough. So it goes every time. Not sure if the nursing course was ever finished. I leave feeling defeated, all sorts of emotions that happen when one has not

had the same education, the same opportunities.

But really, and I ask with pleading Puss-in-Boots eyes, how long does this bag of salt have to chaff into my back? Yesterday I received another message of how much I am loved, missed and please could I send money for another year of nursing college.

Okay, I know some of you are going, ‘What a fool to fall for this

sad song all the time!’ Some of you may be saying; ‘One must help those who do not have and heaven will have a special star for you.’ The Guilt Angel is saying, really, if

you do not help her she will never be able to raise herself from the poverty she is locked in and no bank is going to lend the money. In fact who will help her?

The Guilt Angel tightens the grip and the sack of salt rubs. Perhaps I should refer her to Mr Malema for advice? All I know is I grow increasingly wary of this GA and his sack of salt.

My personal Guilt Angel

KAREN DE VILLIERS

The OPTIMIST

MAANDAG 24de September sak ek toe af as morele ondersteuner en rigtingwyser vir ‘n dame na die welbekende ry langs die Suid-Afrikaanse konsulaat in Trafalgar Square. Man, dit was vroeg. Om die rye en die 12:00 perk te vermy moes ek die 06:45 trein na Paddington vang en daai tyd van die oggend gaan dit woes in my huis. Die honde kyk met groot ogies waarom pappa tog so vroeg opstaan en mamma kon ook nie later lê nie, want syntoe kon ek nie stap nie. Dis te vêr.

Ek het met die dame afgespreek dat sy, wat nog verder moes kom, ‘n presiese trein vang sodat ons mekaar sommer op die trein kon ontmoet. Na ‘n gespartel en gewoel by die huis was ek darem betyds en met my jas en sambreel in my hande het ek die platform bestorm. Sopnat, daai tyd van die oggend het ek geweet dat dit ‘n lang dag sou wees. Ek het my horlosie dopgehou en soos die vertraagde een waarop ek moes klim die stasie inskud, kon my hart stadiger klop. Ons oorspronklike ooreenkoms om in die eerste kompartement te ontmoet kon ek so met die aankoms sien, het nie gewerk nie. Dié was vir die meer bevoorregtes beskonde en ek het haar in die vierde kompartement gekry, nes die Hemelse Vader die wolke bo ons oopmaak om dié droogte geteisterde land te voed.

Ek moes eers op ‘n welgeklede heer gaan sit voor hy opskuif, so het ek ook darem ‘n sitplek gevind op die vol trok, darem nie te vêr van die dame af nie. Ons kon mekaar net-net hoor oor die geskree en geskud van die trok, maar ons was oppad na Paddington, ons halfwegpunt na die eindelope ry langs die

wit muur. Daar aangekom moes ek die beplande ontbyt eers van die hand wys, want soos my Oupa glo ek, dis beter om jou tot jou bestemming te druk en dan daar dit rustiger te neem en as die tyd dit toelaat, ietsie by jou keel afgooi. Ons mik toe na my gunsteling deel van dié uitstappie, die ‘Tube’. Ek vra jou, wat is dan lekkerder om saam met derduisende skape in ‘n hoop gejaag te word? Met ‘n koerant of boekie voor sy gesig sodat hy jou tog net nie sal raaksien en dalk ‘hallo’ moet sê nie. Die een is mos beter as die ander, uitgevat in duur pakke en bont dasse, die dames in snyerspakkies op sulke lang hakke. Die hitte van asems en beknoptheid van lywe vat my asem weg, maar solank daar ‘n koerant in jou gesig is, is als wel. Dit is London dié, hier speel ons nie, ons werk!

Ons storm na buite, net om oorval te word met water wat Afrika nog nie gesien het nie. My groot sambreel slaat sommer ‘n mannetjie hier voor my van sy voete af soos ek die ding met een beweging opslaan en na bo bring. My longe, wese, het gegaap na die vars lug, maar die Springbok teen SA Huis het my gou herinner aan my vorige ondervinge hier. Ons moes in daai ry kom, want 12:00 maak hulle toe en as jy nie binne is nie, moet jy môre maar weer saam met die hoenders opstaan en saam met die trop in die hokke staan. Met ‘n lang nek loop ek toe om die draai. Waar is die ry tog? Wag, wag hier is die deur met ‘n verdere verwysing na die volgende een vir toegang. Kon ons tog so gelukkig of hopeloos te vroeg wees?

Verstom het ek en die dame na die nota op die deur gestaar, my sambreel op die grond. Dit het gelees “Due to National Heritage Day these offices will be closed on Monday 24.09.2012”. So daar staan ons toe, 07:40 nat in ons eie ry en weet nie of ons kwaad of skaam moet wees nie. Skaam dat ons vergeet het van ons eie Erfenisdag of kwaad dat ons geweet het dat ons als weer van voor moes deurgaan. Een ding was verseker, nooit sou ek weer dié datum vergeet nie en alhoewel my gemoed bietjie suur was, iets sou ek moes doen om Braaidag te vier!

‘n Dag om nooit te vergeet

Brandpunt

CONRAD BRAND

Yesterday I received another message of how much I am loved, missed and please could I send money for another year of nursing college


People

Cast members performing in Hugh Masekela’s production “Songs of Migration”.

Suid-Afrika Huis. Foto deur Ronel van Zyl.


Entertainment Follow us on Twitter:@TheSAnews

THIS is one of those super sexy tarts! There aren’t too many out there so keep this recipe close to hand. It is one of those rare dishes where you get away with having another slice. You simply won’t be able to stop; everybody else will be helping themselves, so be sure to dive in there head first and make sure you’re not the sucker who was too slow and missed out. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare and three minutes to devour.

Don’t make your life hard, buy

ready rolled pastry to cut down on the workload.

Ingredients:• 2 tbsp butter• 1 onion, thinly sliced• 2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves

removed from the stem• 60ml double cream• 1 egg• Flour for dusting• 1 roll of puff pastry• 5 figs, quartered• 150g Stilton cheese• 25g pine nuts

Method:• Pre-heat the oven to 200°C• In a large frying pan, over

a low heat melt the butter and gently sweat down the onions and rosemary until soft and lightly caramelised

• Remove from the heat and allow to cool

• In a small bowl whisk together the cream and egg until smooth and add to the cooled onion

• On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the puff pastry and line a 20cm flan ring, making sure you reach

into the edges and up the sides• Once lined take a fork and very

gently spike the base with it, this will stop it from rising

• Evenly spread the onion and egg mix on the base of the pastry case

• Sprinkle over a thin layer of the Stilton cheese and Pine nuts

• Neatly arrange the figs on the tart, cut side up, and in even rounds

• Scatter the rest of the cheese and pine nuts over

• Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden

• Once done, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes

• Remove from the tart case (it might stick a bit but be forceful and loosen the bottom with a knife)

• Slide it onto a serving dish and serve ever so slightly warm

Top South African chef Angie Steele hosts fun cooking classes at The Avenue cooking school in Putney.

These include Dinner Party

Demon to brush up those key skills to help you impress, and Ready Steady Date for single cooking with loads of laughs.

To book visit www.theavenuecookeryschool.com/courses/angie-at-the-avenue or e-mail [email protected]

South Africa’s biggest selling rock band of the decade plays five UK dates this month, including London on 15 October

Parlotones hit British shores on annual European tourby STAFF REPORTERTHE Parlotones, who recently announced they will be moving to the United States in January, will close their annual European tour with a few dates in the UK this October.

The South African pop stars will be settling in Los Angeles to satisfy an increasing demand for the band that has resulted in five

trips to the US in the past year.Hollywood, billed as the creative

capital of the world due to one in every six of its residents working in a creative industry, will be more conducive for global touring as it’s just hours from Asia and Europe and will enable them better access to the world’s biggest music market.

The Parlotones are South Africa’s

COOKINGwith Steele

ANGIE STEELE

Savoury fig tart with rosemary, stilton, pine nuts

Angie’s fig tart recipe is sure to be devoured the moment it’s out of the oven.

The Parlotones UK tour kicks off on 12 October in Birmingham.

biggest selling rock band of the decade and their management has been working feverishly over the last few years at launching the band overseas.

The band have undertaken dozens of tours abroad, performed at major festivals, and their music has featured on popular TV shows such as One Tree Hill, Jersey Shore, Pretty

Little Liars and 90210.Earlier this year The Parlotones

released their fourth studio album, Journey Through the Shadows, which features 12 tracks and was recorded in Johannesburg and Cape Town in late 2011.

UK tour dates:•12 October: Temple

(Birmingham)

• 14 October: The Fleece (Bristol)

• 15 October: O2 Islington Academy (London)

• 16 October: Manchester Academy 3 (Manchester)

• 17 October: Oran Mor (Glasgow)

To purchase tickets, visit www.gigsandtours.com


EntertainmentLike us on Facebook:facebook.com/thesouthafrican

The London Surf/Film Festival runs from 11 to 14 October at Riverside Studios

Film festival for adrenaline junkies and adventure loversby STAFF REPORTERTHE Thrillseekers Adventure Film Festival, which will be showing at cinemas around the country from 8 October, will include excerpts from Charley Boorman’s journey across South Africa, before it is screened on Channel 5 in the autumn.

The Adventure Film Festival travels the UK each year showcasing the best in extreme sports and adventure films at 30 cinemas nationwide. Experience a themed evening of adrenaline-pumping action through a selection of films that celebrate pushing mind and body to the limits.

Whether your passion is mountainbiking, skiing, kayaking or base-jumping, each of the three exciting adventure nights – High Altitude, Adrenaline or Endurance – include something for everyone.

High Altitude Adventure features big mountain action from the likes of snowboarder Xavier de le Rue, extreme BASE jumping from slacklines over Norwegian fjords, slot descents across the vast expanse of the Grand Canyon and Charley Boorman’s Navigating Sani Pass.

Adrenaline Adventure will keep you on the edge of your seat with freestyle kayaking from Ben Marr, a whole world of mountainbiking with Strength in Numbers and Charley Boorman’s Diving with Sharks.

Endurance Adventure will take you across the world. From Antarctica, with the world’s first unsupported expedition to walk to the South Pole and back again, to ultra-running across five continents and chasing the disappearing Colorado River.

Cinema details and dates:• Aberdeen: 11 Oct• Belfast: 13 Oct• Birmingham: 14 Oct• Bristol: Cube Cinema, 21 Oct• Cambridge:25 Oct• Canterbury: 10 Oct• Cardiff: 9 Oct• Exeter: Phoenix Arts, 9 Oct• London:Hammersmith, 17 Oct• Inverness: 8 Oct• Leeds: 23 Oct• Liverpool: 11 Oct• Newcastle: 9 Oct

• Norwich: 11 Oct• Nottingham: 9 Oct• Penrith: Rheged Centre, 11 Oct• Perth: Playhouse, 10 Oct• Poole: The Lighthouse, 9 Oct• St Andrews: 9 Oct• Stirling: 11 Oct• London, Whitechapel: 9 Oct

Win!We have a pair of tickets to give away to each of the High Altitude Adventure evenings, and 10 pairs of tickets to give away to the gala evening in London on 1 November, where three short films from the festival will be screened with Q&As with the adventurers afterwards.

Ticket holders will be welcomed to Vue West End with a complimentary drink in the bar from 7pm. At 8pm the film programme starts with a world’s first preview of Charley Boorman’s new TV series Extreme Frontiers South Africa and a Q&A with him.

Next up is another world first – the premiere of Chris Davenport’s Volcano Tour: Skiing 15 major volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest of the USA in 14 days. Davenport will be flying in from Colorado to speak of his experiences and answer questions.

Venue: Vue Leicester Square

To enter these competitions visit www.thesouthafrican.com/win

For tickets and more details visit: www.adventurefest.co.uk

South African films at London Surf/Film Festivalby STAFF REPORTERTHE London Surf/Film Festival – not to be confused with the London Film Festival – runs from 11-14 October 2012 at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith.

The Festival is a celebration of the cream of contemporary surf culture, bringing four nights of international surfing’s hottest releases, independent features and documentaries – including three films from South Africa – to London.

SA film information:The Africa Project

• Dir. Jason Hearn, SA• Friday 12 October, 6.25pm• The Africa Project features

Jordy Smith, Davey Weare, big wave legend Twiggy Baker and freestyling Roosta Lange, and takes the viewer through South Africa, Morocco, Senegal, Namibia and beyond, capturing the beauty, culture, surf, people and the true potential of the African coastline.Otelo Burning

• Dir. Sara Blecher, SA• Saturday 13th October, 5pm• This award winning feature is

a coming of age story of a group of township kids who discover the joy of surfing. Set in 1989, against a backdrop of brewing conflict between two political groups in Lamontville, Otelo Burning tells the story of the explosive potential for change at the end of apartheid, all seen through the eyes of a child.When 16-year-old Otelo Buthelezi takes to the water for the first time it’s clear that he was born to surf, but nothing runs smoothly and

on the day that Nelson Mandela is released from prison Otelo is forced to choose between surfing success and justice. ‘Surfing and Sharks’,

• Dir. Julian Watson, AUS• Sunday 14th October, 7pm• The West Coast, between

Durban and Jbay, covers a thousand kilometers of untamed oceanic

paradise. Surfing and Sharks follows a group of South

African surfers as they explore the very real

threats that lurk beneath the surface every time they paddle

out. Surfers, shark researchers and ecologists offer objective, first hand insight on one of the ocean’s most feared predators.

The features will be considered for prestigious awards including Best Film, Best Cinematography, and Viewers Choice. For full line up please see www.londonsurffilmfestival.com.

Tickets on www.riversidestudios.co.uk or on: 020 8237 1111.

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Entertainment

Excerpts from Charley Boorman’s journey across South Africa wil be

screened at the festival.


Entertainment Follow us on Twitter:@TheSAnews

Riaad Moosa plays the role of a comedian whose job causes tension with his father, played by Vincent Ebrahim.

Mark Hortop previews South African comedy ‘Material’, to be screened at the London Film Festival this week

We talk to ‘Material’ and ‘Kumars’ star Vincent Ebrahim

0844 811 0051 | gigsandtours.com | theparlotones.netNew album ‘Journey Through the Shadows’ out now

A Metropolis Music & DF ConceRts presentation by arrangement with X-ray

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Review: SA movie ‘Material’ at London film festby MARK HORTOPI RECENTLY had the pleasure of reviewing Material – one of three South African movies being screened at this year’s BFI London Film Festival. Featuring some of South Africa’s top comedic talent it is appropriately entered in the festival’s Laugh category.

Material stars Riaad Moosa, convincing as Cassim Kaif, the conflicted aspirant comedian and dutiful son, with Yusuf (Joey Rasdien) his movie and cliché obsessed best friend. Vincent Ebrahim (a nice surprise for fans of The Kumars) plays Cassim’s tortured and traditional Muslim father Ebrahim, dismayed by the discovery of his son’s deceit.

The beautiful Carishma Basday provides the eye-candy as Zulfa – Cassim’s love interest.

The beautifully scored movie opens with the sound of the Muslim call to prayer. Refreshingly this is not followed by bombs exploding or gunfire and scenes of violence, but by images of the peace afforded by prayer and routine.

The story revolves around the Kaif family’s eponymous material shop, an anachronistic symbol of resistance. The shop’s existence; endangered first by apartheid legislation, then by a rapidly changing world, mirrors patriarch Ebrahim’s alienation from the world his son has chosen to inhabit.

At times I found it too close to the conventions of the generic American comedy, perhaps an attempt to make it more accessible

to an international audience. However, it never stoops to the

level of crass parody and is far more nuanced than much of the banal fare we are fed, the story involving the overlapping issues of religion, race, politics and familial responsibility.

There are lovely subtle touches to counteract some of the repackaged jokes and Moosa’s character’s understated strength and determination works well as a counterpoint to his screen father’s intensity and truculence.

The trope of the father-son conflict rings true and never becomes overly sentimental. Denise Newman gives a wonderfully subtle performance as Fatima Kaif whose quiet strength holds the family together.

The denouement is somewhat predictable but satisfyingly so. The symbolism at the end is clear but not laboured; we all need to have closure at some stages of our lives if we are to move on.

Heart-warming is an overused adjective but possibly because it is so apt for certain types of movie – it certainly fits in the case of Material. I laughed a lot, I had a quiet blub and ultimately grinned broadly.

Don’t watch it expecting revolutionary, earth-shattering insights but if you want something to brighten your day Material is the movie for you.

Material is screened on Thurs 11 at Screen On The Green at 21.00, Sat 13 at Cine Lumiere at 13.00. Festival programme and tickets: www.bfi/org.uk/lff

Taking Ashwin Kumar back to SA?by MARIANNE GRAYVINCENT Ebrahim has one of those faces you know, but you’re not quite sure where from…was it The Kumars at No. 42, perhaps? Or After You’ve Gone? Or both? Yes that’s right, plus many more.

Cape Town-born Ebrahim is one of those actors who has worked his way into the public eye via television, film and stage. When we met he was just back from Morocco, where he was shooting an international feature film. Next month the film he made in South Africa, Material, will be screened at the London Film Festival and there’s talk of another Kumars series, in which he plays the finance-obsessed father, Ashwin.

“The director of Material, Craig Freimond, had seen me on TV in The Kumars,” Ebrahim, 61, tells me, “and he knows my sister, actress Vinette Ebrahim who plays Charmaine Beukes in the Afrikaans soap opera 7de Laan. Craig and I met in Cape Town when I was on holiday and we started working on the character of the father then.”

Material is a film that is full of humour but also very moving, as it raises the problems of traditional parents not understanding modern life. The story is set in a long-standing family-run Asian material shop – hence the title – in Fordsburg, by the Oriental Plaza in Johannesburg. The shop is owned by Kaif, who has hopes of his son, Cassim, taking over the shop.

Cassim, however, dreams of being a stand-up comedian and has been making a name for himself on the circuit, using material from his own life to make people laugh.

Stand-up comedians Riaad Moosa, of Strictly Halal fame, and Joey Rasdien of The Pure Monate Show star alongside Ebrahim, with the wonderful Denise Newman (Shirley Adams, Disgrace) playing Cassim’s long-suffering mother.

“Material is the first film I’ve shot in South Africa since I shot Springbok before I left, and it was great,” said Ebrahim, in that voice with the special timbre. “My mother still lives in Cape Town but my life is now in London.” Ebrahim has three sons and is married to an Englishwoman. “I left South Africa in 1976 because I needed to get out. There were few opportunities in the old Apartheid system for a coloured actor. I had intended to go to New York but didn’t get there until 2010, when I was touring with The Tricycle Theatre production of The Great Game. Instead I went backpacking in Europe and then came to Britain to visit family, and joined a community theatre to perform children’s theatre. We spent 15 months performing on the top of a bus!”

Born in Woodstock and brought up in Claremont, he trained at UCT in Cape Town, as the then newly-formed coloured University of the Western Cape had an Afrikaans drama department but

no English one. He got special dispensation from the Coloured Affairs department to go to a white university, and studied under professor Rosalie van Gucht.

“My father, a teacher, had always taken me on in his drama productions performed in local church halls, and as a schoolboy at Livingstone High School I was part of the drama group. We often went to the Little Theatre and I knew early on I wanted to act,” he told me.

I asked him what his dream job would be now. “Another film made in South Africa,” he replied, without hesitation. “I guess the positive experience of working on Material is what gives me such a kick about the possibility of doing more work over there. I feel there’s a rich vein of narrative that’s unexplored and the surface is just being scratched. I know Material sparked some tremendous responses in South Africa among people from very different backgrounds, who recognised the universality of the story.”

“It moved me that people expressed such pride in it being a South African film! People love it when they see themselves on screen. It’s inspired me to think seriously about writing, particularly for film or television. I know it’s late in the day for me and a departure from what I’ve been doing up to now, but what the hell…why not?!”

OCTOBER 2012 #83 MONTHLYwww.sapropertymonthly.co.uk

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Banks hike home loan depositsby STAFF REPORTERThe average home price rose at an annualised rate of 6.15% in September to R886, 000 but the average percentage of purchase price required as a deposit in order to obtain a home loan also continued to accelerate.

It rose to 19.3%, compared to 17.4% in August and 16.5% in July, according to the latest statistics released by BetterBond, SA’s biggest mortgage originator.

“So in spite of lower interest rates and rising levels of affordability, the average home buyer must once again have almost one fifth of the home purchase price available in cash before applying for a home loan, in addition to the funds required to cover transfer duty, bond registration and legal costs,” says Rudi Botha, CEO of BetterBond.

“This is similar to the situation during the recession of 2008/09 and, given the mounting pressures on the lending institutions to lower their risk, we do not anticipate that this trend of increasing deposit requirements will change for some time, meaning that those who are currently on the fence about buying property should do so without further delay.”

First-time buyers, he says, are still likely to find it somewhat easier to take this step, with the average first-time buyer home price now at R648 000 and the average percentage of purchase price required as a deposit at just 12% - even though this has also increased, from 11.6% in August and just 9% in July.

However, the BetterBond statistics – which represent

a quarter of all residential mortgage bonds being registered in the Deeds Office and include applications to, and bond grants from, all the major lending banks in SA – also reveal a sharp drop in the percentage of loans being granted for 100% of the purchase price.

This dropped to 29% in September (from 35% in August, 39% in July, and 41% in June) and could signal a slowdown in first-time buying over the next few months.

Indeed, the percentage of bonds granted in the R500, 000 to R1 million bracket that is traditionally the preserve of first-time buyers has already dropped to 35% from 38% a year ago.

For now though, says Botha, housing demand continues to rise – “perhaps because more consumers in the upper price brackets are realising that if they don’t buy soon, while prices are still at relatively low levels, the increasing deposit requirements and other costs of home acquisition could drive them out of the market”.

The BetterBond statistics show an increase of 11% month-on-month in the total number of home loan applications made during September – with a surge in demand for bonds of more than R1.5 million, even though the average deposit required in such cases is well above 20%.

“Some 29% of the bonds granted in September were for homes priced at more than R1.5 million, compared to 25% a year ago, which resonates with a number of reports recently about an increase in sales activity at the upper end of the market.”

- Property24.com

BAROMETER

Gap between new and secondhand homes widenby STAFF REPORTERThe gap between new buildings and those that have already been lived in for some time has widened drastically in South Africa since 2009.

This is according to Bill Rawson, Chairman of the Rawson Property Group, who says this is all the more remarkable because builders and developers have ‘bent over backwards’ in the last few years to reduce their price rises and in many cases have done so very efficiently.

He says FNB’s Barometer for some of the less affluent areas in Cape Town shows that in 2009, the gap between new buildings and those that had already been lived in was only 3%, and nationally the figure was only 2%. However, he explains when the economic crunch hit in 2010, the gap rose rapidly to 23% for the less affluent Cape areas and 22% nationally - today, the gap stands at 26% for Cape Town and 25% nationally.

These figures, says Rawson, lend credibility to the statements often made by estate agents that secondhand home prices in South Africa are at levels which are significantly lower than those of the peak periods in the

past, but these are unlikely to remain at these low levels for much longer.

“Already we are seeing a 1.1% real growth in middle bracket housing, i.e. a rise of 6% in nominal terms - when inflation is allowed for, and a recent Lightstone analysis has indicated that these rises are likely to continue.

“Another FNB report has shown that nationally, average house prices are now well above R800 000 and are very close to early 2008 levels.”

In the more affluent areas such as Bryanston, Constantia and Kloof, he says, Rawson Properties franchisees are beginning to report that demand for property is on the increase and prices are starting to move up at last.

Particularly encouraging are the figures from the FNB Barometer, says Rawson, which also show that in the less affluent Western Cape areas, the number of buyers in the 26 to 35 year old age group is rising and almost 35% of these are now first time home buyers.

Traditionally, home owners in the Western Cape’s poorer areas have been 40 to 55 years old, says Rawson, and this increase in young buyers,

therefore, augers very well for the future.

Asked if the gap between old and new homes did not make new developments more difficult to launch and sell, Rawson says,“speaking as Chairman of Rawson Developers and Homebuilders, which has four Rondebosch developments, all either sold out or selling well and has work in the pipeline for the next three years, I can say that new developments are still sought after if they are in the areas in which people have always wanted to live and if their units are small and compact and therefore more affordable.

“This of course means that today’s developments are very definitely slanted towards sectional title, but a number of surveys have shown that young people and retirees increasingly enjoy and appreciate this type of communal living, especially if it is accompanied by facilities such as outdoor entertainment areas, swimming pools and gyms.”

The trend towards including these in such developments is, therefore, likely to increase, he says.

- Property24.com

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STyLISH & SOPHISTICATEDBedrooms 5 Bathrooms 5 Garages 3 WEB 266451Sumptuous home + 2 bedroomed cottage on the Bushmans river. Open-plan living withlarge patio and rim-flow infinity pool. [O] +27 46 648 1037 CECILy MASSART +27 82 600 5429 [email protected]

A STATEMENT IN LUxURy LIVING!Bedrooms 5 Bathrooms 5 Garages 4 Cottages 2 WEB 266554Secure environment. Continental indoor/outdoor living at its best. Impeccablyfurnished. Quiet, private. 1500m2 landscaped garden, rim-flow pool. [O] +27 11 784 1222DOUG MCMEEKING +27 82 549 1248 | GARETH ROBERTSON +27 79 318 6733 [email protected]

SPACIOUS HOME IN WALKING DISTANCE TO THE BEACHBedrooms 5 Bathrooms 3 Garages 2 WEB 274194Newly renovated spacious home boarders a greenbelt and is walking distance toRobberg Beach in Plettenberg Bay.[O] +27 44 533 0311 ELIZE GREEN +27 72 119 3710 [email protected]

MAURITIUS FROM R4 500 000

DURBANVILLE R5 500 000

THESEN ISLANDS R7 500 000

KNYSNA R1 800 000

KENTON-ON-SEA R11 900 000

PLETTENBERG BAY R6 160 000 SANDHURST ENCLOSURE R14 600 000 +VATPLETTENBERG BAY R2 200 000

MAROELADAL R15 000 000

NORTH-FACING FAMILy HOMEBedrooms 5 Bathrooms 4 Garages 2 WEB 270115Well-positioned North-facing family home, situated on a corner stand. Lovely views from 3bedrooms and living areas, heated swimming pool and self-contained flatlet. [O] +27 44 382 5919WENDy EVANS +27 83 461 9312 | SUE ABERNETHy +27 82 573 3353 [email protected]

BEACHFRONT LUxURy RESIDENCES - CONSTRUCTION COMPLETING OCTOBER 2013. FASTEST SELLING DEVELOPMENT IN MAURITIUS. AUTOMATIC RESIDENCy.Bedrooms 3 to 4 Bathrooms 3 to 4 Parking Underground. 15% Tax rate in Mauritius and member of SADC. Automatic Mauritian Residency. Investment guidance for personal, corporate or trust holding ownership.

Voted 4th safest investment hotspot worldwide. Exquisite ocean front lifestyle village with 5* boutique hotel, elite international school, marine facilities with boat mooring, spa, shops, restaurants and golf access. 5% Bank guaranteed investment return for 3 years. 75% Pre-approved bond including a deco pack. Direct flight from 3 RSA cities. Over 40% sold to South Africans. Completion October 2013.

View the project on www.azuri.mu or call MARIE-FRANCOISE DALAIS +230 4983076 [email protected]

SPECTACULAR LAGOON, OCEAN AND MOUNTAIN VIEWSBedrooms 8 Bathrooms 7 Garage 1 WEB 204152Spacious family home or perfect B+B. Lovely en-suite units, as well as a two-bedroomfamily unit. Every unit has a private patio. Beautiful views from pool deck.[O] +27 44 533 0311 CONNIE PEET +27 83 353 5971 [email protected]

VIEWS, VIEWSBedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2 WEB 243377Log home of distinction with quality finishes in lush area of Welbedacht and overlookingthe beautiful Knysna Lagoon.[O] +27 44 382 5919 LIVIANA AUDIBERT +27 82 500 2259 [email protected]

EPITOME OF OPULANCE AND STyLEBedrooms 4 Bathroom 4 Garages 2 WEB 273496This exquisite 1100m2 property set on 8380m2 of land, will change your life with all it hasto offer. This modern home provides living space.[O] +27 11 784 1222 EDDIE GILLMORE +27 72 873 3444 [email protected]

THE PERFECT ADDRESS FOR THE DISCERNING FEWBedrooms 4 Bathrooms 3 Garages 3 WEB 275293This home is set in a secure boutique estate. Large entertainment rooms flow tomanicured garden with pool. Lovely views. [O] +27 21 975 5290 LIEZL VAN DEN BERG +27 82 851 0658 [email protected]

STyLISH & SOPHISTICATEDBedrooms 5 Bathrooms 5 Garages 3 WEB 266451Sumptuous home + 2 bedroomed cottage on the Bushmans river. Open-plan living withlarge patio and rim-flow infinity pool. [O] +27 46 648 1037 CECILy MASSART +27 82 600 5429 [email protected]

A STATEMENT IN LUxURy LIVING!Bedrooms 5 Bathrooms 5 Garages 4 Cottages 2 WEB 266554Secure environment. Continental indoor/outdoor living at its best. Impeccablyfurnished. Quiet, private. 1500m2 landscaped garden, rim-flow pool. [O] +27 11 784 1222DOUG MCMEEKING +27 82 549 1248 | GARETH ROBERTSON +27 79 318 6733 [email protected]

SPACIOUS HOME IN WALKING DISTANCE TO THE BEACHBedrooms 5 Bathrooms 3 Garages 2 WEB 274194Newly renovated spacious home boarders a greenbelt and is walking distance toRobberg Beach in Plettenberg Bay.[O] +27 44 533 0311 ELIZE GREEN +27 72 119 3710 [email protected]

MAURITIUS FROM R4 500 000

OCTOBER 20126 www.sapropertymonthly.co.uk

NEWS/TRENDS >>

Slowing house price growth trendby STAFF REPORTERThe latest statistics from ooba, South Africa’s biggest bond originator, show a marginal year-on-year house price growth of 0.7% to R836, 055 in August 2012 and a month-on-month decline of 1.3% from R846, 863 in July 2012.

“The slowing in house price growth over the past five months seems to be a trend influenced by current economic fundamentals,” says Saul Geffen, CEO of ooba. “However, ooba’s market experience is somewhat conflicting as both application intake and approved loans are significantly up on the prior year.”

Despite the slowing growth in average house prices, ooba is still reporting a 28% year-on-year increase in the value of home loan applications and a 44% year-on-year increase in the value of its home loan approvals in August 2012 indicating that the property market is still very active.

One cannot dismiss the effect of the changing mix of home loan applicants on average home prices, Geffen says. “For example, the percentage of first-time home buyers is at record levels of around 53%, and this changed applicant mix is continuing to favour the purchase of smaller more affordable properties, which may be influencing the overall house price trend downwards. This is demonstrated in the higher

median house price growth recorded, which has averaged close to 6% over the past three months.”

The average purchase price for first-time buyers increased 6.6% year-on-year from R619, 139 in August 2011 to R659, 885 in August this year, and 0.4% month-on-month, up from R657, 069 in July.

Credit conditions remain favourable for buyers. The average home loan deposit is down 47.2% from last year to R95, 396, which is 11.4% of the purchase price. This is the lowest average deposit recorded since June 2008, says Geffen. However, he cautions buyers that deposit requirements are likely to increase. “The banks’ appetite for 100% home loans is diminishing.”

A further indicator of favourable credit conditions is ooba’s effective approval rate, which has grown to 65.4% of applications, up from 64.4% last year. Although the initial decline ratio increased 0.5% to 46.6%, the percentage of applications that are declined by one bank but approved by another improved by 3.1% to 25.8% in August this year.

ooba’s trailing approval rate, which takes into account loans approved after month-end is 69.3%, meaning that roughly seven out of every ten home loan applications originated through ooba are currently being approved.

- Property24.com

by STAFF REPORTERWhile many country towns are in decline as residents relocate to bigger centres for economic reasons, the Karoo town of Graaff Reinet is bucking this trend.

This is according to Seeff Country managing director, Ian Badenhorst, who says business is growing as is the town’s resident population as retirees and those looking for a quiet country environment increasingly relocate here.

Sales volumes in the town have grown steadily year-on-year since the economic slump, to about 82 property sales last year. This year, 60 units have already sold amidst rising demand from out of town buyers and for agricultural properties.

In 2007, the average house price was just R349 000 while today it is around R655 000, but homes are selling for up to R1.45 million, he says.

Located about 2.5 hours drive from Port Elizabeth, this regional capital of the Karoo lies on the banks of the Sunday’s River and is surrounded by the beautiful Camdeboo National Park. It serves a large agricultural community known for its production of fine mohair, stud cattle and sheep.

It has good infrastructure with superb schools, medical and religious conveniences, sporting and recreational facilities and a strong sense of community. Many high calibre leaders and business men such as GT Ferreira, Dr Anton Rupert, Beyers Naude, Robert Sobukwe, JLB Smith and more hail from this town.

As the fourth oldest town in the country, it boasts a wonderful selection of heritage

architecture that ranges from Cape Dutch to Victorian and Georgian, say agents Andrew and Lynette McNaughton. Aside from more than 220 heritage sites, the town still has a selection of heritage homes such as a renovated three bedroom Karoo cottage with original yellow wood finishes, a flatlet and swimming pool for just under R1 million.

While tourism, business and retail facilities, such as Spar which is building a second outlet, are growing, there is a strong focus on preserving the architectural heritage. For example, Shoprite has just opened a new enlarged shop, but the building design has retained the old Cleghorn and Harris facade in Caledon Street.

In addition to an increase in older buyers looking for retirement homes, the agents say artists, writers and even

IT professionals looking to escape to a quiet town, but with modern facilities are now relocating there. The nearby villages of Nieu Bethesda and especially Aberdeen are also popular choices.

Despite the growth, property prices remain affordable. Houses are currently selling between R600 000 and R1.5 million, although there have been a few sales of up to R2.5 million, say the agents. Of the 25 properties sold by Seeff in the town in just over a year, close to 40 percent were to out of town buyers, including homes that recently sold for R1.2 million and R1.45 million.

There is also interest in agricultural properties with farms selling for between R3 802 per ha (R18.4 million for 4839ha) and R3994 per ha (R16.55 million for 4 143ha recently sold).

- Property24.com

Graaff Reinet homes for country buyers

Graaff Reinet has a wonderful selection of heritage architecture. Photos by Michael Clarke (top) and Tjeerd Wiersma (above).

Getting on the property ladder

www.sapropertymonthly.co.ukOCTOBER 2012 7

<< ASK THE EXPERT<< LIFESTYLE

I want to get onto the South African property ladder. I

have about £40,000 saved up and was hoping to purchase in the Green Point area as an investment opportunity. Is this a good area to invest in and would you recommend the amount I have saved up?

It is never too late or too early to get onto the property

ladder and now is a good a time as any. Green Point is a very popular area as it is trendy and close to the V&A Waterfront. It is walking distance from the beach and the Green Point Stadium. This area has all the conveniences and is favoured as a rental location. Prices start at around £48 000 but the average price is closer to £85 000. Prices are subject to size, location, features and benefits. As with all property investments location is very important. If you wanted to raise a mortgage and increase your investment, banks will offer up to 50% to people living outside of South Africa.

Please visit our website www.seeff.com to view some of the properties we have for sale in this prime area.

Billy RautenbachChief Operating OfficerSeeff Atlantic Seaboard, City Bowl, V&A Marina and CBDwww.seeff.com

by ANTONELLA DESIFloors need to set the mood and tone of a room while at the same time offering durability and easy maintenance. With hundreds of flooring options to choose from it can be overwhelming for first time homeowners to select the right flooring for their new home. Whether you’re after convenience or style, it is important to pick the right flooring options to suit your lifestyle to ensure you receive the most from your floors. For the perfect combination of beauty and durability, consider the following when shopping for flooring for your new home.

• Functionality: The function of a room influences the flooring required. For example, wooden flooring works beautifully in the living room, bedrooms and dining rooms – it is warm and comfortable underfoot, long-lasting and offers a gorgeous aesthetic. However, it is certainly not an option for the bathroom, as wooden flooring will warp due to the high moisture content in this space. For wet areas, such as kitchens and bathrooms, vinyl, tiles and screed flooring are better options.

• Foot traffic: “Consider whether the room will have a high or low traffic flow and how much wear and tear the new flooring will be exposed to,” says Floors Direct marketing manager, Helen Marshall. For a high traffic area, make sure you choose a durable option that is easy to maintain. “Rooms that experience high footfall, such as the entrance area, passage and kitchen require flooring that is resistant to water, stains, scratches and scuff-

marks – for these areas, non-slip tiles and screed flooring are ideal options,” she says.

• Installation: Decide whether you are going to install the floor yourself or whether a supplier will install it, as this will have an impact on the end cost. Request a few samples to take home and view in the area where the flooring will be installed, advises Marshall: “This allows you to view the sample in the correct lighting and to determine whether it matches the rest of the décor.”

• Style: Select colours that complement the mood that you would like to create and match your décor style. “For a calming ambience, select lighter more neutral colours. If you would like to create a warm and cosy look, try a dark wood option”, says Marshall. Laminate flooring for example, is available in a wide range of colour options and is an affordable option to replicate the look of real wooden floors. Bamboo is one of the most environmentally friendly flooring options you can choose for your home and it is exceptionally durable, offering beautiful visual appeal to any room it graces. For that premium authentic look, consider solid wood flooring that will provide your home with warm ambiance and years of good service.

• Maintenance: Everyone wants to keep their floors looking like new, therefore analysing the cost of care and maintenance is an essential part of the buying process. “In a house where residents lead and active lifestyle or where family and friends are often entertained, avoid flooring

that requires a lot of care and maintenance, such as light carpeting for example,” says Marshall. She says that for these areas, laminate floors are a good option, as they are extremely easy to maintain and dirt can simply be mopped away with a microfibre mop or damp cloth. When opting for solid wood floors, make sure that they require no sanding or sealing once installed, but that they are ready to be installed and walked upon immediately.

• Future needs: If you would like to change your decor scheme in the near future or if you know your needs are going to change, opt for flooring that is easier to replace or a more permanent option with a timeless appeal. Laminate flooring for example, is a floating floor system and is therefore not nailed to the subfloor – it is inexpensive and relatively easy to replace. Solid wood flooring is more expensive and hence, considered a long-term investment and a permanent fixture – it also has the benefit of offering a timeless elegance that goes with most décor styles.

Tiles are a very functional choice, although they can be cold underfoot, but they can be costly and time-consuming to have them changed, so be sure to choose a classical style in a neutral colour to ensure a long-lasting aesthetic appeal. Carpeting is comfortable and warm underfoot, and a great choice for bedrooms. However, it requires a lot of maintenance and it is not the best choice if you are planning to start a family or considering adopting a pet.

- Property24.com

Flooring that meets your needs


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Western Cape is open for business

by JEREMY KUPER“WE make a good partner to do business in Africa. If we’re not successful in some space, bypass South Africa and go directly to that market. But have a look at our region”, says Alan Winde, the Democratic Alliance Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism for the Western Cape Government.

Winde points out that in the three years since coming to power in the Western Cape, “we’ve attracted ZAR 30.1bn worth of FDI (foreign direct investment), that’s a 27 percent increase on the previous three years… and this was achieved during a recession.

“Have a look at those companies who are doing business in Africa using South Africa. DHL have just chosen Cape Town as their Sub-Saharan African head office. Steinhoff have moved their international HQ to Stellenbosch.”

“Google have set up an operation in Cape Town. We see a large number of British companies investing in our region, specifically in back office processing and call centres, and they’re seeing the advantages that we have. Whether it be in the actual region and lifestyle, in our ability to fit into the market.”

“Out of the UK we’re seeing a lot of investment into BPO (business process outsourcing) coming into the region,” says Winde, and he mentions that the Western Cape has made a commitment to doubling trade with the UK.

“Another growth sector is in oil and gas. We’re seeing the gas finds in Mozambique, we’re seeing the oil finds on the west coast that are already prominent. We believe that as the

Western Cape we’ve got a huge opportunity in offering services, ship repairs and logistics for the oil and gas industry” he says.

Winde estimates that logistics services and sales in oil and gas over the next five years may be in the region of R250bn.

“We’re busy with a project in Saldanha Bay. It’s a deep water port, and we’re [creating] an industrial development zone for that specific industry.”

“We can start to service those rigs. And it’s much closer to either Cape Town or Saldanha, or any of the ports in South Africa, rather than towing it all the way either to Europe or to Singapore.”

“Another area is the green economy. The Western Cape is the ideal place, with our great universities. Three of our universities rate in the top ten in Africa and we’re really well placed to attract investment into the green economy. We’ve seen huge interest of late in the renewable economies, and huge opportunities are opening up.”

“There are also lots of opportunities in agri-processing. We’re actually starting to process

a lot more of the product in our province, before it gets sent to market. And of course we can grow tourism enormously.”

“We are busy rolling out broadband across our province, creating the opportunity for business to ride on the back of that broadband. It is a big strategy, we’re spending a lot of money on it, and it is going to be the big driver of the economy.”

Winde has a programme he calls ‘Red Tape to Red Carpet’. “It’s about doing business and making it easier to do business. I’m available any time of the day.”

“If ever you pick up difficulties in doing business with us in our region or in South Africa, I’ve got no problem in highlighting the red tape issues either at local government level or in national government. But where we can make those changes, we will.”

“It’s also about your individual problem, whatever it may be. We’ve got someone who will take that problem and drive it right through until we find a solution. So we’re open for business, and we really want to make it easier to do business.”

Tough competition for SA as gateway to Africaby JEREMY KUPERIT seems clear from anecdotal evidence that not all of South Africa business is looking north and thinking about how to develop opportunities for its companies in Sub-Saharan Africa’s booming economies.

Most of the region, outside of South Africa, is outperforming the developing world, something that must be unprecedented. The question is how does South Africa use its geographic advantage to become the gateway to Africa?

Tim Harris, Democratic Alliance (DA) MP, recently said, “South Africa should be part of Africa’s success story rather than a bystander,” sitting on the side lines. Harris pointed out that South Africa is experiencing increasingly tough competition from other countries in the region “many of which are showing stronger signs of growth than we are.”

This is a sentiment with which Helen Zille Premier of the Western Cape wholeheartedly agrees. “Absolutely”, she told Gateway to Africa magazine.

“What we can do to facilitate that growth is to ensure that all our expertise is available in Africa and that our services sector leads the way. Retailing, financial services and a whole range of other exports. So we dramatically need to develop our manufacturing sector,” Zille said.

“We also have an extractive economy, which Africa has as well. We can’t really sell our minerals to each other, because we’re all producing similar things. But what we can do is develop a huge manufacturing hub and

service all of the extractive industries across Africa.”

“We’ve got very good institutions, we’ve got very good infrastructure. We’re improving our infrastructure, we’re improving the ports and we’re developing all of that capacity,” Zille told Gateway to Africa.

Zille and the DA are not alone in looking to Africa for growth. South Africa’s Mail and Guardian reported that Malusi Gigaba, the ANC’s public enterprises minister was looking to African markets to grow the country’s parastatals. At the time of writing the minister was leading a delegation to Ghana to drum up business.

Easier said than done?Organisations like South African

Airways (SAA), SAA Express, Transnet, Denel and Broadband Infraco desperately need to find new markets for their services. Minister Gigaba said in an interview that he saw SAA Express as a possible feeder airline to the region. But this could be a bridge too far, with South Africa just as far from West Africa as European airlines are.

Recent difficulties on the boards of both SAA and SAA Express demonstrate that these organisations need to sort out their internal problems before they have any chance of competing with the rest of the world. As Gigaba admitted, “I wouldn’t want to be presumptuous… I see it more as a business opportunity.”

The SA oil and gas sector is seeing good growth. Photo by Sasol/SAMediaClub


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

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THREE INSIGHTS INTO: Foreign exchange/ money transfers

Herman Howell answers Natalie Granger’s forex questions

Natalie Granger is a London-based South African who has interests in SA and the UK and has a few questions on foreign exchange/ money transfers

I’m selling my house in the UK, should I transfer everything home?That is entirely up to you and whether you need the funds in SA. It never hurts having money in different currencies, so it might be best to transfer a portion home and then leave some of the Pounds in investments in the UK. If the rate does improve, you will be in a position to transfer straight away.

How do companies make money if transfers are ‘free’?Unlike banks, FX companies generally do not spend millions on advertising and the like. As such, the margins they make off clients are much smaller than what a bank would make. FX companies have

access to wholesale rates which are unavailable to the individual. So it comes down to economies of scale; if you purchase hundreds of millions of Pounds a year, you’ll get better rates than someone purchasing a few thousand. In short, FX companies do make money on the exchange rate, but much less than banks.

Do you know what the exchange rate will be next month?If I knew what the rate would be in a month’s time, I’d be writing this from my yacht in the Bahamas

while sipping on cocktails with little straws in them. I can assure you I’m not. There is no way of knowing what the exact rate will be; we can however use information available to make a forecast, although many would see this as glorified gambling!

For more information you can visit www.sable-group.com/sable-fx.aspx and if you have any other questions that you would like answered, please email [email protected]

Natalie Granger

Legally Speaking: Spouse visa rulesQ : I received my spouse visa

in 2011 and can apply for my Indefinite Leave to Remain next year, but I have heard that under the new rules I will have to be on a spouse visa for 5 years before I can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. Can you please confirm whether this is the case?

A : It is indeed true that the spouse visa rules have

changed. However, it only affects

applications that have been submitted on or after 9 July 2012.

So, provided that your spouse visa application was submitted before the rule changes on 9 July 2012, you will still fall under the old rules and can indeed apply for ILR next year, should you meet all the other requirements.

Please contact our offices for further assistance with your case. JP Breytenbach, Director of Breytenbachs Immigration Consultants Ltd

by PAUL HARRISON MANY of us South Africans have money moving between SA and the UK for many different reasons. Paul Harrison sits down with Herman Howell of Sable FX to get his top three insights on how to get the most out of the process.Insight 1: Know why you need to transferNo two individuals’ circumstances are the same – if you’re paying off a mortgage then it’s probably best to send X amount each month so that you benefit from Pound-cost-averaging (investing equal monetary amounts regularly and periodically over specific time periods). By splitting your large transfer into several amounts, you also leverage yourself against any currency risk; the risk that the rate will go up or down.

Similarly, if there is no need to transfer the money, rather be patient and speak to a financial advisor to see if you cannot invest the funds in an ISA, for example,

while you continue saving or sending small amounts on a regular basis. If the Rand does suddenly weaken (as it’s done in the last month following the mining strikes), then you are in a position to capitalise.Insight 2: Follow the markets, or speak to someone who doesGenerally speaking, the Rand follows the Euro. If the Euro buckles, the Rand follows. If the Euro strengthens, the Rand usually strengthens – and so on. Without going into too much detail, it comes down to investor sentiment – if there is doubt in the market, riskier currencies like the Rand weaken and vice versa. There are a lot of doubts surrounding the Euro so it is worth keeping an eye on how things develop over the next few months.

Find out about upcoming key decisions that could influence the exchange rate and how currencies are likely to react to certain events. Of course we cannot tell what the

future holds, but we need to be prepared in the best possible way.Insight 3: Shop around – register with more than one forex companyAnyone who loves shopping will tell you that the best way to find the best price is to shop around. Everything is negotiable; register with more than one forex company and then compare their rates and charges – especially if you are sending a large amount.

Herman Howell of Sable FX

Zille event ushers in new era for Chamber of Commerce

Last week’s event showed a promising start for the newly launched SA Chamber of Commerce

Guest speakers Helen Zille and Alan Winde flanked by Shawn der Kinderen (Freshfields) and Mary-Anne Anderson (SA Chamber of Commerce).

by HEATHER WALKERTHE success of Western Cape Premier Helen Zille‘s highly anticipated address to some 200 members and guests of the newly launched South African Chamber of Commerce (SACC) has shown that the organisation quite literally means business.

Zille, who is also the leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), visited London with a delegation from Wesgro, the official destination marketing, investment and trade promotion agency for the Western Cape. She and her colleague Alan Winde, Provincial Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, were hosted by the SACC at a packed auditorium at Freshfields law firm on Monday night.

Zille’s and Winde’s talk on ‘The Changing Landscape of Investment in South Africa’ was well received by the audience, many of whom continued the debate afterwards over a glass of fine South African wine.

SACC chairperson Mary-Anne Anderson said, “It was a great honour for us as the SA Chamber of Commerce to host Premier Zille and Minister Winde in London. With 200 members and guests attending the talk, it was our best-attended event this year. Zille’s and Winde’s insights and vision for our homeland were quite inspiring and the feedback we’ve received has been extremely positive.

“The success of Monday’s event has announced a promising start for the newly launched SA Chamber of Commerce, which has recently upgraded from the SA Business Club. We are now able to offer a more mature and sophisticated platform for business collaboration.

Anderson concluded, “Our organisation has grown in strength and relevance over the last few years and we are proud to be the largest UK-based professional body for South Africans.”

Details: http://southafricanchamber.co.uk

Rand slumps to 3.5 year lowBETWEEN 1 and 8 October one Great British Pound fetched between R13.44 and R14.19 South African Rands.

The Rand also fetched between R8.31 and R8.78 to the United States Dollar.

The Rand slumped to three-year lows this week, as the country’s investment image has taken a knock and local assets had been battered due to mostly illegal strikes that hit platinum mines in August and spread to the manufacturing sector for the first time this week (Fin24).

The Rand started the week on a positive foot, firming 0.36% against the US Dollar on Monday. This came after news that South African bonds were being formally included in Citi’s World Government Bond Index. This inclusion exposes the bonds to

a considerably winder range of international investors.

The currency received some respite on Tuesday afternoon, as local exporters seemed to take advantage of the weaker Rand.

Positive ground gained by the Rand at the start of the week was erased by Thursday. Two months of violent labour turmoil in the country has now started to affect the automotive industry, as the Toyota plant in Durban reported being affected by the wildcat strikes gripping the country.

By Friday, the Rand had lost 3.1% to the Dollar, falling to R8.846. This has been the currency’s lowest level since May 2009.

GBP / ZAR: 14.14EUR / ZAR: 11.40USD / ZAR: 8.79Compiled by Ruth Laatz-Reineke


Business: NewsLike us on Facebook:facebook.com/thesouthafrican

by JEREMY KUPER

Andrew FeinsteinFormer ANC MP, author, policy consultant, NGO director

on our website: TheSouthAfrican.com/Business/SAPower100

Prue LeithRestaurateur, TV Personality and author

Jackie HuntDeputy Group Finance Director, Standard Life

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BULLET BIOGRAPHYBorn: Cape Town 1964Education: King’s College Cambridge; University of California at Berkeley; University of Cape Town. Also spent time at London School of Economics as participant in that university’s Distinguished Visitors Programme & at London Business SchoolCareer trajectory:• ANC Member of Parliament 1994-2001• Open Society Institute Fellow in 2010 and 2011• Chairman of Friends of the Treatment Action Campaign, FoTAC, a UK-based organisation campaigning for access to treatment for people living with HIV/Aids in South Africa• Founding Director of Corruption Watch, an NGO using case studies of grand corruption to develop policy proposals to combat corrupt behaviour by corporations and governments.• Works extensively with investigators, prosecutors and investigative journalists around the world, including currently in the US, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and Bosnia.Media appearances:Appears regularly in range of print and broadcast media. These include BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN, Sky, NPR, the Guardian, New York Times, Die Zeit and New Statesman. Co-authored lead article in Sipri Yearbook 2011 and chapter in Oxford Handbook of Organised CrimePublished:“The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade”, which was short-listed for the Alan Paton Prize for Non-fiction.“After the Party: A Personal and Political Journey Inside the ANC”.Lives in London: with his wife and two children

What’s your most important achievement?Oh my, I’m not sure I’m the one who should answer it…

Raising the profile of the issue of the role of the global trade in arms in global corruption and in undermining the way we’re governed.

The Shadow World (Feinstein’s

second book) is being sold all over the place. It’s been translated into German, Dutch, Spanish and is in the process of being translated into Chinese.

And we’re making a film of the book with a New York production company. It’s a full-length documentary feature that will come out in January 2014.

Until about mid-July, from the previous November when the book came out, I didn’t stop travelling. Besides Christmas and New Year, there were two weeks this year, until I went on holiday in July, where I hadn’t travelled out of London… I mean it was just crazy.

Nobody had written on the global arms trade since 1979, and it had become almost a forgotten political issue. So I think that would probably be it.

I suppose related to that is using my position in parliament and my resignation from parliament to place the issue of our corrupt arms deal on the political agenda in SA.

And bizarrely, not because of me, because of a small group of people, it has remained at the forefront of the political agenda for well over a decade. [These people include:] investigative journalists, activists, and someone like Paul Holden, who’s actually written more than me on the South African arms deal.When did you come to London?I came straight after I resigned from Parliament and the idea was that we would be here for a couple of years while I wrote my first

book: After the Party. Because I thought it would be much easier to write it here than in South Africa.

And I also just couldn’t get a job in South Africa, no one would employ me. Because I’d had this very public falling out with Mbeki, who was at the time very powerful, that was end of 2001.

And it took me over five years to finish the book, and then I suppose I got so involved in researching the global dimensions of the arms trade, that London just seemed a very convenient place to be based – because it’s so much easier to get anywhere in the world from here.Any plans to return to politics and to South Africa?[He laughs at the idea of returning to politics.]

The nature of my work at the moment makes it important for me to be based in London, because I just wouldn’t have the same global access in South Africa.

I have a little NGO called Corruption Watch, and work on the film, which is primarily US based. What we do for Corruption Watch is investigations of big cases of corruption and that’s on a global-scale, and that sort of work would be difficult to do from South Africa.

But what I would ideally like, is a situation where I would spend part of the year here and part of the year based in Cape Town. That would be my ideal. But it’s very difficult to do with kids of school going age, which is the problem I have at the moment.Who will be the next ANC leader after Mangaung?I think it will be Jacob Zuma. I think Jacob Zuma is likely to win re-election at Mangaung in December. Look I think there’s a small chance that he won’t, but

my instinct is that he will and I think that for a number of reasons.

The obvious alternative is Kgalema Motlanthe, the Deputy President, and I’m not even sure yet whether

Motlanthe will stand, but I think what is crucial is that

Zuma’s patronage

network takes in significant sections of the ANC and therefore keeps them on-side.

And as importantly as that, he has control over the intelligence services. What happened when he deposed Mbeki is that the intelligence services started splitting between Mbeki and Zuma, because Zuma has a background in intelligence. He was head of intelligence in exile for many years and in power struggles within the ANC, the intelligence agencies are absolutely crucial.

They enable one to keep tabs on one’s opponents, to use information about one’s opponents

that can be very damaging to them. And to attempt to undermine potential opponents efforts to mobilise against one.

The intelligence structures have become really crucial players in ANC politics, and I believe Zuma has far more control of intelligence structures than Mbeki did when he was deposed. So I think it’s going to be a lot more difficult to depose Zuma, which is a shame, because I think he’s been an absolutely appalling president.

If he wins re-election at Mangaung in December, he then has another six and a half years as the country’s president.


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THE GRAFT IS GREENERPieter Dorfling | Carer for elderly and Afrikaans musician

What do you do in your job?I work for a carer company that caters for disabled/old people.What is the most exciting thing about your job?I like my schedule that allows

me to do all the school runs with my children in the week and on weekends I can tour Europe with my Afrikaans music.What is the most challenging thing about your job? Mostly the red tape/policies regarding health and safety.Tell us an interesting story related to your job: There’s so many incidents every day, fragile people can get themselves into strange and awkward situations that you can’t laugh about at the time. Same with my music tours on weekends. I do shows all over the UK, Holland and Belgium and meet beautiful foreign people who love Afrikaans. Due to certain differences regarding Afrikaans and Dutch, I have found myself in weird situations many times. Some words have the opposite meaning in Dutch than in Afrikaans.Future plans: If Africa calms down, I will return to the cattle farm in Namibia.

Do you think being South African helps you in your job?Not really. I feel that there is still a stigma surrounding white South Africans.

Born: Namibia

How long in UK: 6 years

Job name/ position: I was a supply teacher for a while and then went into fragile caring.

Background: I grew up on a cattle farm in Gobabis District, Namibia. After school I did my two-year army stint and then got my BA. ED degree at the University of the Free State. After that, I was a teacher for a decade in South Africa and Namibia. I also recorded an Afrikaans CD, ‘Doekvoet’, and released two collections of poems. After a hijack in Pretoria in 2003, I relocated to London.

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TheSouthAfrican.com launches jobs boardThe new Jobs in SA section features the most desirable jobs

available in South Africa and other key business destinations in Africa

The Careers in Africa event in London has shown expatriates’ strong interests in returning home to work for Africa’s top companies.

by STAFF REPORTER THESOUTHAFRICAN.COM has launched a ‘Jobs in SA’ vacancies board.

This new jobs board will act as the go-to place for the latest and most desirable jobs available in South Africa. The site also includes the latest jobs available in key African markets.

The success of events such as the The Global Career Company’s Careers in Africa exhibition have proved that South Africans, and those from other parts of Africa, have a strong interest in taking their careers back home.

The South African’s sister publication, Gateway to Africa, has been a strong force in highlighting successful companies in Africa as well as the business potential that is evident on the continent.

The site features jobs available at leading companies and

brands such as Tiger Brands, GSK South Africa, Telkom SA Limited, Murray & Roberts, JSE, MultiChoice and many others.

Some of the jobs currently available :

• Financial DirectorCompany: Tiger BrandsLocation: Kenya• Brand ManagerCompany: GSK South AfricaLocation: South Africa• Senior Specialist: Cloud

Architect Company: Telkom SA LimitedLocation: South Africa• Land SurveyorCompany: Murray & Roberts

Location: South Africa • Business AnalystCompany: MultiChoiceLocation: South Africa • Financial Derivatives OfficerCompany: JSELocation: South Africa• Risk AnalystCompany: IdentityLocation: South AfricaTo read more about these

available posts and to find more career opportunities, you can find the jobs site by clicking on the red ‘Jobs in SA’ tab located on TheSouthAfrican.com. Alternatively, you can go directly to the site by visiting http://jobs.thesouthafrican.com

by PAUL HARRISON


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Sodwana offers warm water, high visibility and abundant marine life

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by RUTGER THOLESODWANA Bay is often thought of as being the best dive site in the whole of South Africa and for good reason. It is the only technically tropical dive location in the country and the warm Indian Ocean currents keep the water temperatures high and the visibility conditions near perfect almost all year round. Sodwana Bay itself is located inside a marine reserve - it is for this reason that the reefs are pristine and the marine life is abundant.

When to DiveMost people who dive in Sodwana Bay plan to do so during the months of February and March when the water temperature averages at around 25 degrees Celsius. While it is possible to dive here all year round, the water temperatures do go down to a chilly 19 degrees Celsius during the coolest months which are between July and October. This isn’t a bad thing though if you’re happy to wear the full wetsuit ensemble as these months are less crowded with tourists and so you are more likely to have an individual dive experience.

The Dive ExperienceThere are 14 main reefs in Sodwana Bay, all of which are completely different. You will find a wide variety of marine life in each site and will also be blessed with a selection of corals, which are truly pristine due to the dive sites being part of a marine park.

Dolphins and whale sharks are often spotted in the waters around Sodwana Bay and you may also get a glimpse of a southern right, minke or humpback whale depending on the time of year you dive. If diving with sharks has been on your bucket list for years you will be truly blessed in Sodwana Bay as more than 25 different species of shark frequent the waters here. Turtles and rays are also common sightings.

Dive Schools in Sodwana BayIf you are in Durban or Johannesburg and want to take a scuba diving course you may want to study at a PADI or SSI school in your area and then head down to Sodwana Bay for the open water part of your course. This is a popular option with many South Africans as well as tourists.

There are a number of dive schools in Sodwana Bay that will be happy to continue your education where you left off and almost all will gladly take you on “fun dives” so long as you have

proof of your certification with you.Sodwana Bay is the place to

visit if you want an eco diving experience like no other. The area is rustic and affordable and you will find yourself constantly inspired whether above or below the water. The conditions are ideal for both beginners and experts alike and you are sure to have a dive experience you will remember for the rest of your life.

This article is written by Rutger Thole who is an avid traveller/scuba diver and the founder of www.bookyourdive.com

Dive into Sodwana Bay

Take an underwater camera as Sodwana Bay has some of the most exquisite marine life in SA. Photos by Derek Keats (top) and Rob Atherton (below).

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Like us on Facebook:facebook.com/thesouthafrican Zimbabwe Community

The MPORIRO Arts Festival was held last week

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Roseta Sibona performs at the MPORIRO Arts Festival.

Zim arts festival graces Canterburyby STAFF REPORTERTHE inaugural MPORIRO Arts Festival was held in Canterbury last week by the Zimbabwe International Performers Alliance, which aims to create platforms for Zimbabwean artists in the diaspora to network and exhibit their work.

The precursor to the performances was the ONE VOICE Artists Forum where speakers included Girl Child Network champion Muzvare Betty Makoni, who spoke about e-publishing, and Deputy Director of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, Nicholas Moyo, who had been visiting the United Kingdom. Moyo discussed how the diaspora arts could contribute to the development of the arts in Zimbabwe.

Many people travelled from as far afield as Leeds to watch performers such as Obert Mazivisa and Uzambezi Arts.

At the festival the Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Councillor Robert Waters, presented awards to several Zimbabweans in recognition of their contribution to various fields. The winners were:

• Lovemore Majaivana - Lifetime achievement in the music industry

• Kudaushe Henry Matimba –Long service in the music industry

• Lucky Moyo – Long service in the music industry

• Million Moyo – Services in gospel music

• David Mwanaka – Promoting sport in the community

• Zimbabwe Ashford Warriors – Promoting sport in the community

• Ezra Sibanda and Eric Knight – Services in electronic media

• Admore Tshuma – Services in print media

• Nicholas Moyo – Service in the arts

• Rex Ndengeya – Championing the formation of ZIGMA

• Betty Makoni –Fight against girl child abuse

WEDDING BELLS: Zimbabwean Ambassador to the UK Gabriel Machinga congratulates Conrad Mwanza, UK-based founder of the Zimbabwe Achievers Awards, on his marriage to Aisha Guest in London last Saturday.


Sport Follow us on Twitter:@TheSAnews

Annual team bonding trip to Munich proves successful yet again

The Saracens squad at the Allianz Arena in Munich, before joining the festivities at the annual Oktoberfest

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Saracens follow Beerfest trip with winby ROB FLUDE

SARACENS, who visited Munich a week ago following their Aviva Premiership win against defending champions Harlequins, notched another win over the weekend, beating newcomers to the competition, London Welsh, 28-23 at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford.

The Saracens squad paid a visit to Allianz, the club’s new stadium and team sponsor, at their Munich Head Office last week Monday, after which they headed to the world-famous Oktoberfest, which squad member and former Bok scrumhalf Neil De Kock described as “great fun!”

Joseph Gross, Head of Group Market Management, and Dr Christian Deuringer, Head of Global Brand Management, greeted the players, with Gross outlining the excitement within Allianz about the new partnership with the innovative and successful North London club, and especially the imminent opening of Allianz Park in Barnet, which will become Saracens’ new home ground from February next year.

Thanking the world’s largest insurance company on behalf of the players, Justin Melck delivered a speech… in German! The squad also found time to

visit the celebrated Allianz Arena (pictured).

The team then had a few days to prepare for the Oxford match against a side containing former Welsh poster-boy, Gavin Henson, who was making his debut for London Welsh. Charlie Hodgson scored all Saracens’ points, through a try, conversion and seven penalties. Sarries, who led 19-13 at half time, are in fourth position on the ladder on 20 points, only two points behind leaders Northampton Saints.


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I HAVE to admit something. While the entire Bok fraternity seemed to predict a win against the All Blacks in Soweto, I had to be honest and foresaw the men in black triumphing by 7 to 10 points (how wrong was I?!).

We played magnificently against the Wallabies, but one had to read between the lines. A near full-strength Australian team had been punished in consecutive weeks by the All Blacks a month prior, however the team that rocked up in South Africa was practically their third team, or their first-choice players’ cousins, for the sake of analogy. We should have been expected to roll them, which we did, especially after they suffered

further injury during the match.While I am trying to avoid

sounding smug about my erstwhile prediction, we got drilled, end of. Of course I hoped for a Bok victory, but the way the All Blacks were playing was entertaining; poetry in motion if you like. We ran around like headless chooks, without so much as a sniff of the white powder called a try-line.

However, let’s take a step back, and calm down to a panic. Heyneke Meyer is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. If he goes about his strategy and philosophy HIS way, and loses, the public will crucify him, which they are. If he bows to pressure and changes tack according to what critics say, then he himself won’t necessarily buy into that philosophy and so communicating it to his players will be near impossible. End result? The public will crucify him.

While I don’t necessarily agree with his Bulls approach, I’d rather he stick with what he knows according to the type of player the Springboks have in their artillery. He is a good coach, who has won numerous titles, after plugging away at the Bulls for a few years before success came, one must remember. He also has a relatively inexperienced team under his

wing, having lost around 400 caps in the last year to retirements or injury.

We also have to be realistic: the All Blacks haven’t lost a game since 27 August last year, and only lost 3 games in their last 41 Test matches (since 19 September 2009). They have also won their last 16 consecutive Tests, collected the Tri-Nations in 2010 (a clean sweep of 6 victories), the Grand Slam in 2010, the 2011 World Cup, and a clean sweep again of the inaugural Rugby Championship. We were up against a dynasty, and we should be humble enough to acknowledge this. It’s not like we just lost to Scotland (with all due respect to the Jocks).

In fact, we led at half time, after which things came unstuck. It’s almost as if it’s dangerous to get into a decent lead against the All Blacks, as then they seem to gain another two gears and hand the opposition a towelling. We saw this in Dunedin, and then we saw it in Soweto, when the Boks raced into a 10-0 lead after 20 minutes of play.

One final congratulations to the opposition should go to Richie McCaw, who celebrated an unprecedented 100th Test win in his 112th match. Food for thought.

MIND THE RUCKROB FLUDE

The Bok Delusion

Steven Pienaar quits Bafana Bafanaby ROB FLUDELAST week's Bafana Bafana squad announcement for their upcoming international friendlies against Poland and Kenya was marred with the announcement that regular skipper and star midfielder Steven Pienaar had announced his retirement from international soccer.

SAFA CEO Robin Petersen read out a statement that the 30-year-old Pienaar, who plies his trade in the UK for English club Everton, had sent to his national coach Gordon Igesund and the governing body.

In the letter, Pienaar says he was struggling physically with his Bafana role after ten years and 57 international caps (scoring 2 goals), during which time he has also represented European clubs Tottenham Hotspur, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, having joined the latter from Ajax Cape Town in 2001.

“It is with regret that I wish to advise you that with immediate effect I'm no longer available for selection to represent South Africa,” stated Pienaar.

“After having given more than 10 years service to the national team I'm now at a stage where physically I'm struggling to balance the demands of playing in England with the number of games required by the national team.

“I'm proud to have represented and captained my country, for this I sincerely thank you and wish the team all the best in the future.”

Igesund, who was only appointed in June to the Bafana position,

has thanked the midfielder for his work.

“He's given us 10 years of service and his body is tired. He's given his reasons and we respect his decision,” said Igesund. “It was the first time I found out he wanted to retire,” he was quoted as saying when informed of Pienaar's decision. However, rumours had done the rounds during the last few weeks, though Igesund had said he knew nothing and that he had already selected him as captain for his latest squad.

“Steven Pienaar is now very far from my thoughts and good luck to him and his Everton side. There are players that are ready to take over from Steven,” Igesund went on to say.

He then confirmed centre back Bongani Khumalo as the new

captain of Bafana. Khumalo, 25, has represented Bafana on 28 occasions, having made his debut in March 2008 against Zimbabwe. His only goal for South Africa famously came in the 2-1 defeat of France in Bloemfontein during the 2010 World Cup. He now plays on loan for Greek side PAOK FC.

Bafana left for Warsaw on Sunday, where they will play Poland this Friday October 12th, and then head to Nairobi for a game against Kenya next Tuesday October 16th.

Igesund called up nine new players that were not part of the squad for his first two games in charge, namely against Brazil and Mozambique in September, while winger Delron Buckley makes a comeback to the team after an absence of five years.

Star midfielder Steven Pienaar will miss Bafana’s upcoming friendlies after retiring from international soccer

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SPORT STEVEN PIENAAR QUITS BAFANA BAFANA P19SARACENS FOLLOW BEERFEST TRIP WITH WIN P18

9 October – 15 October 2012 NEWS FOR GLOBAL SOUTH AFRICANS www.thesouthafrican.com

Former Proteas’ batsman Daryll Cullinan outlines shortcomings of team during World Twenty20 tournament

‘AB SHOULD NOT BE CAPTAIN YET’by ROB FLUDE

SPEAKING on behalf of espncricinfo.com, for whom he is a contributor, former

South African star batsman Daryll Cullinan had a few interesting points to make about the Proteas’ exit from the recently concluded World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, won by the West Indies. Having recently left the commentary box due to lifestyle reasons, he runs his own cricket academy in Johannesburg. He also informed me that Clive Rice’s pronunciation of his surname as “Cah-linnin” was indeed correct. I cringed every time Rice said it, but none more so than when the man himself told me Rice was right…What went wrong for the Proteas in the World Twenty20?Tactically we weren’t as good as we could be, but quite frankly we weren’t good enough. Under those conditions we didn’t have the batting depth, we had a few guys out of form, one or two of the young guys were exposed, and the use of AB de Villiers and Albie Morkel down the order was a bit strange. 20/20 cricket is about boundaries and we didn’t play that way. Bowling-wise I think we lacked a third quality spinner, someone who could offer something different. Our fast bowlers also lacked the ability to bowl well at the end of the innings. Summing up, we didn’t have what was required nor the players to win well on those surfaces.What did you think of the controversial format of the

World Twenty20?It’s tough to squeeze it into two weeks, so you’re not going to please everybody as you don’t want a dragged-out tournament. One thing that is evident is that it’s not so much a hit-and-miss affair anymore, the guys are becoming more skilful. Funnily enough, the right teams came through, namely the teams with the best squads for those conditions. There was no outsider coming from nowhere and getting to the semi-finals, so what more can we ask for?Do you think AB de Villiers should be captain in the shorter formats?To be honest, I wasn’t a supporter of him becoming captain. I thought it was premature, however I have been a big advocate of him keeping wicket, especially in Tests, where it’s given us options, and we all saw how well the Test team performed in England. I’ve been saying for the last two to three years that he should be keeper, which hasn’t always been popular, given how great Mark Boucher has been over the years. But the responsibilities of keeping, captaining and being our best one-day batsman has showed itself up in this tournament. I have captained in 20/20 games before and it is a very fast-paced game, and you need ears and eyes around you. Things can go wrong very quickly, and you don’t have time to consult and deliberate and one has to think on your feet. I thought Johan Botha should have led us in this transition period, but be that

AMAZING GRACE: South Africa’s Branden Grace won the coveted Alfred Dunhill Links tournament by two shots on Sunday. Photo by: Lynne Cameron/PA Wire.

as it may, let’s hope AB has learnt from it.Is Gary Kirsten the right man to be coach?He can be, but Gary is relatively new to coaching. He walked into an India side that was very well-established. But the players will believe a lot more in Gary as he has been there and done that, along with Allan (Donald). We don’t know what goes on in the team nor the selection policy, so we can only speculate from the outside. If he can’t do it, who the hell

will? All the boxes are ticked and everything is in place.A lot has been said about the Aussies’ exciting new pace attack. What will happen in the upcoming series?It was always going to be a good series. Australia is an emerging side, although they do lack a few quality, experienced batsmen, and they’ve had some injury problems with their young quicks. They’re always going to be competitive, so they will be confident they can take it to South Africa, but

by the same token we are a very good Test side. We’re experienced enough and we have a very good top six that can handle whatever the Australian pace attack can throw at us.

Read what Daryll had to say about Shane Warne on www.thesouthafrican.com/sport

ESPNcricinfo’s content includes news, live ball-by-ball coverage of all Test and one-day international matches and is available online and on a host of mobile platforms and handheld devices

The South African, Issue 484, 9 October 2012

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