THIS weekend El Shaddai Christian Academy is holding its annual musical concert on Thursday and Friday evenings at the Word of Truth Ministries. This is a special event and is one of the School’s bigger functions of the year. Then, on Saturday, first at Rosehill Mall and then at Heritage Mall, Rotary Club is holding a Shave-a-thon in alignment with Cancer awareness month, and specifically breast cancer. So, get yourself ready to have your hair cut or you head shaved, or just get your hair dyed. This is another worthy cause, so please support Rotary in this venture.
THE IDP process planning meeting took place yesterday morning, attended by ward councilors from Ndlambe and members of the general public, all anxious to learn what was in store for the 2016/2017 budget year. Mayor Phindile Faxi led the meeting and said he wanted to proceed aggressively with the proposed plan, and make certain the processes followed were transparent. Some members of the public were concerned that many items submitted over years had seemed to have fallen out of the IDP system, and Faxi assured those present that this would not happen in the future. We will have to wait and see how the new system pans out, and whether some of the more important projects get the attention they deserve.
IT’S like déjà vu all over again. For those who have not had access to the news (or those who only watch SABC) here’s the story so far. Despite assurances that it was not the case, the director of public prosecutions, Shaun Abrahams (who determines if the state will prosecute a case), has issued a summons to finance minister Pravin Gordhan in relation to an early retirement pay-out granted to former SARS deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay in 2010 and the extension of his contract. Pravin is accused of theft and fraud, despite there being many precedents of this having happened in the past and the fact that Pravin did not benefit financially from his actions. No one, except for Abrahams, seems to think there is a case to answer for. However, like the last time politics got involved in finance (Nene’s replacement by “weekend special” Des van Royan) the rand is in imminent danger of spirally down out of control. At a time when the ratings agencies are breathing down our necks, a touch of discretion by the DPP could have saved the country, quite literally, billions of rand.
THE movement for the decolonisation of education received a severe blow last week when a UCT student made her opinions of science clear. She said, with complete confidence, that decolonising the sciences means abolishing them altogether. On a video taken of her ridiculous and misinformed rant she said that science is a product of “Western modernity”. She said that science should be scrapped because it was “wholly colonial and hence irredeemable”. Apparently, at least in that student’s mind, all things Western should be scrapped in favour of “the African way”. Unfortunately, her rant was taken from information she had found on the internet, using her Samsung Smart Phone, and recorded using sound equipment from Philips and transmitted by satellite to people all over the world. Perhaps she wants next week’s TotT to be praise-sung on the steps of the civic centre, or maybe she’s just failing her academic year because she doesn’t understand the science subjects, or history.
CONGRATULATIONS and happy birthday greetings to everyone having a special day in the week ahead. We wish you all a wonderful day and a super carefree year ahead, especially to Jimmy Hyde, Gerald Spilkin, June Wheelwright, George Moorcroft, Irma Venter, Jean Steyn, Derrick Page, Shannon Hopkins, Johanna van der Merwe, Eddie Hoseck, Bea Klopper, Ria van der Merwe, Blake Squires, Sandy von Memerty, Diane Malan, Jessica Pullen, Hermann Heim, Reginald Prince, Lionel Farao, Maryna Shepherd, Anneli Hanstein, Jan Simpson, Talia Ohayon, Belinda Prince, Ivo Chunnett, Jeanette Msipa, Peter Sulter, Percy Elliott, Erica Alexandre, Alan McLean, Graham Frost, Wesley Grove, Chris Hammond, Helen Cowie, Larry Daubermann, Ewa Mogilnicka, Tracy Wilmot, Terri Kruger, Lorraine Samuel, twin brothers Jacques and Billy Krige, (Dr) Glenda Hicks, Patricia Maqanda, Ceara Kaschula, Clinton “Stoffel” Schultz, Claire Purdon, Arlene Young, Rory Gailey, Wendy Vivier, Erica McNulty and Jenny Potter.
BEST wishes and continued success to businesses celebrating an anniversary soon. The Heritage Mall, Pig ‘n Whistle, Autozone (GHT), The Crazy Store, Village Gossip, The Hospice Shop, Guido’s Port Alfred and Bedford Garden Festival.
THE rand is currently holding its own against international currencies, but this could all change in a moment if Moody’s ratings agency delivers an unfavourable report and our currency is relegated to “junk” status. With the Gupta’s state capture in the news, and student riots hitting the headlines, plus the imminent appearance of Pravin Gorhan in court over alleged fraud and theft, it is likely this will happen. As a junk status currency (like the Zim dollar, for example) investors will not take chances and will pull out of the country, adding to the burgeoning number of unemployed. These are the fact, so we had probably better get used to them. With last year’s financial figures in brackets to compare against this year’s trading figures, at the time of going to press the rand was trading at R13.88 to the dollar (R13.37), R17.07 to the pound (R20.63) and R15.25 to the euro (R15.20). Commodities were, with gold at R1 269.46 per fine ounce ($1 175.10), platinum at $945.00 per ounce ($1 012.25) and Brent crude oil at $52.42 per barrel ($48.54).
SINCERE condolences to the family and friends of Jacqueline Tawse who died in Cape Town on September 20.
A SPECIAL goodbye to our friend, Derek Victor, who passed away last week after a long battle with cancer. Our condolences to all his friends and family.
SPECIAL thoughts and prayers are with all those folk who are not well, who are having or have already had tests, operations and treatments. “Sterkte” to Roy Potter, Andrew de Vries, June Hart, Linda Hulley, Val Kilian, Ben Kember, Blake Squires, Llewellyn Wicks, Philly Dell, Myrna Keet, Barbara Tee, Bevan Edwards and Brenda Shelton.
CONGRATULATIONS to Colin and Joan Purdon, who celebrate their momentous 60th wedding anniversary next week. Well done to the two of you, and may there be many more anniversaries to celebrate in the future.
MAY happiness and contentment continue to be in your lives for many more great years ahead to all couples celebrating another wedding anniversary. Good wishes and congratulations especially to Popeye and Jean Steyn, Ryan and Sonai Owsley, David and Margaret Foulkes, Emil and Wilma Jurgensen, Cyril and June Wheelwright, Basil and Agnes Ormald, Graeme and Liesl Brown.
THOUGHT for the week: “It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts”.
BEST regards as always,
The Team.
