Lexus launched an expensive plan to enter F1 way back in 1983. Not quite Formula One, but a project code named Flagship One which was to take the Japanese car manufacturer into a new realm of luxury to compete with the elite German marques.
It started with a simple challenge from Founder Eiji Toyoda – build the world’s best car. It culminated in the launch of the acclaimed LS 400 after a feverish five years.
The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection took $1 billion, 450 prototypes, 60 designers and 400 engineers. And the expertise of a special “Team One” unit from leading agency Saatchi &amp; Saatchi to pioneer the marketing.
The legend goes that the F1 designers rented a home in Laguna Beach to get a glimpse of the well-heeled American consumer and their motoring minds.
The project wasn’t aimed at the home market – rather the United States. And the core reason was a trade agreement between the Japanese government and US trade officials to restrict the export of less expensive models.
In an automobile version of the Space Race, Honda got into the American arena with the Acura and Nissan reached for the skies with the Infiniti.
Some reports claimed the LS 400 had better handling and performance and shockwaves rocked the Mercedes Benz and BMW camps with Cadillacs and Lincolns being traded in and German luxury vehicle sales dropping by almost 30%.
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By 1999 Lexus had recorded the millionth vehicle sold in the US and in 2005 there was an organizational separation from Toyota, with dedicated designers and engineers working exclusively for the brand.
Despite the fact that the Lexus offering was comparable to the German leaders and left the showroom floors with some fancy features included in the price, it wasn&#8217;t a package to get the adrenaline pumping.
The sporting badges of Merc AMG and the BMW M division had been wheel-spinning to capture the drivers who want more than a quiet and leisurely jaunt to the shopping center and certainly relish the looks and audio levels to get noticed en route.
The Japanese reply, fresh off the drawing board of the F-Sport Division, came in the form of the IS F, launched in 2007 and the much vaunted LFA – custom built to the last detail. It was only in production for two years and the allotted 500 specialized models found relatively happy homes.
“The LFA is an icon now and possibly always will be – we don&#8217;t need to replace it to keep that status. It is a car we can reference for another 25 years if we choose. Its status is assured,&#8221; said European boss, Alain Uyttenhoven.
“It is possible that we will one day create another supercar, but in my view a super high-end machine is not what we need right now.”
Enter highway left the Lexus LC 500. The concept car drew gasps five years ago and Lexus have been one of the few automakers brave enough to take a dream design to the production line.
Maybe not a supercar – the definitions vary – but not light on the wallet at a retail price of $130,000.
“Not only has Lexus delivered a design with high visual impact, it has also developed ground-breaking engineering and technology for the LC 500. This isn&#8217;t simply a car that looks good – the LC 500 has been engineered in every dimension to deliver a very special driving experience,” says Calvyn Hamman, Sales and Marketing Senior Vice president of Lexus South Africa.
And with such a long title, he should know! While sportscar designs can be hotly debated, this one is hard to ignore. It almost seems to perch on the tarmac like a squat sprinter waiting for the buzzer.
The meshed grille, like a more macho version of the Mercedes diamond front end, reaches out to you with its contoured mould. It is flanked by recessed and diminutive triple LED headlights that blend into the bodywork in a Star Wars fashion.
The “Experience Amazing” theme flows to the rear with L-shaped taillights that have an acclaimed “afterburner” effect courtesy of 80 concentric LEDs per lamp.
<div id="attachment_33715" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-33715" class=" wp-image-33715" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Lexus-LC500-_7-e1506690463360-300x215.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="358" />Lexus LC 500 (Photo by www.lexus.co.za)</div>
Open the door and the interior is dashing with crisp metallic lines, the controls easily at hand and the seats firm and supportive.
But don&#8217;t plan on taking any six-footers in the back seats – like most GT cars this is really the home of Yorkies on their way to the parlor.
When it comes to infotainment systems, the cry of the decade seems to be for systems to delight a 16-year-old but take a bit of head scratching for the Stoneage.com generation.
So you may have got used to the touchscreen or the round click wheels – or even voice recognition – to command your high-tech steed.
Now we have the track-pad – very much like the device on your laptop. I’m sure it can control anything from heating the seats to ordering a hot take-away. And given weeks of practice it may feel like an extension of your left hand.
But it is finicky, to say the least, and by carelessly resting your elbow near the ultra-sensitive pad you may find the climate control battling the Arctic or iTunes blasting out from your cellphone. Fortunately there are the old fashioned knobs and switches for some of the basic requirements at the wheel!
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The daring overall creation is wrapped around a normally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 which propels the LC to 100km/h in a swift 4.7 seconds with the most pleasantly guttural sound yet to be emitted by a Lexus. Yet not quite in the league of a Porsche 911 or Jaguar F-Type R and it only really sings at the higher revs.
What is absolutely phenomenal is the 10-speed box which is so smooth that it’s a challenge not to paddle up and down through the gears to feel the silky transitions or get an additional growl from the exhausts.
It is a hefty beast but delivers an engaging drive that sometimes sees you straying over the speed limit. And you have no excuses – the heads up display will give you ample warning.
There have also been many profit warnings in the motor trade in recent years. Lexus doesn’t disclose too much publicly about their financial operations but insiders say the division contributes a healthy share to Toyota’s bottom line.
The Group recently raised its full-year profit forecast by 16%, citing expectations of a weaker Yen. So now they say a profit of $16.8 million is on the cards – slightly down from last year.
“Our organization has been working to evolve with the changing consumer tastes in luxury,” says Tokuo Fukuichi, President of Lexus International.
“The new LC embodies a shift in forward-thinking culture, and is a glimpse into the products and experiences you can expect from Lexus in the coming years.”
South Africans will only get a fleeting taste right now. There are just a handful of LC 500s heading this way and the hybrid LS 500h is restricted to selected overseas markets.
Will the new flagship herald the next chapter in the Lexus tome and feed down the line to all the upcoming models? It has been an encouraging new beginning. &#8211; Written by Derek Watts

A Concept Car That Captivates

The numbers are in, and if an actor’s character doesn&#8217;t have a friend named Sheldon or a relative named Pritchett (or if he isn’t named Sheldon or Pritchett), chances are he didn&#8217;t make this year&#8217;s list of top-paid TV actors.
The stars of The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family dominate our list, with Big Bang&#8217;s Jim Parsons nabbing the top spot thanks to $27.5 million earned in the year to June 1.
“When I read Big Bang it was definitely special to me. I would definitely not presume to say I thought it was going to be a hit show or be picked up, but I know that I was being presented with a character that was, in its own weird way, a really good fit, that I thought I could do,&#8221; Parsons <a href="http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/big-bang-theory-jim-parsons-sheldon-oblivious-1201715273/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Variety</a>.
As a member of the top-paid cast on television, and the top-rated show, Parsons makes $1 million per episode, as do fellow listees Johnny Galecki (No. 2, $26.5 million), Simon Helberg (No. 3, $26 million) and Kunal Nayyar (No. 4, $25 million). That means each earns $24 million per season from the show &#8211; plus a chunk of backend. Their salaries will decrease next year, as they, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2017/09/26/the-worlds-highest-paid-tv-actresses-2017-sofia-vergara-leads-with-41-5-million-total-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">along with castmate Kaley Cuoco,</a> each took a $100,000-per-episode pay cut for the upcoming season to give co-stars Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch higher salaries.
Though he has the same salary as other Big Bang stars, Parsons edges them out in total earnings thanks to a seven-figure endorsement deal with Intel, a role in Oscar-nominated Hidden Figures and a short stint on Sirius radio. Next year, we can expect to see his earnings increase (even with that Big Bang salary decrease) thanks to Young Sheldon, the new CBS comedy which he narrates and produces.
Combined, the 10 actors on this year’s list made $185 million. Earnings estimates are based on data from Nielsen, Box Office Mojo and IMDB, as well as interviews with industry insiders. All figures are pretax; fees for agents, managers and lawyers are not deducted.
The Modern Family cast takes four spots on the list, led by Ty Burrell (No. 6, $13.5 million). Like the cast of The Big Bang Theory, the Modern Family stars negotiated together for their salary &#8211; nearly $4 million per episode, plus profit participation &#8211; so they each earn the same amount.
Burrell, like Parsons, out-earned his castmates thanks to lucrative endorsement deals with the likes of Gain and The National Association of Realtors, as well as roles in the animated films Storks and Finding Dory.
“I had been running from this moment for years—a deeply personal rejection from the one thing I loved and could do—knowing we were going to meet down the road,” Burrell wrote in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/13/arts/television/ty-burrell-modern-family-the-first-time.html?_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an op-ed for the</a> New York Times earlier this year about his first meeting with an agent. The agent, who told Burrell his features were too big for TV and that he should shave his arms, was apparently wrong.
Rounding out the list are Mark Harmon (No. 5, $19 million) and Kevin Spacey (No. 8, $12 million), who serve as executive producers on NCIS and House of Cards, respectively. For Harmon, that role is particularly lucrative; he not only gets per-episode salaries for acting and producing, but also a piece of the show’s profit, as well as a share of the profits of NCIS: New Orleans, for which he also serves as an executive producer. With NCIS extremely popular in syndication, this money adds up.
While the <a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/life/2017/09/27/worlds-highest-paid-tv-actresses-2017-sofia-vergara-leads-41-5-million/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top-earning TV actress, Sofia Vergara</a>, managed to out-earn her male counterpart Parsons by $14 million, the combined earnings of the TV actors—$185 million—is still more than the $156.5 million of the TV actresses. This has more to do with the lack of high-paying roles for women on TV than a salary difference once they&#8217;ve achieved those roles. For example, the core cast members of The Big Bang Theory each gets paid $1 million per episode, guaranteeing them spots on these lists, but that core cast includes four men and only one woman. <a href="http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2016-17_Boxed_In_Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According to a recent report by San Diego State University,</a> only 42% of speaking characters on television are women or girls, and only 11% of all programs feature casts with more female than male characters.
The same problem &#8211; a lack of roles &#8211; accounts for the lack of diversity on the list, which features only one actor of color: Big Bang&#8217;s Kunal Nayyar. But the landscape of television is shifting, and TV seems to be getting more diverse: Minority actors comprised 11.4% of the lead roles on broadcast scripted television, according to <a href="http://expre.ss.ucla.edu/index.php/2017/02/new-2017-hollywood-diversity-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UCLA&#8217;s 2017 Hollywood Diversity Report</a>. That&#8217;s an increase of more than 3 percentage points over 2016.
The longer shows with diverse casts are on air, the more leverage their stars will have to negotiate higher salaries. So don&#8217;t be surprised to see stars like Anthony Anderson, Terrence Howard and Sterling K. Brown on the list in years to come. &#8211; Written by <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-ga-track="contrib block byline">Madeline Berg</a>, FORBES STAFF
<a href="https://www.forbes.com/pictures/59c9b63331358e542c02de24/the-highest-paid-tv-actor/#472ae1ca582f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Full List: The Top-Earning TV Actors 2017</a>

The World’s Highest-Paid TV Actors: Jim Parsons Leads With $27.5 Million

Sean “Diddy” Combs got his first job at age 12 delivering newspapers, nestling each delivery inside the screen door of every home instead of tossing it in the front yard. These days, he brings that same attention to detail with products like Ciroc vodka, DeLeon tequila and Aquahydrate water, involving himself in every aspect of the product down to the font of each logo.
“I’ve always understood that if I give the customers my best and service them differently, whether music, clothing or vodka, I’ll get a return on my hard work,” he recently <a href="https://www.forbes.com/100-greatest-business-minds/person/sean-combs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a> to Forbes. Earnings from those brands &#8211; plus proceeds from his Bad Boy Reunion Tour and selling a chunk of his Sean John clothing line for an estimated $70 million &#8211; puts Diddy atop the hip-hop heap once again with total pretax earnings of $130 million in the 12 months to June.
Drake, the world’s most-streamed artist over the past two years takes the No. 2 spot with $94 million. Despite his gaudy recorded music numbers, the Canadian emcee made the bulk of his bucks on the road during his wildly successful Boy Meets World Tour. He also earns millions for shilling Apple, Sprite and Nike. Jay-Z ranks third with earnings of $42 million, and there’s more on the way: this summer he signed a new pact with touring giant Live Nation that will pay him $200 million through the coming decade.
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Hip-hop’s top 20 acts earned a grand total of $619.5 million last year, up 38% from last year’s $448.5 million total. Even without Diddy’s $70 million windfall, overall earnings are up 22.5%, thanks in large part to hip-hop’s dominance in the burgeoning world of streaming: over the first half of 2017, it&#8217;s the most popular genre in terms of consumption, <a href="http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7964815/hip-hop-power-list-2017" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accounting</a> for a quarter of all digital spins.
Our list reflects this new reality, particularly though the presence of newcomers like Chance the Rapper (No. 5, $33 million) and Lil Yachty (No. 20, $11 million). Though 24-year-old Chance has never sold a physical album, instead distributing his music freely via streaming services, he smartly uses musical ubiquity to cash in on festival gigs and arena dates, as well as deals with brands like Apple and Kit Kat. The 20-year-old Yachty, meanwhile, rode gaudy streaming numbers and 100 live dates to his debut as a Cash King.
Other big names include Kendrick Lamar (No. 6, $30 million), whose new album Damn. came out in April and soared to the top of the charts; the critics&#8217; darling now grosses more than $1 million per tour stop. On the more pop-oriented end of the spectrum is DJ Khaled (No. 9, $24 million), boosted by six-figure DJ gigs and millions in earnings from deals with Champ Sports, Apple, Mentos and others.
“People probably thought I was crazy to just spend my last penny to invest in myself,” Khaled <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2017/09/27/how-dj-khaled-rolls-hip-hops-boldest-star-shows-off-his-major-keys/#2638b34732ee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tells Forbes</a>. “Now it&#8217;s paying off … one thing I learned is some investments might take years to kick in, and they are kicking in.”
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Other notable names on the list include Cash Money Records founder Bryan “Birdman” Williams (No. 12, $20 million), who gets a boost from having three acts in the Top 20: the aforementioned Drake; Nicki Minaj (No. 16, $16 million), the only female rapper on the list; and Lil Wayne (No. 17, $15.5 million).
To create our list, we add up pretax income from touring, record sales, streaming, publishing, merchandise sales, endorsements and other business ventures. Fees for managers, agents and lawyers are not deducted. Earnings are calculated from June 2016 to June 2017 and based on data from Nielsen SoundScan, Pollstar, Songkick, Bandsintown and the RIAA, as well as interviews with inside sources and a handful of the artists themselves.
Meanwhile, the next generation of hip-hop stars &#8211; younger even than Lil Yachty &#8211; is already on the move. Khaled&#8217;s son, Asahd, turns one this fall but already has 1.5 million Instagram followers, closing in on his dad&#8217;s 7.7 million. Says Khaled: &#8220;My son got a Rolls-Royce already&#8230; a Rolls-Royce car seat.&#8221; &#8211; Written by <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-ga-track="contrib block byline">Zack O&#8217;Malley Greenburg</a>, FORBES STAFF

The World’s Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Artists 2017

HBO&#8217;s Big Little Lies and Hulu&#8217;s Handmaid&#8217;s Tale may be winning awards, but when it comes to money, it’s all about good old-fashioned broadcast television. Just ask Sofia Vergara, the world’s highest-paid TV actress for the sixth year in a row.
Vergara banked $41.5 million before taxes and fees in the 12 months to June 1, some $15 million more than second-ranked Cuoco of CBS&#8217; The Big Bang Theory, who earned $26 million during the same period.
Her Emmy-nominated role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett accounts for roughly a quarter of Vergara&#8217;s income, while more than half comes from licensing and endorsement deals with brands such as Head &amp; Shoulders, Pepsi and CoverGirl. (The rest comes from a variety of sources, including movie roles, her talent management agency and speaking engagements.) She now focuses on licensing deals, rather than straightforward endorsements. In licensing deals, she can control the product and enjoy a stake in its sales, with three perfumes she produces in a partnership with Avon, a line of furniture at Rooms To Go and a coffee machine she helped design with SharkNinja.
“Our endorsement department is a well-oiled machine,” Luis Balaguer, Vergara’s manager and business partner for over 20 years, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2016/09/14/how-a-business-first-mentality-earned-sofia-vergara-43-million-this-year/#2759056d2b8b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Forbes</a>. “Even now, our attention is on the people watching Modern Family and how to appeal to them outside of the show, too.”
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Vergara&#8217;s business-first mentality has put her way ahead of her fellow stars when it comes to earnings. With per-episode earnings of $1 million, Kelly Cuoco&#8217;s Big Bang Theory income, for example, is more than two times Vergara&#8217;s Modern Family paycheck. But Cuoco (No 2; $26 million) doesn&#8217;t have nearly as many endorsements or licensing deals.
Combined, the world’s 10 highest-paid TV actresses made $156.5 million between June 1, 2016, and June 1, 2017. Earnings estimates are based on data from Nielsen, Box Office Mojo and IMDB, as well as interviews with industry insiders. All figures are pretax; fees for agents, managers and lawyers are not deducted.
All but two of the 10 highest-earning leading ladies in television hail from the original broadcast networks thanks to long-running series with 20-plus episodes per season. With longer seasons, networks demand more time from their stars but with their more limited slates, they can pour more money into their hit shows. As a result, salaries on these series can soar up to an estimated $1 million an episode, compared to an estimated $350,000 an episode for a limited series such as Big Little Lies.
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Ellen Pompeo of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and Mindy Kaling of Hulu’s The Mindy Project tie for third place on the list, with earnings of $13 million each. Pompeo’s earnings, like Cuoco’s, are almost entirely from her TV work. Her high per-episode fee allowed her to out-earn Kerry Washington (No 7; $11 million), the only other Shonda Rhimes star on the list, mainly thanks to endorsement work. Kaling has begun a lucrative transition to film &#8211; she has Oceans 8 and A Wrinkle in Time opening soon &#8211; and padded her earnings with a seven-figure campaign for McDonald&#8217;s.
Robin Wright (No. 9; $9 million) joins Kaling from the streaming world. The Netflix star of House of Cards banked big for her role as Claire Underwood on one of the first shows to bring cinematic names to streaming services. Wright has since been joined by the likes of Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Emma Stone in terms of film actresses trying out the small screen.
“It used to be that films are the prestigious ones and that television was more the junk food, but that’s not true at all anymore.They are definitely on equal footing,” Paul Verna, eMarketer’s chief video analyst, told <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2017/08/16/for-prestige-and-paychecks-actresses-head-to-the-small-screen-emma-stone-nicole-kidman-reese-witherspoon/#f9116921950e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forbes</a>.
Despite her Emmy-nominated performance and attempts to negotiate equal pay, <a href="http://www.unitedmags.com/robin-wright-plays-the-long-game" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wright couldn’t squeeze out quite</a> the half-a-million dollars per episode salary of her costar Kevin Spacey. Still, it is generally easier to find pay-equality in television than in film, because small-screen casts often negotiate as a group. In TV, all the stars of a show, whether male or female, tend to make the same amount. Take Julie Bowen (No. 6; $12 million) who earns the same amount from Modern Family as Vergara and her male costars Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ed O’Neill.
The problem remains that there are fewer star roles for women on TV to make that money. <a href="http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2016-17_Boxed_In_Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to a recent report by San Diego State University,</a> only 42% of speaking characters on television are women or girls, and only 11% of all programs feature casts with more female than male characters. Luckily, this seems to be shifting as legacy series with strong female characters like Mariska Hargitay (No. 5; $12.5 million) on Law and Order: SVU remain popular, and newer shows including the Priyanka Chopra (No 8; $10 million)-fronted Quantico gain buzz.
As<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2017/09/17/the-2017-emmy-award-winners/#de339f344d52" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Witherspoon said at the Emmys</a>, “It’s been an incredible year for women in television.” And that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. &#8211; Written by <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-ga-track="contrib block byline">Madeline Berg</a>, FORBES STAFF

The World’s Highest-Paid TV Actresses 2017: Sofia Vergara Leads With $41.5 Million

It’s a midweek afternoon and I meet up with an old friend in Dobsonville, Soweto. We used to go to hip-hop shows together. Now Trevor ‘Paranoia’ Macupe is a black man who pounds out white music. He’s a member of a black metal band, from Soweto, the urban township to the south of Johannesburg; his music is kicking down barriers.
Black metal is fast, with high-pitched piercing vocals and distorted guitars. It grabs you by the gut. The artists often appear on stage with painted faces, looking like corpses; a dark look for black metal.
The members of this metal band have taken the aggressive guitar music from the northern hemisphere and made it their own.
<div id="attachment_33625" style="width: 325px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-33625" class=" wp-image-33625" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/metal-729-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="315" height="473" />Trevor ‘Paranoia’ Macupe playing guitar at Arcade Empire. (Photo by Motlabana Monnakgotla)</div>
The five musicians met through skateboarding and hip-hop and now they spill black metal into the African night.
Macupe is the guitarist; Thapelo ‘Bellicose’ Mokoena, the bassist; Modiba ‘Belgaroth’ Rabothata, the drummer; Siyabonga ‘Thronum’ Mngadi is the other guitarist. Dreadlocked Sthembiso ‘Tyrant’ Kunene, the vocalist, lives up to his name on stage. They are known as Demogoroth Satanum and they are the first all-black, black metal band to come out of South Africa. They have been playing together since 2012.
The band’s technical skills have earned them fans in faraway places like Botswana and Germany. They didn’t have money, nor equipment, nor resources, to go to music school but they practised hard and taught themselves to rock hard.
“Upon discovering it, we didn’t understand it; we dived into it and upon exploring it we found the sound that we are known for today,” says Mngadi.
They acquired the taste while skateboarding and playing video games, with rock ‘n’ roll and punk music playing in the background.
The band usually meet at Mngadi’s room, in Zola, Soweto, sometimes to listen to what they have produced or to write songs before they head out to a community center to rehearse. Passers-by are stunned when they hear metal churning out in a place where township music is the beat of the streets.
“Not just our families, but the whole black community had a very negative view on what we&#8217;re doing because it’s not in the Sowetan comfort zone. They would say it&#8217;s witchcraft or Satanism with the corpse paint and the loud music and screaming,” says Kunene.
<div id="attachment_33626" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-33626" class=" wp-image-33626" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/metal-596-e1506084307148-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="332" />A fan takes a photo of Sthembiso ‘Tyrant’ Kunene. (Photo by Motlabana Monnakgotla)</div>
Kunene says that the younger generation accuse them of playing “white-boy music” and say they are trying to be white people. The older generation just say it&#8217;s witchcraft.
Mokoena had a bad experience while sitting on a train bound for Johannesburg. He was wearing a black metal t-shirt with dark imagery and there was a gentleman sitting in front of him and staring.
“He eventually had the courage to say something. The first thing he said was that I am ‘evil and Illuminati, you’re the one poisoning our children’. He attacked me and didn’t get to know my name. I let him vent because it was a scary situation because of mob justice. If half the train thinks he’s right, I would have got my ass kicked for wearing a metal t-shirt. I didn’t want to engage him in case I incite a violent situation,” he says.
On August 4, the band was in a safer place. The gig was in Pretoria, the capital city of South Africa, about a 91-kilometer drive from Soweto – in cultural terms, it could have been on Mars – at a pub called Arcade Empire peopled by whites. On the night, the only black people there were the members of the bands, the waiters and myself. Nothing unusual for Demogoroth Satanum.
<div id="attachment_33629" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-33629" class=" wp-image-33629" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/metal-743-e1506085087815-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" />Trevor &#8216;Paranoia&#8217; Macupe (left) and Sthembiso ‘Tyrant’ Kunene thank the crowd for its support. (Photo by Motlabana Monnakgotla)</div>
Four bands are playing on the night; Demogoroth Satanum is the only one playing black metal. An ear splitting kerrang from the lead guitar announces them on stage with a swagger.
“This song is made out to two girls who tried to make it to hell but, unfortunately, they made it to heaven,” says Kunene before one of their numbers.
The audience cheers and the mosh pit – an area on the dancefloor where fans jump into each other as the aggressive music plays – comes to life more and more with every song. Before the song had finished I had to be careful with the camera; it was raining beer as the crowd jumped with bottles in their hands.
“As the mosh pit is happening and the crowd is going crazy, I know we’re doing the right thing,” says Kunene.
<div id="attachment_33627" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-33627" class=" wp-image-33627" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/metal-732-e1506084625760-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" />Fans show their appreciation for Demogoroth Santanum by making devil horns with their hands &#8211; a traditional metal symbol. Photo by Motlabana Monnakgotla)</div>
The last song ends and the lights go up. It was like the calm after the storm. The guys had just performed yet another show for free and didn’t mind because they love the music.
The band wants to play more international shows, especially in Europe, where metal is popular.
Demogoroth Satanum sustain themselves with day jobs. Mngadi works as a retention agent, Kunene trades online, Rabothatha recently left his job as call center agent to focus on the music, and Macupe freelances shooting and directing videos. When he is not playing the bass, Mokoena does street cleaning and sweeps bus stops.
“Metal is not one of those genres you’d get into for the money, because you going be sorely disappointed. Trust me, you’re not going to <a href="https://luckycasino.co.za/how-to-make-money-in-south-africa-online-for-free/" style="text-decoration: none; color: inherit;">make money for free</a>, not in this country,” says Macupe.
Just as well. With all the negative commentary from the township and stereotypes about the genre, the boys have turned their most unlikely fans; their families, into their greatest supporters. Their long-term aim is to get more black people into the mosh pit.
<div id="attachment_33630" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-33630" class=" wp-image-33630" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/metal-700-e1506085238591-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" />Sthembiso ‘Tyrant’ Kunene. (Photo by Motlabana Monnakgotla)</div>

Money, Witchcraft And Beer – This Is Metal From Soweto

Operatic soprano Pretty Yende is arguably one of South Africa’s greatest cultural exports today.
The Milan-based opera singer has performed alongside music heavyweights such as Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion and graced the stages of major opera houses such as the La Scala Opera House in Milan, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and Liceu Opera in Barcelona.
Yet, Yende’s musical beginnings were in a world far away, around a humble bonfire in the small timber growing town of Piet Retief, in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.
“I remember every night after supper, we would gather around the fire and sing hymns, which was where, I believe my solo career started.”
Although she developed an interest in music as a child, it was not until much later, in 2001, that she heard about opera music.
Yende was at home watching TV, when she came across a British Airways commercial featuring Flower Duet, a famous duet for sopranos from Léo Delibes’ opera Lakmé, first performed in Paris in 1883.
“That was the moment that changed my entire course as far my career was concerned. I was touched by something so supernatural that I truly never believed was humanly possible,” says Yende.
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In high school at the time, as &#8220;one of the smartest, competitive students in class&#8221;,  Yende was well on her way to becoming an accountant. But she couldn’t shake the “supernatural sound” that continued to linger on, long after the life-changing commercial.
She made it her priority to find out more about that distinct sound. Her high school teacher advised her to join the choir. But she was told she didn’t have a singing voice.
Yende was convinced she did.
“I never give up on anything that feels right. I couldn’t say no to the deep desire in my soul for I knew that if I were to be taught, I could do it. I didn’t quit… and the rest is history.”
Determined, Yende enrolled at the South African College of Music in Cape Town where she received a scholarship. She was taught and mentored by Professor Virginia Davids, a trendsetter who was also the first black woman to appear on opera stages during the apartheid years in South Africa.
“It was very challenging at the beginning, like anything unknown to the mind,” says Yende.
She was guided by her instincts and intuition as well as support from her family and what she calls the entire ‘prettyarmy’, encompassing individuals who played a role in making her dreams come true.
Her successes also led to an offer to join the prestigious young artists’ program at La Scala. She performed at the opera house in 2010, but by then had already performed in Berlin and Latvia.
Yende has received accolades including at the International Hans Gabor Belvedere and Operalia Competitions. In South Africa, she was conferred the Order of Ikhamanga by President Jacob Zuma.
The 32-year-old is the only singer to have ever won all the main prizes at the renowned Belvedere Singing Competition in Vienna. She is also the first black singer to play the lead in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor at the Paris Opera.
“I learned from the beginning that I was in competition with no one, and that has taken away a lot of pressure and expectations that come with this career,” says Yende.
Yende has traveled the world, and spends some of the year in New York and Paris, which are quickly becoming her “artistic homes”.
Ever since she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in 2013, playing the lead role of Countess Adèle in Rossini’s Le Comte Ory, she hasn’t looked back. The opera house has become one of Yende’s favorite places to perform in. She has had numerous performances on that very stage, one of the most recent being The Barber of Seville production.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/life/2017/06/30/family-thought-lost-mind/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8216;My Family Thought I Had Lost My Mind&#8217;</a>
The work is never-ending for opera singers as it calls for utter dedication and versatility. Most operas are written and performed in foreign languages, so they have to act and perform in them.
Yende speaks four South African languages, is fluent in French and Italian, and is currently learning German. In September 2016, she released her debut classical album A Journey.
A journey that has taken her across the globe, she has now come full circle, as she was honored at the South African Music Awards in May with the International Achiever Award.
&#8220;I want to be remembered as a girl who never gave up on anything that felt right in her heart,&#8221; says Yende.
<blockquote>&#8220;Failure is a big fat lie; I don’t have it in my vocabulary. I triumph always, if it doesn’t look or feel like triumph is it a lesson well learned and I am never the same as I was before a challenge.&#8221;</blockquote>
When she performed Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor at the Paris Opera, the 3,000-strong Parisian audience were on their feet in the middle of the production.
“It was overwhelmingly historic and thrilling,” says Yende.
She prides herself in championing opera music through the Pretty Yende Foundation launched in 2013, which has been able to donate music instruments to a few schools in her community. Yende hopes to help cultivate classical music in South Africa and the rest of Africa.
“The dream is to have a music school and an opera house in my home town as well as every village in Africa.”
Music has given her a deeper meaning in life, but it is universal and has to be accessible to all. Yende is encouraged by the opera music scene in South Africa.
“It’s growing immensely and I look forward to see the incredible wealth of my country being graced on the world stage.”
Otherwise, she sees herself as a normal girl who enjoys life, constantly enriching it with experiences.
“Rest is a very big part of that and I enjoy cooking very much and I always say that if I kept my quest to be an accountant, I would have been a very successful one but the wealth that music gives me is priceless,” she says.
Yende also adds that if she hadn’t been an opera singer, she would have been a chef. At the moment though, her diary is packed until the second half of 2018. She is also excited about the release of her second album, Dreams, in October this year.
“Pretty awesome for someone who never thought she could ever sing professionally,” she says. &#8211; Written by Zikhona Masala

Pretty Yende: The Wealth Music Gives Me Is Priceless

It’s a transaction that happens across Africa every day. In South Africa they call them blessers; around the world they’re known as sugar daddies. Men with deep pockets exchange money and gifts for sexual favors.
It may be a transaction as old as time but it acquired the euphemism of blessing.
It all started on social media: where women post about their expensive lifestyles on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Last year, a Facebook page called BlesserFinder Mzansi (the nickname of South Africa) started – labelling itself as a travel/leisure page. This is one of hundreds of matchmaking sites for male and female blessers. And this is how it works.
The blesser sends an inbox message to the page describing the kind of person they want. They then explain the body features, age and how much allowance they are willing to pay.
The name and profile picture of the blessers are not revealed. The posts start with the words “Advert Alert”, then a screengrab of the description of what they want. Those interested, respond and are hooked up. Most of the men on the site describe themselves as travellers, who go on domestic and international trips and need women to go with them. They promise expensive clothes and shoes in return.
The administrators of the site, which has more than 50,000 followers, call for “morals to fall” and it is also open for same-sex hook ups.
Danger lurks in these sites as many are unregulated; women who respond to the Facebook messages could fall into the trap of human traffickers disguised as blessers.
A blesser can have up to 10 women.
“I did not choose to become a blesser; God appointed and blessed me to be a blesser,” says Serge Cabonge, a Congolese blesser, in an interview with South African news channel, eNCA.
Nothing is for free.
“When you ask for my number, I tell you straight away I can’t give you my number for free. You need to pay tax before you get it or you need to show me that you can do certain things. Why do I feel the need to do things for the girls? If you don’t do it, you’ll never be around them. For 75 percent of women in this country, without money there’s no love,” says Cabonge.
Cabonge takes the women on extravagant shopping sprees for perfume, designer shoes and clothes. He also takes them to fancy restaurants and pays their rent.
“When I pay for your rent, I expect to get benefits. I look for sex, nothing else,” says Cabonge.
But not all the women would be counting their blessings when they return from those expensive shopping trips.
According to a 2012 survey conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), the blesser-blessee phenomenon is also considered be a key factor in the high HIV/Aids prevalence in young women, with the rate of new infections being four times greater for women between the ages of 15 and 24 than that of men.
These relationships thrive on gender and economic inequalities.
“It is also important to note that it is not only indigent women whom are affected but also educated graduates who are unemployed. This is also compounded by the fact that women are more likely than men to be unemployed,” says Kerry Oosthuysen, a lawyer for the Commission of Gender Equality.
“The economic and discriminatory environment faced by young women provides the optimal breeding ground for desperation, for quick means to a glamourous lifestyle of high-end bags and expensive dinners. We urge societies to instill a value system and ripe economic arena where young women are empowered to demand their rightful place within the labor force and relationships,” she says.
Churches are also against it.
“Transactional sex is an abomination to God. It never was his design for sex. Sex is to be enjoyed, not endured for financial gain, by the heterosexually married only. Fornication and adultery are spelled out clear as sins in many parts of the Bible. The Bible is not in support of the blesser-blessee phenomenon. The call for support of those in need is extended to Christians and everybody that has been blessed with riches but never in exchange for anything but blessings from God (Deuteronomy 15:11),” says Musawenkosi Dube, a believer from an Evangelical church in Swaziland.
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<h1>The Blessed</h1>
<h4>Amanda Cele is an unashamed blessee. She vows to never date a penniless man.</h4>
It’s around 6PM on Friday at Booth Night Club in Sandton. A petite woman, in Valentino stilettos, a sequin silver dress and a Peruvian weave, walks in. Her name is Amanda Cele, and she is blessed by a man with money.
“I bought these shoes for R6,000 ($450) the dress was R1,800 ($135) and the hair was just too cheap, it was R2,500 ($190),” says the 27-year-old Cele.
Cele is one of thousands of blessees in Africa. She was born in Umlazi, just outside of Durban. She moved to Johannesburg at the age of six. Money makes her tick.
“I also like tidiness and intelligent people who challenge me to think and learn,” says Cele.
Blessee is a hard label to bear and one that she will likely carry for the rest of her life. She has been called all the names under the sun, including: gold digger, slut and prostitute. She is unashamed.
“I don’t care about critics. I’ve heard the worst comments on social media, even when I walk into a shisanyama or a mall I get nasty comments from people. I’ve heard people actually talk s**t about me and I let it go. Negative comments don’t bother me,” she says.
“I do get emotional sometimes and like any other woman I do scream, kick and shout. But then what makes me get up in the morning is the negative energy that I get from people, if I had it easy in life I wouldn’t be as strong as I am.”
“The only thing that bothered me was when the media published a story saying I was shot and found dead, when I was actually sitting at home watching TV.”
There’s no doubt her life has been tough. A few days after her 13th birthday, both her parents died. Cele was raised by her older sister.
“She had a baby and wanted to go to university but couldn’t. It was tough but it is things like this that make me not give up. Just because I grew up in a tough situation doesn’t mean I can’t be a better person.”
As if that was not enough, at 19, she became a mother.
“I had just finished school, I was staying alone and worked as a bartender, I did everything for myself; shopping and clubbing. I would steal money at the bar like nobody’s business. Then I fell pregnant, but I don’t have any regrets about it.”
A turning point was when her then boyfriend abused her physically and emotionally.
“I was like screw this relationship thing, I am done. There were times when I would look in the mirror and hated myself because I couldn’t see anything beautiful about me. I was 24 years old with a child; I couldn’t sit down and cry forever, I had to pick myself up, put on make-up and continue with my life.”
“I’m grateful I went through that relationship because now I look at men differently. I still think that I never really fully healed, I just need to get rid of the anger I have for men. There’s still bitterness inside me.”
“I had different types of men approach me and most of them would play with my feelings, fool around with me and after having sex they’d dump me. This got me thinking, ‘why can’t I get something out of this as well?’ We always have sex for mahala (free), why don’t we do it for our own gain?”
She has one main blesser and others on the side that she sees less frequently.
Cele met her first blesser on her way from work to a taxi rank. Her blesser agreed to give her R5,000 (around $400) a month.
Today, she receives an allowance of R20,000 ($1,500) a month. The oldest man she has dated was 72 years old.
“He’s dead now. He died a few months ago,” says Cele.
“I like them older. I can have a civil conversation with Jacob Zuma and we’d get along so well. I can’t stand men who are in their 30s.”
Cele knows her blessers are married.
“I know that they are not going to leave their wives for me, so let me eat their money. I’m happy with that. You need to be understanding when he’s not able to spend time with you and that’s the painful thing about it, especially when you start catching feelings.”
It can be dangerous.
In May last year, she was reported to have been assaulted by her blesser’s wife at her apartment in Sandton. Another myth, says Cele.
She calls what is frowned upon for being equivalent to prostitution a lifestyle choice – with no strings nor regrets. If Cele grows tired of one blesser, she replaces him with a new one.
“If I see that the insecurities are becoming a problem, I’d rather we stop seeing each other, but obviously I have to find a replacement before I leave. I wouldn’t leave just like that. I’ve been in a situation where the man got attached and the insecurities were getting too much,” says Cele.
“I know people who work seven-to-five and still have problems; you find that they have been working for years but still can’t afford a simple Toyota Corolla.”
“If I had to open my Facebook page now, 90 percent of the women there are people who are saying that they want blessers, and its working women, some are even married but going through a tough time.”
In the world of blessers, there are four levels. Cele is a level three blessee and her favorite holiday destination is Langkawi in Malaysia.
All she has to do is to be on call 24/7.
According to reports, some blessers are abusive and refuse to use condoms.
Cele has a certificate in beauty therapy that she says is lying under her mattress waiting for a rainy day. She wants to become an entrepreneur, like South African media mogul, Basetsana Kumalo.
“People don’t know that I have dreams and I’m actually working on them now. Being independent won’t mean I’ll stop being a blessee, that’s the part that people don’t understand.”
She vows to never date a penniless man.
“I have fallen in love with broke niggas because of the good sex. I don’t care about how he treats me; I am not going to eat good treatment. Now, I have to prepare for a gig and dress smart. Am I going to wear treatment? What will happen when the weave is worn out and needs to be changed?”
“Here’s my phone I got from a blesser who makes things happen,” she says picking up her black iPhone 7 worth R22,500 ($1,700).
Cele’s dream husband is Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote; she hopes he will read this article.
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<h1>Blessing 101</h1>
Level one: A blesser buys you airtime, data and gives money for transport.
Level two: Buys you handbags; shoes from brands such as Louis Vuitton; Peruvian and Indian Remy weaves, as well as lace wigs.
Level three: Holidays to Dubai and Thailand, a monthly allowance of R20,000 ($1,500), a car and an iPhone.
Level four: Buys you a house under your name and gives you money to start a business. If you are lucky, he will introduce you to his wife.

‘Without Money There’s No Love’

Amid conjecture, speculation and a sea of assumptions about a book – <a href="http://www.sundayworld.co.za/news/2017/07/25/mandelas-last-years-now-a-collectors-item" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">“Mandela’s Last Years”</a> – that most people have not been at liberty to read, including myself – it’s only fair and reasonable to raise a number of questions we hope will be addressed in the near future.
The book was released at bookstores throughout South Africa in <a href="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2017-07-24-controversial-mandela-book-hits-the-shelves/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">late July</a>. The author, Dr Veejay Ramlakan, head of Mandela’s medical team, reportedly wrote the book to document the courage and strength of this global icon up to <a href="http://www.news24.com/Books/mandelas-last-years-in-the-bleak-midwinter-20170718" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the very end of his life</a>.
But, some family members &#8211; notably his widow <a href="http://www.iol.co.za/news/special-features/mandela/new-book-on-mandelas-last-days-angers-graa-10407174" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Graca Machel</a> &#8211; and executors of the Mandela estate, have publicly distanced themselves from the book. Machel also reportedly sought legal counsel. Objections have been raised about alleged breaches of confidentiality and disclosure of private information.
While the author claims that he wrote the book with the permission of a <a href="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2017-07-21-family-members-gave-blessing-for-doctors-book-on-mandela-publisher/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">family member</a>, the identity of this member remains unknown. The publishers, in acknowledgement of respect for family unhappiness and threats of legal action, subsequently <a href="https://mg.co.za/article/2017-07-25-mandela-book-withdrawn-after-outrage-from-widow" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">withdrew the book</a>.
Many questions remain about the content of this book. What was already in the public domain prior to publication? What new information was disclosed? Does the public have a legitimate interest in the alleged disclosures in the book?
Historically, many books have been written and published about public figures. Think of <a href="http://www.mkgandhi.org/bk123.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mahatma Gandhi</a>, Diana, <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2013/0701/5-books-about-Diana-the-people-s-princess/Diana-by-Sarah-Bradford" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Princess of Wales</a>, and other prominent politicians, statesmen and leaders, including <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/books/review/Ledgard-t.html?pagewanted=all" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nelson Mandela</a> himself. What is unique about this book is that it has been written by a medical doctor and anti-apartheid activist. And that it has been written about the last years of his patient and comrade who is also a global icon.
It’s not the first time that a medical professional has written about his life, work or patients. But most such works have been written with the subject being portrayed anonymously, or with consent – to adhere to the sacrosanct rules of professionalism that promote confidentiality around the doctor-patient relationship. In this case, however, it is clearly impossible to anonymise a story about someone as uniquely identifiable as Mandela.
One can only imagine that this dilemma must have created several competing conflicts of interest for the author based on competing loyalties. These include loyalty to a patient during his lifetime and posthumously (as enshrined in the <a href="https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-geneva/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Medical Association’s Declaration of Geneva</a>), his loyalty to the state as an employee of the <a href="http://www.dod.mil.za/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">South African Defence Force</a> and his personal right to freedom of expression. On the face of it, satisfying all these loyalties would have required a number of negotiations and engagements – with professional bodies, medical ethicists, the South African Defence Force as well as the next of kin and executors of Mandela’s estate. This is an assumption and so the extent to which this did or did not occur remains unclear at this point in time.
<div id="attachment_33054" style="width: 231px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-33054" class=" wp-image-33054" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mandela-book-196x300.jpg" alt="" width="221" height="338" />Photo supplied</div>
<h2>Family dynamics</h2>
Family dynamics are complex and challenging at the best of times in almost all families. This has been illustrated globally with the British Royal family, the Kennedys, Obamas, European monarchy and many others.
In Africa, the personal and public lives of leaders, statesmen and politicians have been widely discussed in the public media. When such disclosures, debates and publications are in the public interest, it’s often easily sanctioned by civil society. The public figures and their families accept such transparency as an integral part of public life.
In South Africa the complexity of family dynamics is increased in traditional cultures where individuals are embedded tightly within communal structures such as families and communities. In the context of such a communitarian ethic, value systems of families need to be explored. This is so because such value systems are linked to respect for family, elders and even ancestors. Respect for those who may exist in the afterlife is a strongly held value.
Hence one can assume a heightened sensitivity to literary works that may be perceived to dishonour not only the deceased but the family as well.
<h2>What the law says</h2>
Legally, journalism and authorship fall within the limits of contractual relationships. It is not uncommon for claims of defamation and invasion of privacy to arise in the setting of disclosure in literary media. This must often be balanced with rights to freedom of thought and expression which is constitutionally protected in South Africa.
Is it possible for claims of defamation or invasion of privacy to be raised on behalf of those who are no longer living? This falls out of my area of expertise and more directly in the realm of legal experts and publishers. One can only assume that such matters were discussed and that the publishers involved secured written consent from next of kin/executors and that this was included in any contractual arrangements with the author.
Evidently, this contentious book has focused attention on potential ethical and legal issues related to both the medical and literary worlds. Many questions remain unanswered and in keeping with the ethical principle of justice, judgement must be suspended until a detailed account of factual, objective content of the book is in the public domain. &#8211; Written by <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/keymanthri-moodley-392813" target="_blank" rel="author noopener noreferrer">Keymanthri Moodley</a>, Director, The Centre for Medical Ethics &amp; Law, Stellenbosch University
Originally published in <a href="https://theconversation.com/africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Conversation</a>
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Mandela’s Last Years: a narrative shrouded in conflict and assumption

In a decade or two – maybe three – we will look back at how we used to bullet towards each other in tin cans at a combined speed of two hundred kilometers per hour and more.
We can bemoan crime around Africa and the world, but the most dangerous thing we do (apart from cave diving) is quietly press the start button of our car.
Globally around 1.3 million people die in road accidents every year and well over 20 million are disabled.
And while the glorious new future of autonomous driving awaits, for now manufacturers make their vehicles as safe as they can and (at a price) install a range of amazing collision avoidance features that seems to grow by the month.
Volvo have set the bar incredibly high with their vision that by 2020 nobody should be seriously injured or killed in one of their new cars.
But it’s the Mercedes Benz E-Class saloon that makes the top three in the world of safety as rated by the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) after a series of test crashes.
What impressed the testers was the PRE-SAFE system which magically detects if an accident is imminent by the way the car is being driven. It automatically tightens the seatbelts, closes the windows and sunroof and even adjusts the seats to the optimum position.
Now PRE-SAFE even links with the new Mercedes “me connect” evolution. The new brand with the guiding principle of “the best for me” means you can interact with your car, the dealership, Mercedes Assistance… maybe even Mars in the five areas of mobility, connectivity, service, financing and inspiration.
There have already been cases where the emergency call system has been triggered automatically by PRE-SAFE after an accident and assistance dispatched within seconds.
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On a less dramatic level: You leave your car with your husband (now that’s a PC thought) and while sitting at your board meeting in London you can see on your smartphone that the left back tyre is under inflated and the fuel is low. And, because he is so absentminded, you lock the car with a flick of the screen and tell him its Uber from now on!
By now you may be thinking that the E-class is a nanny sedan. Well let’s dispel that idea in far less than 140 characters. Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4MATIC+.
The most powerful E-class of all time, with the new and versatile 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 under that sculpted bonnet, will take you to 100km/h in just 3.4 seconds. And then show its softer, efficient personality by deactivating cylinders when you haven’t got right foot frenzy.
It just lapped up Kyalami with a terribly nervous instructor in the passenger seat and I haven’t had as much fun on a track since the Audi R8 V10. That clever 4MATIC+ fellow seems to counter most driving sins.
According to the specs, this brand new all-wheel drive system is fully variable for the first time, instead of favoring the rear axles when dishing out power. Which means, if I’ve got it right, that the electronics are working overtime to make sure that you are getting the best traction, on every wheel, on every road surface.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/sport/2017/05/01/savior-giulia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Savior Giulia</a>
So, if you want performance with a touch of class, and also need to get two kids to school, you may have to part with $142,000 and order this beast. But it is not all that easy. Because flattering its xenon headlights in the wings is one of the most mouth-gaping Mercs on the market.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupé gives new meaning to style. It had distinguished parentage with the E-Class winning the 2017 World Luxury Car Award.
Upfront is trademark Merc with the Diamond grille that Mark Fetherston and his design team boldly fronted the new CLA with in 2013. Even back then some scribes found it a tad brash, but it has certainly lasted the pace!
So you will probably only appreciate the exquisite lines of the coupé when you draw alongside and get mesmerized by the smooth flowing lines all the way to the cloned C-Class tail.
The frameless windows are accentuated by a polished aluminium strip that runs the perimeter of this very lean profile and also highlights the elongated doors which allow (fairly) easy access to the rear seats.
It is longer and slightly wider than the saloon with a decent amount of legroom for a long stretch of misery like myself.
If there is any bad news, it’s the fact that there is no four-liter AMG version. Your top choice is the E 400 4MATIC with a three-liter V6 turbo with respectable acceleration of 5.3 seconds and a smaller dent in your bank account – $78,000.
And if impressing at the lights really isn’t your game, the Merc E-200 Coupe comes in at $57,000 with the E 220d and E300 lining up in the power ranks.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/life/2017/06/04/ready-to-race/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ready To Race</a>
Looking at the balance sheet, Daimler AG announced that net profit doubled in the first three months of the year, rising from $1.6 billion in the last quarter of 2016 to $3.2 billion. Revenue rose 11% to $44 billion.
The reason? CEO Dieter Zetsche gave full credit to the strong sales of the E-Class and its advanced driver-assistance and safety features. Just a shame that, as with most marques, advanced safety has to come in at a price.
The Mercedes-AMG E 63 S 4MATIC+ and the E 400 4MATIC Coupé are destined to keep the cash register ticking.
And it is something of a birthday gift. It’s the 50th anniversary of AMG performance and the quirkily named “Stroke Eight Coupé” was launched in 1968.
A couple of golden anniversaries indeed. &#8211; Written by Derek Watts

The Golden Road Ahead

On July 16, viewers around the world will eagerly tune into the premiere of the seventh season of Game of Thrones.
That phrase – “viewers around the world” – hasn’t applied to television premieres before. For most of its history, television has been a profoundly national medium. While shows like <a href="http://www.ultimatedallas.com/dallas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dallas</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096542/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Baywatch</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096697/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Simpsons</a> all drew large global audiences, international television trade required delays: A television series could air in different countries, but it often happened months – even years – after it would air in its country of origin.
As I explore in <a href="http://www.amandalotz.com/we-now-disrupt-this-broadcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">my book</a> “We Now Disrupt This Broadcast: How Cable Transformed Television and the Internet Revolutionized It All,” many of those practices have changed in recent years. It’s now possible for a series to release new episodes for viewers around the world, and the result is a global watercooler – a shared media culture that transcends national boundaries.
While you might think that <a href="https://www.netflix.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Netflix</a> or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/getstarted" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Amazon Video</a> would have an advantage, it’s an <a href="http://www.hbo.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HBO</a> show – <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Game of Thrones</a> – that’s at the forefront of this phenomenon.
<h2>Building a global fan base</h2>
Even in <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-has-tv-storytelling-become-so-complex-37442" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a golden era of television production</a>, Game of Thrones stands out. HBO <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hayleycuccinello/2016/04/22/game-of-thrones-season-6-costs-10-million-per-episode-has-biggest-battle-scene-ever/#62c056eb11bb" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spends lavishly</a> on the series – beyond what most other networks can afford – and the result is a visually breathtaking product.
Its fantasy setting takes place in a world that isn’t geographically or culturally distinctive to the U.S., which also broadens audience appeal. Television shows that aren’t country-specific – miniseries such as <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118414/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Odyssey</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115195/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gulliver’s Travels</a> – tend to be among the most successful in international trade. There was also a built-in global fan base from <a href="http://www.georgerrmartin.com/grrm_book/a-game-of-thrones-5-book-bundle/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the popular series of novels</a> that inspired the show.
Game of Thrones, however, didn’t start out as a global blockbuster.
HBO debuted the show in 2011 for its U.S. cable channel. Following standard practice, the network sold the series to channels around the world that would air the series with the typical delay. For example, Canal+ airs it in France, Sky Atlantic airs it in Italy and Foxtel airs it in Australia. There are also several HBO branded channels around the globe such as HBO Canada, HBO Central Europe, and HBO Asia. Some are owned fully or in part by HBO’s parent company; others just license the name.
By 2014 Game of Thrones had become <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2014/06/game-of-thrones-now-hbos-most-watched-show-ever.html#" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the network’s biggest hit</a>. But as the show’s popularity grew, so did its rates of piracy. While unauthorized access of video is difficult to measure with certainty, many called the series <a href="http://time.com/4618954/game-of-thrones-pirated-2016/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the most pirated show in the world</a>.
<h2>How HBO pulled it off</h2>
We’d expect changes wrought by the internet to have played a key role. They did, but not in the way you’d expect. HBO didn’t use the internet to distribute Game of Thrones to subscribers around the world <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-unique-strategy-netflix-deployed-to-reach-90-million-worldwide-subscribers-74885" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">like Netflix and Amazon Video have done with their series</a>. Instead, the internet was important to the series’ global growth because of the opportunities it gave fans to interact with one another.
The intricate, surprising storylines on Game of Thrones inspired instant dissection and analysis on social media feeds. This encouraged fans in TV markets outside of the U.S. to seek out unauthorized video sources: It was the only way they could avoid spoilers. While <a href="http://ew.com/article/2015/04/21/game-thrones-piracy-record/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">news stories</a> about the high rates of piracy highlighted the popularity of the series – a form of free promotion – HBO certainly would prefer viewers to watch through authorized channels. Eliminating the delay in access was one solution.
In 2015, just before the start of its fifth season, HBO <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-thrones-season-5-set-780377" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced that it had deals</a> in 170 markets around the world to air new episodes simultaneously with its U.S. broadcast. This was not unprecedented. Dr. Who did the same in 2013 with a <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/doctor-who/10470879/Doctor-Who-breaks-simulcast-world-record.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">94-country simulcast</a> in honor of its 50th anniversary – a one-time event.
Arguably no network other than HBO could have pulled it off.
Because HBO is both the producer and distributor of the series, it can adjust the timing of its international availability. Making shows (the job of studios) and presenting them to audiences (the job of channels) are two different businesses, and their interests don’t perfectly align. If a different studio produced Game of Thrones for HBO, the studio might be too concerned that the simulcast would diminish its ability to sell the series to other distributors. Moreover, HBO had significant international reach and relationships that provided it with a direct pipeline to viewers outside the U.S.
<h2>Not the new normal – for now</h2>
While HBO has shown that global TV blockbusters are now possible, they aren’t likely to become common practice. Internet-distributed services that are building a global subscriber base – such as Netflix and Amazon Video – have a clear advantage in this regard. They have customers around the world and can act as the producer and distributor of their series or negotiate for worldwide rights. It’s notable, however, that neither has succeeded in creating a true blockbuster hit. For example, Netflix’s “<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2189461/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Marco Polo</a>” had a huge budget and a premise that appealed to audiences around the world. <a href="http://deadline.com/2016/12/marco-polo-canceled-2-seasons-netflix-1201869350/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">But it never caught on</a>.
While <a href="http://us.macmillan.com/blockbusters/anitaelberse/9781429945325/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blockbusters can be incredibly lucrative</a>, there’s no magic formula for making one. The odds of success are far greater when making series that speak specifically to the cultural experiences of people in individual countries or with particular tastes.
Once Netflix and Amazon Video have firmed up a strong subscriber base outside of the U.S. with local programming, look for them to also wade into the risky – but rewarding – business of global blockbusters. &#8211; Written by <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amanda-lotz-154746" target="_blank" rel="author noopener noreferrer">Amanda Lotz</a>, Fellow at the Peabody Media Center and Professor of Media Studies, University of Michigan
This article was originally published in <a href="https://theconversation.com/africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Conversation</a>
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How Game of Thrones became TV’s first global blockbuster

Yvonne Malan still gets threats more than 13 years after a campaign for a posthumous degree for Bram Fischer. She fled her African home for England after the furore that brought down wrath that has left her looking over her shoulder for more than a decade.
In the early years of this century, Malan was a young researcher at Stellenbosch University, in the Western Cape. She nominated lawyer Fischer for an honorary law degree, saying it was long overdue.
Fischer was the leader of the legal team in the Rivonia Trial that saved Nelson Mandela from the gallows in 1964; he was vilified by his own people and suffered, for years, from cancer, in prison. When he died, not even his ashes were handed to his family. The apartheid authorities also tried to erase him from history; his image was banned until South Africa’s transition to democracy.
<blockquote>“As a kid, I saw an old history book with one of the pre-1994 photos with Fischer’s face whitened out. It was terrible, it really shocked me that you could just erase someone from history like that,” says Malan from London.</blockquote>
Malan is the grandchild of refugees who fled Nazi Germany in fear of their lives. Her family was all too aware of people being erased from history, she says.
Years into democracy, Malan nominated Fischer to the university’s council and honorary degrees committee. The nomination was accepted with mixed feelings. The university granted an honorary doctorate in law in 2004. It was received by his daughter Ilse Fischer.
But later, newspapers came out strongly against the degree, kicking off a campaign to have it revoked, says Malan.
“This was led by senior Naspers members, a regular columnist for the Naspers papers, a few apartheid-era National Party ministers and MPs, and the [alumni body]. Since they all knew there was no mechanism for the university to revoke the degree, they used the Naspers papers and what one Stellenbosch University academic described as ‘Stalinist tactics’ to attack Fischer as a person and myself as the nominator.”
Naspers refused to talk to FORBES AFRICA regarding the allegations.
This led to months of death threats and assaults. Attackers cracked her ribs and pushed her around. It forced her, after 300 days of chaos, to leave for Oxford, in 2005, to study. Thirteen years on, Malan still looks over her shoulder.
“As to why Afrikaners became so angry, many saw, and still see, Fischer as a volksveraaier (traitor to his people). Secondly, Naspers journos and certain Afrikaner historians proclaimed that Fischer wanted a race war/genocide in South Africa. They never cited any proof, and had they bothered to read Fischer’s remarkable statement from the dock, they would have known that he wanted to avoid violence. Still, many Naspers readers bought this lie and it played a big role in the so-called Fischer ‘debate’ spinning out of control. Thirdly, they claimed that, as a Communist, he was responsible for all the evils committed in the name of the ideology. And that Communism was far worse than apartheid,” says Malan.
In 2017, on a windy Wednesday morning, we follow the Fischer story to the Castle Of Good Hope, in Cape Town. FORBES AFRICA visits 84-year-old veteran, and one of South Africa’s struggle heroes, Denis Goldberg, who escaped the death sentence with Mandela through a defence led by Fischer. Goldberg was the prisoner who eased the last painful days of Fischer in jail.
Goldberg made a walking stick for him, which was confiscated because prison authorities thought it could be used as a weapon. Fischer spent his dying days in his prison bed with Goldberg at his side.
“Bram Fischer gets arrested, Bram Fischer defended us, he was often at Lilliesleaf (a farm used as an underground hideout in Johannesburg), and the farm workers at Lilliesleaf knew him. And then it was strange seeing a man arrive in his beautiful car, his beautiful hat, suit, tie, and briefcase – the perfect life – come to the headquarters of uMkhonto we Sizwe with geese at the farm. But Bram, being a country boy, just walked through them,” he recalls.
<div id="attachment_32738" style="width: 234px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32738" class="size-medium wp-image-32738" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Bram-Fischer-01-224x300.jpg" alt="Bram Fischer" width="224" height="300" />Bram Fischer (Photo by Jacana Media archives)</div>
The Rivonia Trial could have seen Fischer also facing the death penalty. During the trial, the prosecutor presented documents which had Fischer’s fingerprints, along with prints of other members of the Communist Party, and a letter in Fischer’s handwriting.
“The prosecutor said, ‘There is a document here, that if we knew who the author was, he would be on trial with the accused too.’ while looking at Fischer, because they knew it was his writing,” says Goldberg.
“But they didn’t want to arrest him, so Bram played this political game with them to defend us. I believe by his very careful work and careful understanding of his politics, of what we were doing, was able to convince the judge that while we were talking about an armed uprising, we’d not made that decision, and that was a key moment in that trial.”
With the help of Fischer’s argument in court, the judge gave the accused a life sentence for sabotage instead of death.
“My mother calls up to me and asked what it is. I told her its life, life is wonderful,” laughs Goldberg.
In the end, years later, the authorities got Fischer. They charged him for forging a driver’s license and using a false name and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
“In prison he was absolutely strong. As he develops cancer, he becomes very ill. He was very unhappy that the accused could see that he wasn’t well because Fischer didn’t want to burden anyone with his problems,” says Goldberg.
Fischer was worried about everyone but himself, recalls his cell mate.
<blockquote>“He just wouldn’t show, he wouldn’t show pain, he wouldn’t show pain,” he says.</blockquote>
Fischer eventually got treatment, but it was too late.
Today he is remembered with the Bram Fischer International Airport in Bloemfontein and a play by Harry Kalmer called Bram Fischer Waltz. Plus a disputed honorary degree at Stellenbosch.

The Painful Price Of Courage

It was a passion for art. He quit his job after being influenced by international street art. He started small then grew to spraying walls in the city of Johannesburg. Now he travels the world spraying more walls for nature and conservation.
It’s a sunny midweek afternoon and FORBES AFRICA is off to meet Sonny in Rosebank, Johannesburg. He is a self-taught artist, painting murals big enough to challenge the animal poachers in Africa.
“I decided to teach myself how to paint; had to start from scratch. Had to learn to mix colors, learn to airbrush with a gun; my main passion was just to make things bigger and better,” says Sonny.
<div id="attachment_32693" style="width: 319px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32693" class="wp-image-32693 " src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/The-Buitengraght-Wolf-Cape-Town-by-Sonny1-200x300.jpg" alt="The Buitengracht Wolf, Cape Town (Photo by Sonny)" width="309" height="464" />The Buitengracht Wolf, Cape Town (Photo by Sonny)</div>
Sonny never went to art school. It all began when he started losing interest and slacking at his sales job. He started digital art and mixing PVA paint at the age of 23. That’s when he started getting commissions for indoor murals. It led to his first street mural, using a spray can for the first time, three years ago in Maboneng, the art heart of Johannesburg.
Sonny never looked back to his desk days in sales; he has become an international artist.
What gives him a kick is seeing passers-by – who might have never stepped into an art gallery – stopping to stare at his work.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2017/03/01/art-arts-sake-give-us-cash/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Art For Art&#8217;s Sake &#8211; But Give Us Your Cash</a>
A few years after his first painting, it’s now his living. He charges between R1,000 ($75) and R2,000 ($150) per square meter and some of the murals can be as large as 400 meters squared.
The long-haired, short and soft-toned 30-year-old’s work is influenced by Africa, where he was born and bred. His work focuses on nature and animals, combining realism with fantasy.
“At the moment, I’m busy bringing more abstract elements in my work which hasn’t been seen in my paintings yet, but all my new murals will slowly have abstract elements and incorporate people,” he says.
<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2016/10/01/5323-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Mosaic Man With Magic In His Hands</a>
Sonny recently completed a body of work for a solo exhibition titled <a href="http://sonnyonline.com/tothebone/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">To The Bone</a>.
This work combines wildlife imagery with a social message about the importance of animal conservation; a passion he truly has. He hopes to create international awareness of the fragile state of wildlife in the world.
<blockquote>“I aim to inspire people through the pure beauty of these animals, while reinforcing their importance in shaping our cultural identity.”</blockquote>
<div id="attachment_32694" style="width: 680px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32694" class=" wp-image-32694" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Transkei-Cheetah-Transkei-by-Sonny_Photo-by-Tessa-Cunliffe-300x200.jpg" alt="Sonny's Transkei Cheetah artwork, in Transkei (Photo by Tessa Cunliffe)" width="670" height="447" />Sonny&#8217;s Transkei Cheetah artwork, in Transkei (Photo by Tessa Cunliffe)</div>
Sonny has partnered with <a href="https://www.google.co.za/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi8pKmwxvHUAhViKsAKHX5RBpYQFggiMAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ifaw.org%2F&amp;usg=AFQjCNFOanECt8D37Y251dlwq0POsaorzg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">IFAW</a> (International Fund for Animal Welfare) to raise awareness through the murals and artworks and has a campaign to sell artwork online where a portion of the proceeds will be given to this fund.
“Anybody that sees the murals and follows the link will see what it’s about, and can give R10 or R20 ($1.50),” he says.
He also has a sponsorship drive, where companies or people can sponsor a wall or part of it. The money will be used to spread graffiti to more parts of the world. The sponsorship will enable him to fly over and paint a wall.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/life/2017/06/26/no-reservations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Future Of African Women In Art</a>
He has recently painted in New York and other parts America. He will be moving on to Canada, London and then Amsterdam. He also has a series of murals to sort out for the rest of the world.
<blockquote>“I paint in third world countries where they have the animals but struggle to see the importance, but I also paint in first world countries where they have power over the rest of the world to try change legislations to help protect the animals,” he says.</blockquote>
African art is been noticed around the world thanks to the likes of Sonny. Not only is he making an income, he is making a difference in society by conserving nature with a spray can and walls.
(Featured photo by <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/author/tlhabi-monnakgotla/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Motlabana Monnakgotla</a>)
Stay up do date with Sonny&#8217;s latest work on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sonnyartist/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sonnyartist/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a>
<div id="attachment_32696" style="width: 658px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32696" class=" wp-image-32696" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Little-Girl-Johannesburg-by-Sonny-300x240.jpg" alt="Little Girl, Johannesburg (Photo by Sonny)" width="648" height="518" />Little Girl, Johannesburg (Photo by Sonny)</div>
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<div id="attachment_32695" style="width: 660px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32695" class=" wp-image-32695" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Speakers-Corner-Cape-Town-by-Sonny-300x200.jpg" alt="Speakers Corner, Cape Town (Photo by Sonny)" width="650" height="433" />Speakers Corner, Cape Town (Photo by Sonny)</div>
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Spray It Out – Graffiti To Protect Animals

The first time you notice the new Porsche Panamera will probably be from behind. Not just because it&#8217;s rather quick off the lights, but the design team has done some remarkable aluminum surgery.
My take at the original launch of this incredibly roomy sports car was that the front was very attractive and 911-ish with a few botox injections and the rear end was&#8230; well&#8230; a touch Japanese of yesteryear and not the most beautiful bum on the block.
A few years ago, the controversial rump (almost as famous as J.Lo) got some visual liposuction with the taillights flattened and enlarged, along with a bigger back window and some complicated adjustments to the bum-per.
And while Chief Designer at Porsche, Michael Mauer, might argue that he was reliving the 928 era, the latest <a href="http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/panamera/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Panamera</a> is now the complete looker that we tend to expect from the Stuttgart stable where the cars are sculpted rather than designed.
Horizontal graphics visually widen the car, which is lower (without sacrificing rear headroom) and longer. But, you only realize that this is a genuine four-seater when you try to sneak into a tight parking spot.
We’re not talking about a pair of Pekinese on the way to the parlour… we mean adults, six-footers, sitting comfortably in the back with their knees below their ears.
But while Meghan Trainor might say it&#8217;s all about that bass, the attention to the rear end is a total disservice to the Porsche team which has been so energetic and visionary in producing a vehicle where virtually only the badge remains the same.
And that vision is exemplified when you first glance around the interior. Previously you may have been impressed by the V-shaped array of controls waiting for a flick from your forefinger. Now you are faced with sleek black touch screens which burst into life when you ignite the turbo.
What we probably have in common is an intense dislike for lengthy handover explanations when we take delivery of a fresh steed. But this is one case where you WILL need a 101. It is a bewildering experience getting to know your way around that cyber cockpit with more options than you can shake a selfie stick at.
It really is just a template for you to personalize the various screens and move the selected info to where you want it. So you may opt to simplify your drive style and leave out the G-Force and All-Wheel-Drive Percentage displays!
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/sport/2017/05/01/savior-giulia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Savior Giulia</a>
The central analog tachometer is flanked by two 7.0-inch screens. These can be programmed to resemble the five round gauges in a traditional Porsche instrument panel, or you can choose to fill one side entirely with the navigation map.
A 12.3-inch touchscreen, with Apple CarPlay capability, is in charge of infotainment selections.
It does seem like techno overkill to change the flow on the central air vent on a touch screen but there are manual overrides for the fan and temperature. Does it all work? To be honest it would take more than a four-day test drive to come to any conclusion. But the shiny screens were getting friendlier by the day.
If you hanker for the bygone era, there is an analogue clock perched anachronistically on the top of the dash and buttons aplenty on the sensually shaped steering wheel.
<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2016/09/01/can-ferrari-perfect/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Can A Ferrari Be Too Perfect?</a>
The petrol heads may wax on about bhp, rpm and Newton meters, but I would think most Panamera buyers prefer beauty and brains to brawn and aren’t buying this elegant sports limo to dice on city streets.
But the power train and suspension mods will provide the performance right for you. “There are new engines, a new chassis, and new electronics, and everything conspires to make it much sportier, but still very much a luxury sedan,” says Gernot Döllner, Porsche’s head of product design.
Getting back into the boiler room, Porsche make brilliant engines and there is a full range to take you from a mild heart flutter to serious adrenalin overload. And they have all been engineered to the magical new era formula of being lighter, more powerful, less fuel hungry and with lower emissions.
<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2015/06/01/4c-the-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">4C The Future</a>
They boast the brand’s new “hot vee” design.
“It adopts a ‘hot vee’ layout with the turbochargers in the engine&#8217;s valley. This setup allows for a short run from the exhaust manifold for minimal lag, which is further reduced by the twin-scroll turbos.”
Don’t worry – I don’t understand it either!
What I could feel by the seat of my pants is that the Audi-developed 2.9-liter V-6 Turbo, assisted by the new 8-speed gearbox, propels the Panamera 4S to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds.
The 4S will set you back $123,000. Throw in an extra $70,000 and you can be on the Panamera Turbo rocket ship with a 4-liter V-8 that blitzes you to the mark in a mere 3.6 seconds.
The mention of dollars is a sharp reminder that global car sales across all brands have not looked all that rosy for a couple of years and South Africa’s new car sales have so far lagged slightly behind 2016’s modest results.
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Yet Porsche increased its global sales figures for 2016 to a record total of 237,778 units.
The key drivers of this growth were Europe, the USA and China and the models leading the assault were the Macan and the new 718 Boxter. But the Panamera was definitely in the fray to provide an added boost.
And locally Porsche, the most profitable car per unit in the world, is a strong contender among the niche brands.
According to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa, the Porsche Cayenne, selling an impressive 576 units, was the leader of the Porsche pack. The Boxter/Cayman combo waded in with 300 and 296 orders for the legendary 911 found breathless new owners.
The Macan sold a relatively modest 217 units but the facelift is waiting in the wings. And the reason for low Panamera sales last year (just 20) was also the anticipation of the G2 as it is known in the trade.
So according to the NAAMSA figures, a total of 1,409 new Porsches were sold in South Africa in 2016.
“Sales figures are not the key focus though, rather being customer focused and exceeding service expectations on every contact level,” says diplomatic Public Relations Manager Christo Kruger.
“Panamera is a luxury saloon, with a clear distinction – being the sportiest offering in the segment and offering exceptional quality and driver interaction.”
Porsche are also taking their offering into the continent with official dealerships in Angola, Kenya and Ghana. As with all Porsches, the Panamera comes with a three-year unlimited mileage warranty which can be extended.
Is the new Porsche Panamera the right choice for your new family saloon?
If you like a sporting drive rather than a stiff upper lip, and need to take a couple of kids to school, I wouldn&#8217;t think twice! &#8211; Written by Derek Watts

Porsche Panamera: Kicking Ass With A New Boot

In Tanzania, music is played everywhere: on crowded, colorful streets, in dala dalas (minibus taxis), and in roadside bars, which serve grilled corn and roasted pistachios. Tanzanians even walk as if they are dancing.
This passion for music comes from the tribes. In this country, with a population of 50 million people, there are more than 120 of them and all of them have different traditional instruments, tunes, and songs. In the cosmopolitan Dar es Salaam, you can hear almost all of them: from the melodies played on the ilimba, an instrument of the Gogo tribe from central Tanzania, to taarab music, akin to sung poetry, and popular in Zanzibar.
Yet the younger generation prefers bongo flava, a local version of hip hop. And the local stars are more and more inspired by their American idols; they imitate their music, gestures and clothing style. No wonder that older musicians fear that, in a few decades, Tanzanians may no longer be able to make traditional instruments or even play on them.
<div id="attachment_32641" style="width: 435px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32641" class=" wp-image-32641" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Music-in-Tanzania_Myriam-Meloni_08-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="425" height="283" />Hilary More, lead singer of the Cocodo band from dar es Salaam (Photo by Myriam Meloni)</div>
In colonial times, traditional music and dancing encouraged resistance. Today, artists are encouraging resistance against growing western influences to save their rich tradition.
Seventy-two-year-old Warema Chacha is a well-known litungu player, a stringed instrument of the Kurya tribe from north-western Tanzania. The older he gets, the more determined he is to pass on his knowledge and love for music to younger generations.
<blockquote>&#8220;I often tell young people that it&#8217;s important to value your own culture, because in this way you can know yourself better. You won&#8217;t know it by playing bongo flava,&#8221; he says at his house in Bagamoyo, 60 kilometers from Dar es Salaam.</blockquote>
&#8220;Many times when you don&#8217;t appreciate your own things they can disappear. If someone comes to me, I can help and teach him to play the instrument, even making him one for free,&#8221; he adds showing a self-made litungu.
<div id="attachment_32642" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32642" class="size-medium wp-image-32642" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Music-in-Tanzania_Myriam-Meloni_10-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />An ilimba, a traditional instrument of the Gogo tribe from Tanzania. The Zawose family use it during performances. (Photo by Myriam Meloni)</div>
He has already encouraged his grandson Ally, who plays on the African drums in a popular band Ze Spirits, to also take litungu lessons.
&#8220;The litungu is not well known and we are the only ones who can save it from disappearing and introduce it to the world because we are close to Chacha, who knows everything about this instrument,&#8221; says 21-year-old Sajaly Sharif, Ally&#8217;s friend from the band that plays afro-fusion, a mix of traditional and modern music. “This can also be a good marketing strategy for us. Like most bands, we also play the guitar, but if you go to America or Europe, you&#8217;ll find people who do it better. We can be the kings of the litungu though. And thanks to this, people may be more interested in our music,” he adds.
Chacha is also teaching young musicians that music is not only for entertainment. His songs encourage people to vote in elections and warn against malaria or AIDS.
&#8220;What is most important is its educational role and the message it carries,&#8221; he says.
Music is also an important element of national identity. In 1964, when President Julius Nyerere united Zanzibar and the mainland Tanganyika to form Tanzania, traditional art gained more significance. His government used the performances of traditional artists from different tribes to break down ethnic differences in the young nation. Chacha joined the national troupe of traditional musicians as a teenager, and played in the group on the litungu for over 36 years.
<div id="attachment_32643" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32643" class="size-medium wp-image-32643" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Music-in-Tanzania_Myriam-Meloni_15-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />A modern guitar and a traditional African drum, belonging to the Cocodo band. (Photo by Myriam Meloni)</div>
The Bagamoyo College of Art, near Chacha&#8217;s house, was founded in 1981 as a training ground for the national troupes. Today, it is one of a few places where people can learn real traditional music. The conditions for learning are something from a dream: classes take place just a stone&#8217;s throw from the Indian Ocean and the sound of the waves can be heard from the rooms.
&#8220;Students are increasingly interested in tribal instruments, because they don&#8217;t want to lose their culture. It is now fashionable to combine traditional and modern rhythms,&#8221; says Maulid Mohamed Saleman, a teacher at the Bagamoyo school.
He inherited his musical talent from his parents.
&#8220;My mother was a dancer, and my father a musician and a village leader. When he wanted to meet with his people, he called them by banging on the drums. Sometimes I wonder how he would have reacted if he had had the chance to listen to young people mixing the sound of the drums with modern guitars,&#8221; Saleman says with a smile.
“In the beginning my family thought that I had lost my mind,” says 34-year-old Msafiri Zawose, son of the late traditional musician Hukwe Zawose who played on the ilimba (an instrument made from wood and thin metal plates) and gained international recognition thanks to his collaboration with the British singer Peter Gabriel. “But now they like my music. It sounds different from my father&#8217;s music, but still it&#8217;s a traditional melody,” he says at his house in Bagamoyo.
<div id="attachment_32644" style="width: 478px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32644" class=" wp-image-32644" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Music-in-Tanzania_Myriam-Meloni_09-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="468" height="312" />Msafiri Zawose, son of the late traditional musician Hukwe Zawose, performs with his family at their house in Bagamoyo</div>
Msafiri has already recorded a few albums, and performed in many countries, including the United States.
Yet some older musicians are a little afraid of the consequences of mixing the styles.
<blockquote>“In 20 to 30 years there will be no pure traditional music. But I think it&#8217;s worth paying this price if we save traditional melodies and instruments from disappearing,” says 74-year-old Makame Faki, a famous taarab musician from Zanzibar.</blockquote>
On a hot Saturday night in Nafasi Art Space, a fashionable cultural center in Dar es Salaam, a crowd of young people dance to the music of Ze Spirits. They are drinking local Kilimanjaro beer and eating popcorn.
“Traditional music will evolve but not die. Tanzanians have this music in their genes,&#8221; says Rebecca Corey, the director of Nafasi and a co-founder of the Tanzanian Heritage Project, a cultural initiative whose aim is to record traditional musicians, like Chacha.
<div id="attachment_32645" style="width: 483px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32645" class=" wp-image-32645" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Music-in-Tanzania_Myriam-Meloni_01-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="473" height="315" />A man playing the saxophone at the Dhow Countries Music Academy in Zanzibar</div>
Chacha has also recently performed on stage at Nafasi Art Space with his grandson and his band. Sometimes, he even listens to bongo flava songs. He admits that some of them are not so bad, but he doesn&#8217;t understand why artists dress the way they do.
“Wearing trousers below the waist is not our tradition, wearing glasses is common for CIA agents so that people cannot see their eyes. Sometimes they wear women&#8217;s glasses and think it&#8217;s fine, and sometimes clothes for women and earrings. I pray to God to help them,&#8221; he says, trying to hold back laughter.
However, he might be able to forget about their outfits if they start to take litungu lessons.
“In the end, hip hop sounds almost like the Kurya tribe heroic recitation,” he adds with a smile.
&#8211; Written by Monika Rebala, Photos by Myriam Meloni
This project has been funded by the European Journalism Centre (EJC) via its Innovation in Development Reporting Grant Programme.

‘My Family Thought I Had Lost My Mind’

The first Harry Potter novel turns 20 this month, but the franchise’s earnings power seems to be getting only stronger with age. Author J.K. Rowling earned $95 million over the 12 months to June, before taxes and management fees, by FORBES’ estimate. That not only places the British novelist third on our list of the world’s highest-paid celebrities, it also earns her the title of the world’s highest-paid author, surpassing the prolific James Patterson (No. 9, $87 million), who has held the crown for nearly a decade.
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Rowling’s 12-month earnings have not exceeded $19 million since 2008, when she topped FORBES’ Celebrity 100 with an astounding $300 million. This year’s surge is largely due to her stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Though Rowling has numerous revenue streams from the Harry Potter franchise, she made nearly half of this year’s earnings from writing about the Boy Who Lived. The stage play, written by Jack Thorne based on an original new story by Rowling, Thorne and John Tiffany, was the bestselling book of 2016 in the U.S., U.K. and a number of other countries. In the U.S., it has sold over 4.5 million copies since its July release, according to NPD Bookscan, which covers approximately 85% of the U.S. print book market. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child also buoyed the sales of Rowling’s back catalogue. Rowling sold 8.4 million print units in the U.S. over the past 12 months, topping her nearest competitor, James Patterson, by 2.5 million units, according to NPD Bookscan. Though the vast majority of Rowling’s sales are hardcover units, a knowledgeable source says that her company Pottermore returned to profitability in this fiscal year largely thanks to a surge in e-book sales.
Across the pond, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has also made millions for Rowling. The stage play topped the charts in Rowling’s native Britain with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/dec/31/bestselling-books-2016-analysis-ghost-christmas-past" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">1,372,402 copies sold in 2016</a>. The West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a smash hit, critically and commercially. It won nine Olivier Awards, an all-time record for a West-End production, and is sold out well into 2018. Next April, the play will transfer to Broadway, where it will likely bring greater profits for Rowling due to higher ticket prices (and perhaps a Tony).
The second-largest chunk of her income comes from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a chain of themed attractions at Universal Parks &amp; Resorts. Rowling receives low double-digit millions from a share of ticket, merchandise, sponsorship and food and beverage revenue. Wizarding World has been a massive boon for Universal Studios since the first one opened in 2010 at the Islands of Adventure park in Florida. Attendance at Universal Studios’ theme parks rose 80% to 47.4 million from 2010 to 2016, according to <a href="http://www.aecom.com/theme-index/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">industry reports</a> by the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM.
Universal Studios spent a king’s ransom for the Harry Potter licensing rights and building the attractions—the first Wizarding World <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/business/media/16harry.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reportedly cost $265 million</a>—but it has more than paid off. “From my point of view being a theme park designer, the Harry Potter series is more valuable and even bigger than Star Wars,” says Edward Marks, Co-CEO of the Producers Group, an international theme park production company.
<blockquote>“Potter crosses all ages, all sexes and connects with almost everyone.”</blockquote>
He has worked with Universal on and off since 1990 but was not involved in Wizarding World. According to Marks, the Wizarding World attractions, which are highly immersive, were an artistic and commercial gamechanger for Universal. “Harry Potter changed the way theme parks are designed and built,” he says.
Rowling’s latest film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is her lowest-grossing movie ever with a “mere” worldwide gross of $814 million on an $180 million production budget. But thanks to her renown and her screenwriter credit, Rowling got a low double-digit percentage of the net box office, a much higher share than most authors, ultimately receiving over $10 million, by our estimate. Though the sequel, slated for 2018, will likely gross less worldwide (and certainly in North America), the warm critical reception to the first film could give the next few installments a leg up, says Scott Mendelson, FORBES contributor and box office pundit. “Since most folks liked the first Fantastic Beasts, all Warner Bros. has to do is make a decent or better sequel and they will have goodwill for at least one or two more, at which point they are home free even if the last two stink.”
As long as the films are budgeted reasonably &#8211; $200 million or less, says Mendelson &#8211; Rowling should be able to continue to make a pretty penny off the big-screen adventures of Newt Scamander if they can gross $600 million worldwide. As for the original Harry Potter movies, Warner Bros. recently sold the television airing rights to NBC Universal in a seven-year deal estimated at $250 million, according to the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/nbcuniversal-places-big-bet-on-harry-potter-fantastic-beasts-1470628862" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wall Street Journal</a>. We estimate that Rowling received a low-double digit share of the deal with payments divided over the seven years.
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After a phenomenal year, Rowling’s earnings are set to dip since she will not be publishing a new Harry Potter book within our 12-month scoring period. But between her upcoming Broadway production, the Fantastic Beasts sequels and a possible Wizarding World in Beijing, she might continue to top Patterson in years to come.
The Celebrity 100 ranks “front of camera” entertainers around the world by pretax earnings from June 1, 2016 to June 1, 2017, before deducting fees for agents, lawyers and managers. Our numbers are based on figures from IMDB, Nielsen, NPD Bookscan and Pollstar, as well as interviews with industry experts and many of the stars themselves. &#8211; Written by <a class="link preload-hidden ng-binding" href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/hayleycuccinello/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hayley C. Cuccinello</a>, FORBES STAFF

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