Covering five of South Africa’s nine provinces, FORBES AFRICA looks at some gorgeous getaways as the year wraps up and it’s time to hit the road.



If you’re looking for forest trails, waterfalls and rock pools, sand dunes by the sea, mountains and majestic views, long plains and starlit nights, or elephants and giraffe, South Africa has every kind of vista you can visit. Here’s a list of a few choice getaways – ranging from cheap to chic.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KwaZulu-Natal</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Sasi-Bush-Lodge-KwaZulu-Natal-by-Rogan-Kerr-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57079" width="620" height="413" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Sasi-Bush-Lodge-KwaZulu-Natal-by-Rogan-Kerr-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Sasi-Bush-Lodge-KwaZulu-Natal-by-Rogan-Kerr-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Sasi-Bush-Lodge-KwaZulu-Natal-by-Rogan-Kerr-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Sasi-Bush-Lodge-KwaZulu-Natal-by-Rogan-Kerr-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Sasi-Bush-Lodge-KwaZulu-Natal-by-Rogan-Kerr-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px" /><figcaption>Photo by Rogan Kerr</figcaption></figure></div>


In the Northern Drakensburg sits Sasi Bush Lodge; with luxury tents, hikes, massages, bush breakfasts and more. Just 3.5 hours from O R Tambo Airport in Johannesburg and three hours from King Shaka Airport in Durban, this destination holiday provides an inexpensive experience than a stay at the Kruger National Park, starting from R2,000 ($117) per night for adults. Sasi Bush Lodge has also tried to re-wild the lands and remove the alien vegetation in the area.



Emzemvelo accommodation covers an incredible range of scenery, from the Big Five to the stunning mountains of the Drakensburg. If you get the Golden Rhino card at R250 ($15) per person, there’s discounts out of season and free entry at Emzemvelo Parks. One of the many options with accommodation include a two-bedroom mountain view chalet at Giant’s Castle, breakfast included, for R1,400 ($82), during peak season. Another great spot is Hluhluwe, replete with the Big Five, at R1,750 ($102) for a two-bedroom chalet. Campsites like Cobham go for R85 ($5) during peak season, while Garden Castle camping goes for the same.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Western Cape</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Africamps-view-in-Cederberg-by-Rogan-Kerr-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57074" width="672" height="448" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Africamps-view-in-Cederberg-by-Rogan-Kerr-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Africamps-view-in-Cederberg-by-Rogan-Kerr-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Africamps-view-in-Cederberg-by-Rogan-Kerr-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Africamps-view-in-Cederberg-by-Rogan-Kerr-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Africamps-view-in-Cederberg-by-Rogan-Kerr-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px" /><figcaption>Photo by Rogan Kerr</figcaption></figure></div>


In Cederberg, Western Cape, there’s de Pakhuys, a camping, glamping or chalet style accommodation, nestled in a valley, with a rocky terrain to go bouldering on or hiking, a waterfall walk and stunning stars over fields of flowers. The Africamps&#8217; custom-designed glamping tents go for R977 ($57) per person sharing, complete with a private wood-fired hot tub and bathroom with luxurious rain shower, among other facilities.



Also in Cederberg, Western Cape, is the Gecko Creek Wilderness Lodge, a self-catering private nature reserve that borders the Cederberg Reserve, and a short distance away is the Olifants River. It offers twin cabins and tents overlooking the valley full of Fynbos and wildflowers, and a salt water swimming pool. Activities include waterfall walks, hiking to caves and treks such as the Wolfberg Cracks and Wolfberg Arch, Maltese Cross and Sneeuberg. There’s also Leopard’s Rock with indigenous San Rock Paintings, and the famous Elephant Rock formation, bouldering, horse-riding, wine-tasting nearby, and canoeing – if you have your own canoe. Self-camping is between R150-R190 ($8-$11) per person a night, safari tents sleeping two are R250-R290 ($15-$17), cabins are R450-R490 ($26-$29) per person per night, and cottages are R1,250-R1,500 ($75-$87) per person per night. None of them have electricity, as manager Shivani Ghai says, “It’s more about the rugged outdoors and the stars without any light pollution.” They do have WiFi. They’re already quite booked up for December and January, so email to inquire about available days.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Eastern Cape</h2>



Hogsback in the Amatola Mountains is perfect for hikes through moss-covered forests and views of mist in the morning in valleys below. Named after the rocky ridge that resembles a hog’s back, it offers many places to stay – quintessentially, The Edge, replete with cottages perched on a cliff overlooking a valley or Airbnbs in the forest. The latter can cost less than R1,000 ($58), with pet-friendly or family friendly options available. Mountain and waterfall hikes abound, with a tiny village of chocolate shops and places to eat.



In Morgan’s Bay is In The Green Backpackers, a pet-friendly and eco-friendly accommodation, one kilometer away from the beach and lagoon, surrounded by greenery. The whole house is built out of recycled material, with a vegetable patch, and various walls made out of cob, a natural building material made from subsoil, water, fibrous organic material like straw, and sometimes lime. In the



Green Backpackers is a small establishment, but a personal one, says Corlia Perry, the manager. The outside double room with a view costs R450 ($26) per night, the inside double room goes for R350 ($20) a night, and the safari tent with two single beds is R300 ($17.5) a night, with a five-person dorm room at R150 ($9) per person. There’s also a tree house, made of tin, for the real adventure seekers, which sleeps three people at R250 ($15) a night.



“We bought the property next to us and have started planting fruit trees. This is obviously a long-term project. The idea is to always have some sort of food source available. We have planted avocado trees and macadamia trees, paw paw trees, banana trees, plum and naartjie, plus coffee plants. Also lemon and grapefruit,” concludes Perry.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Gauteng</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Screenshot-2022-12-13-at-15.15.31-1024x564.png" alt="" class="wp-image-57082" width="669" height="368" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Screenshot-2022-12-13-at-15.15.31-1024x564.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Screenshot-2022-12-13-at-15.15.31-300x165.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Screenshot-2022-12-13-at-15.15.31-768x423.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Screenshot-2022-12-13-at-15.15.31-1536x846.png 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Screenshot-2022-12-13-at-15.15.31.png 1576w" sizes="(max-width: 669px) 100vw, 669px" /><figcaption>Photo by Woodland Gardens Lodge</figcaption></figure></div>


Woodland Gardens Lodge in Magaliesburg, an hour outside of central Johannesburg, is a pet-friendly self-catering accommodation of chalets, a pool, a shared bonfire, as well as a charming garden also containing goats, pigs and many dogs, along with a little forest. Nearby, there’s hikes into the mountains, resplendent rock pools and hot air ballooning. Ibis Garden Cottage has an enclosed outside bath, with a view of the stars. Chalets range in size – perfect for romantic getaways or family trips, with braai areas and water features. Some are fenced for peace of mind with dogs. They have mid-week specials, and normal rates range from R445 ($26) per person to R830 ($48).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-free-state">Free State</h2>


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<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/GettyImages-170486697.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57083" width="680" height="451" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/GettyImages-170486697.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/GettyImages-170486697-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/GettyImages-170486697-768x510.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /><figcaption>(Photo by: Majority World/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


The quaint town of Clarens in the Free State, just 20kms from the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, is surrounded by red sandstone mountains, dotted with orange and red fauna and flora. A rocky yet lively landscape, it has a vibrant town of small shops and 27 restaurants. If you’re looking to get out of the city but still see the New Year in with some dancing, Clarens has the perfect mix. New years’ see the streets turn into a lively mix of eating and dancing outside.



Clarens Eddies Bed &amp; Breakfast has a two-sleeper room for R590 ($34), a four-sleeper room for R864 ($51), and a six-sleeper for R1864 ($109), with breakfast not included in the base rate. They offer free guided mountain walks every day. Around Clarens, there is horse-riding, white river rafting, hot air ballons, day visits to Lesotho with 10 different programs, a cherry picking festival in November, and a steam train ride through the cherry orchards. Through the conservancy, there are 15 different hiking and cycling trails, where you can rent a bicycle. With all the recent rain, the mountain streams have turned this usually dry vista into a “Niagara falls”, says owner of Eddies, Dawn Trevelyan.

Overview of Sasi Bush Lodge in KwaZulu-Natal, by Rogan Kerr

Planning A Holiday? Cheap To Chic Getaways In South Africa

TOPLINE: Pfizer has struck a deal with a South African drug manufacturer to begin producing and distributing its coronavirus vaccine in Africa for the first time, the company announced Wednesday, in a move that follows mounting pressure to address inequalities in the global vaccine rollout.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



Pfizer&nbsp;<a href="https://investors.biontech.de/news-releases/news-release-details/pfizer-and-biontech-announce-collaboration-biovac-manufacture" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;it will be working with South Africa’s Biovac Institute, a public-private partnership focused on vaccine production, to produce and distribute over 100 million doses a year for the African Union beginning in 2022.&nbsp;



Biovac will be shipped batches of vaccine ingredients from Europe and then will perform so-called fill and finish operations, the last stage of manufacturing and packaging, according to a press release from the company.&nbsp;



Though technical transfer, on-site development and equipment installation activities will begin immediately, the company said manufacturing of the finished doses will only begin in 2022.&nbsp;



“At full operational capacity, the annual production will exceed 100 million finished doses annually,” which will be distributed within the 55 member states making up the African Union, the company said.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quotes">CRUCIAL QUOTES</h3>



Pfizer CEO Andrew Bourla, who is set to give a speech later Wednesday at the World Trade Organization Summit, deemed the partnership progress toward the company’s goal of providing “fair and equitable” access to the vaccine “to everyone, everywhere.” Meanwhile, Biovac CEO Dr. Morena Makhoana lauded it as a “critical step forward.” “We believe this collaboration will create opportunity to more broadly distribute vaccine doses to people in harder-to-reach communities, especially those on the African continent,” said Makhoana.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND&nbsp;</h3>



The pace of vaccinations in Africa is running far behind the rest of the world. Just over 1.5% of Africans have been fully vaccinated, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making the continent’s goal of having 20% of its population vaccinated by the end of 2021 increasingly unlikely. This is largely due to a lack of African-based vaccine manufacturing facilities. The continent was relying on the World Health Organization-backed COVAX effort for its doses. However, COVAX has fallen far behind schedule, having delivered only 200 million doses since February (the U.S. has administered 338 million), in part because of the troubles of its biggest supplier, the Serum Institute of India.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR&nbsp;</h3>



Africa’s rollout is lagging at a time when the more infectious delta variant is driving a record surge of cases. Earlier this month, the continent reported its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/08/world/africa-coronavirus-cases-who.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“worst pandemic week ever”</a>&nbsp;after 16 countries saw a resurgence in infections, amounting to over 250,000 cases reported in just one week.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING&nbsp;</h3>



<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/07/16/world/africa/africa-vaccination-rollout.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“Africa’s Covid Crisis Deepens, but Vaccines Are Still Far Off”</a> (The New York Times)



By Jemima McEvoy, Forbes Staff

US-HEALTH-VIRUS-VACCINE

Pfizer Strikes Deal To Produce Vaccines In Africa As Continent Falls Far Behind In Covid Fight

Topline: The prevailing mood was of anxiety and fear of another hard lockdown when the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, announced that he would be addressing the nation on Wednesday evening. However, his address was more of an appeal to citizens to not “relax” just yet, as the virus has not yet been beaten. The president also made some amendments to the current Alert Level One of the lockdown. &nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Key Facts&nbsp;</h3>



<ul><li>To prevent a resurgence of the Covid-19 virus, Ramaphosa announced that the government would be extending the National State of Disaster by another month to December 15. This is to ensure that all necessary prevention measures remain in place.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Ramaphosa announced that the country would once again be opening up international travel to all countries. This, after international travel was restricted to and from countries with high infection rates and limited to only South Africa’s big main airports: King Shaka, OR Tambo, and Cape Town International Airport.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>In addition, South Africa will also be&nbsp;restoring the normal trading hours for the sale of alcohol at retail outlets as opposed to the strict rules that only allowed South Africans to buy alcohol&nbsp;from Monday to Thursday, between 9AM and 5PM. &nbsp;</li><li>The President has further called on South Africans to embark on five days of mourning from November 25 to 29 to remember the victims of both Covid-19 and gender-based violence. The national flag will fly at half-mast from 6AM to 6PM (SAST); he also requested people to wear black armbands as a&nbsp;sign of mourning.&nbsp;&nbsp; </li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Crucial Numbers&nbsp;</h3>



<ul><li>As chairperson of the African Union, Ramaphosa established the Covid-19 African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team. He said it is estimated that Africa will need around $12 billion and 750 million doses of an effective vaccine.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Ramaphosa also noted the preliminary agreement between South Africa’s biggest pharmaceutical manufacturer, Aspen Pharmacare, and US drugmaker Johnson &amp; Johnson (J&amp;J). The two companies announced on November 2 that they would be producing the candidate Covid-19 vaccine in&nbsp;Port Elizabeth, South Africa.&nbsp;</li><li>“Aspen has the capacity to manufacture 300 million doses of the candidate vaccine at its Nelson Mandela Bay plant. This is a life-saving medical product that will be needed across the world, which will be manufactured by South African workers,” Ramaphosa said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Crucial Quote &nbsp;</h3>



Ramaphosa has once again appealed to South Africans to not stop adhering to preventative measures just because the country is at Alert Level One. He further stated that as the country moves into a hot festive season, more people will want to see their family and friends but people should not get complacent.   “Wearing a mask every time we leave home is far, far better than a second wave. It is also far better than a return to lockdown and better than having to shut down the economy. A number of outbreaks have been linked to indoor gatherings where there is poor ventilation and no social distancing,” Ramaphosa said.  



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Further Reading</h3>



<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2020/11/10/not-envisaging-lockdown-level-5-south-africas-health-minister/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2020/11/10/not-envisaging-lockdown-level-5-south-africas-health-minister/">‘Not Envisaging Lockdown Level 5’: South Africa’s Health Minister</a> (FORBES AFRICA)

SAFRICA-HEALTH-VIRUS

South African President Extends National State of Disaster By A Month And Appeals To The Country To Not Get Complacent

This zinc enclosure, hidden between two shacks in a South African township, is a hot little corner of hell. The dog inside, a powerful pit bull, cowers as the door is broken open and the torches of the raid team shine on him. He’s one of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dogs kept in hiding, chained and neglected, to serve an explosion of dog fighting across the country.
It’s a crime which occurs far from middle-class homes and businesses – yet it serves as both an indicator and predictor of crime that looms over them. Where dog fighting flourishes, drugs, gambling, organized crime, thievery, assault and murder march in lockstep.
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“Dog fighters are violent criminals that engage in a whole host of peripheral criminal activities. Many are heavily involved in organized crime, racketeering, drug distribution, or gangs, and they arrange and attend the fights as a forum for gambling and drug trafficking,” wrote Hannah Gibson, in a study published by the College of Law of Michigan State University in 2005.
But why has this crime taken off in South Africa?
Twenty years ago, in a Gauteng study of complaints registered at major branches of the SPCA (the local arm of the animal welfare organization NSPCA), dog fighting didn’t even feature, says Wendy Willson, Manager of NSPCA’s Special Investigations Unit – there was just one report where two dogs jumped their walls and mixed it up. But “in the 2014-2015 statistics, there were over 1,290 reports of dog fighting to the NSPCA.”
These ballooning stats are just the tip of the iceberg; dog fighting has almost no recognition among the public and police in South Africa. Most people have no idea that it is a crime and police have been known to laugh in disbelief when animal welfare organizations report incidents.
The same applies to the rest of Africa. Dog fighting as a crime is almost unheard of, although it has leaked out into surrounding Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, such as Namibia, to a limited extent. But the SPCA in Kenya, for example, says there is no dog fighting there, while Uganda’s SPCA “suspected but could not confirm” some isolated incidents.
However, Amina Abaza, Chair of the Society for the Protection of Animal Rights in Egypt (SPARE), says dog fighting is an issue in Egypt.
“It is becoming more and more popular, especially in the lower class of the society,” she says.
In Egypt, it’s not yet against the law and videos of fights are often posted online. People import dogs from Eastern Europe.
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“Each litter will bring them money,” says Abaza.
“It’s a symptom of an economic time and of a defiant and desperate youth,” says Willson.
Dog fighting occurs worldwide, especially where young men have little prospects and feel emasculated, as shown in a 2008 study of dog fighting among low-income youth in London. But, in South Africa, it has an added layer of ferocity and is largely driven by bloodlust, says Willson.
It’s a perfect vicious circle: exposure to dog fighting at a young age reduces empathy. Older boys and young men maintain the circle by inducting a new generation of children into this secretive world.
In Duduza, a township east of Johannesburg, the NSPCA were approached by a school concerned at the behavior of about 20 pupils, who were mimicking dog fights in the playground – biting, growling and attacking each other, and even playing out the mating of dogs. These boys, aged between nine and 13, had been introduced to dog fighting by an older boy or man whom they looked up to. School records show behavior changes over six months: “Elevated aggression levels, bullying and violent outbursts,” says Willson, noting that one child attacked his teacher with a six-inch nail.
In the hyper-stimulating and ‘fraternal’ atmosphere of a dog fight, these boys are exposed to unbelievable brutality. It is an introduction to a network of criminality that drives an inability to understand another’s pain and fear. Often violence becomes part of the thrill.
Fortunately, the criminal justice system and communities are beginning to take this issue seriously. In 1995, an early dog fighting bust netted several people who were fined (the wider group all chipped in to pay the fines). Today, dog fighters go to jail.
The NSPCA Special Investigations Unit gathers evidence patiently, over many months, and keeps the identities of informants safe, to construct a strong case in court. They’ve developed an ability to forensically examine dog carcasses and bones and determine what kind of fighting the dog has been forced into from the lesions on the bones.
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“It’s important that communities, especially parents, understand [that] when their children get involved in dog fighting, they risk criminal records – which means they’ll probably never work,” says Cora Bailey of Community Led Animal Welfare (CLAW), an organization that is trying to educate people on the dangers of dog fighting in townships west of Johannesburg.
“Communities know how dangerous dog fighting is, to them and their children,” says Bailey. “They don’t want this going on next door. They know it ups the violence quotient considerably.”
The violence of dog fighting is not only felt by the dogs, the community is also being hurt, despite being unaware that a cruel blood sport is becoming rampant near their homes.

The Criminal World Of Dog Eat Dog

South African cricket legend Makhaya Ntini believes racial quotas in the country’s cricket are “long overdue” and hopes to play the mentor’s role for up-and-coming black players to ease their transition into the international game.
Known as ‘The Mdingi Express’, Ntini was one of the finest fast bowlers of his generation, taking 390 test wickets in 101 matches, behind only Shaun Pollock (421) and Dale Steyn (416 and counting) on South Africa’s all-time list.
But now in a new phase of his life post-retirement, he is searching for ways to give back to the game and feels he has an almost unique role that he can play in the complex South African fold.
“I have always seen cricket as a fun game, something to be enjoyed before anything else,” Ntini tells FORBES AFRICA from Harare, where he has been helping Zimbabwe Cricket as acting coach of their senior national team.
“But it has also become an opportunity for young rural boys like myself to build a career and create opportunities for themselves that they might not find elsewhere. That is something we must take very seriously.”
<div id="attachment_5442" style="width: 213px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5442" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-5442" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/000_Par3701327-203x300.jpg" alt="" width="203" height="300" />South African cricketer Makhaya Ntini gestures after the Twenty20 match between India and South Africa at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on January 9, 2011. The match marked the last international appearance of South African fast bowler Ntini, who got a rousing reception from a crowd of about 47,000 but conceded 46 runs off four overs without taking a wicket. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE / AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE</div>
“I used to play Baker’s Mini-Cricket as a boy because it was something new, we never knew the game before it was introduced into the rural areas by [former Cricket South Africa president] Ali Bacher and [administrator] Khaya Majola.”
“The sport was not played in school; we had no television to see it. It was not a game that was part of us. But when given the opportunity to play, it was new, it was exciting.
“There were a few role-models that we could really look up to though. Omar Henry was there when we returned to international cricket in 1991, and he was a wonderful player. Obviously there were wonderful cricketers out there playing, but we did not get to see them.”
Ntini says he feels that had official quotas been introduced at the time he was starting out with the national team, the Proteas would have had a wider pool of players to choose from and been stronger for it.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has recently announced that an average minimum of six black players, of which two must be black African, will be selected for matches across all three formats of the game over a season.
This is in keeping with a decision years ago to enforce the same quotas at provincial level.
“From my take, it has been long overdue,” says Ntini. “If it had happened at the time of myself, Monde Zondeki, Victor Mpitsang, Garnett Kruger, Geoffrey Toyana, our cricket would have never have gone through the troubles it has.”
“The talent was there, but the quotas were only in the schools and provincial sides.”
“The likes of myself, Herschelle Gibbs, Ashwell Prince and Paul Adams – we had to work harder than anybody else to get recognized. We had to perform in every game to stick around [in the team].”
“We could not have a ‘bad day in the office’ like many other players or suddenly we would be under big pressure. We were looked at in a very different way.”
“I had to wait four years to play in England. I kept being told by [former captain] Hansie Cronje and [ex-coach] Bob Woolmer, ‘you are on a learning curve, you must wait for your chance’.”
“It seemed impossible that I could take the place of an Allan Donald, Jacques Kallis, Brian McMillan, Shaun Pollock or Lance Klusener. These were great players, but I think if I was born seven years later I would have achieved a lot more in the game.”
“Because of that I think we had a responsibility to perform. We had a responsibility in how we trained, how we played, how we gathered ourselves off the field. We needed to make sure that when we went on that field, we had the tools to give our best.”
No-one in their right mind would suggest that new young firebrand fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has benefitted from the recently introduced quota system, he has let his prodigious talent do the talking. The son of a doctor and schooled at the prestigious St Stithians College, Rabada did not have any of the early disadvantages that Ntini endured as a young boy.
But the latter insists he still needs to be mentored and guided along the way.
“He has chosen a narrow road as a career, but he has a wonderful family around him to ensure he does not get big-headed and to offer guidance. He keeps himself grounded,” says Ntini.
“But I can see he is hungry to achieve more than what I did and is not satisfied with what he has done already. He looks as though he is challenging himself all the time.”
But Ntini cautions that international sport is an unforgiving place and says he will always be a sympathetic shoulder for Rabada or any other cricketers making their way in the game, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Sometimes they need people to sit them down and talk to them as brothers,” Ntini says. “I have realized that we lack that in our coaches. They can teach everything about cricket, but our brothers do not have someone that they can easily open up to with their struggles off the pitch.”
“I feel like I can offer advice, because these things can have a major impact on your career. We have coaches to teach cricket, but when the player is off the pitch and in his hotel room, they don’t have people to knock on the door to see how they are doing.”
“Can I open up to an [captain] AB de Villiers as a black cricketer and say, ‘I am struggling with this or that, my girlfriend has just left me, I am going through a divorce’, things like that which have a huge impact on a person?”
“AB will not be able to guide them, I don’t think, but I feel like I can be that person with all that I have been through. If I had the opportunity to be involved on that level, I would jump at it because I see it as a way of giving back to the game and to South African cricket.”
Ntini says he has enjoyed his stint with Zimbabwe Cricket, even if the side did receive some criticism during his tenure for crushing losses to India and New Zealand.
It is, perhaps, unfair to lay the blame for those defeats at the door of Ntini given how little cricket the Zimbabwe national teams plays. Whatever the result, he continues to flash his trademark smile.
“Enjoyment is an understatement, I am loving it [coaching],” he says. “I put my whole heart into it. Look at Zimbabwe cricket and cricketers, how much they have changed from where they were since I got here.”
“They tend to enjoy themselves now, they open up to us, they have the freedom of being able to be you, not the restriction of trying to impress me.”
But he says his heart remains in South Africa and if the right opportunity came to return home, he would jump at it.
“South Africa is my country, I will never run away,” he says.

The Role Model Waiting For A Role

In this home away from home, the grey-haired former British cabinet minister holds forth in a South African hotel – one glimpse of the glint in his eye and you can imagine the long-haired rebel he once was, running riot and giving the finger to authority.
Forty six years ago, Peter Hain was probably the most hated man among white sports fans in South Africa; the country of his birth. He was barely 19 when he earned the moniker ‘Hain The Pain’ and emerged as chairman of the rebellious anti-apartheid campaign, Stop The Seventy Tour, in Britain. With his friends, Hain ran amok, invading rugby pitches and causing mayhem for the touring South African teams between 1969 and 1970. Their campaign helped bring an international ban on the lily-white South African sport teams of yore.
“I was sports fanatic, like a lot of South African boys. I understood that sports could be the Achilles heel of apartheid, because apartheid in South Africa was terrible and was condemned but still (their) cricket team was appearing at Lord’s and the Springboks at Twickenham. Football (was) everywhere and athletics and so on. So, I thought if we hit that then we could really hit white South Africa morale very deeply,” Hain told Forbes Africa after giving a speech in Johannesburg.
Hain graduated from an unruly activist to a Labour Party minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, between 2001 and 2015. Brown was a fellow anti-apartheid activist in 1969.
Back in 1966, his parents, Walter and Adelaine Hain, were jailed for opposing apartheid and were exiled in London. His parents continued their activism, protesting outside the South African embassy in Trafalgar Square. The teenage Hain immersed himself in non-violent, anti-apartheid protests at all sports grounds.
“In 1969, it was a period of a lot of direct action and non-violent protests, students occupying the campuses, protests against the Vietnam War, in 1968 students revolted in America, I was part of that generation. I thought there was no good in standing outside the stadium holding up placards, that doesn’t get you anywhere, so we ran onto the pitch, we stopped the matches.”
That was not all. Hain and his friends booked a young woman into a London hotel where the Springboks were staying. The woman jammed the door locks of the Springboks rooms the night before a test match at Twickenham. In the morning they had to break the doors down. Then the campaigners lured the Springboks’ driver into the hotel. Just a few hours before the kick-off, the protesters stole the bus with half of the team on board. One of the players wrestled with the driver and the bus crashed into other cars. It took the police an hour to unchain the driver who was tied to the steering wheel.
“South Africa was expelled from the Olympics until Madiba (Nelson Mandela) walked out of the prison and became the president. Those South African teams were never South African, they were white South African teams,” he says.
Now, 50 years after his family’s unceremonious exit, Hain was back in South Africa to address the Wits Business School about Brexit; populism, and the European refugee crisis.  Commenting on the thorny issue around the Springboks’ lack of transformation, he says it doesn’t happen overnight.
“You have to have positive action to promote African, colored and Indian players. But you also have to be competitive internationally. And squaring those two is pretty difficult, I would simply say, it’s going to be bumpy, but somehow you are going through a phase of transition. The cricket team is very, very good. Compared them with when I was protesting, it is millions kilometers better,” he says.
The week Hain arrived, the university fees protests raged across South Africa.
“The economy is being neglected by the ANC. The schools systems are horrifying. In the global school performance index out of the 140 countries, South Africa is 138, below Benin and Mauritania, the poorest countries in the world. This is unacceptable. Where is the money going? They have done fantastically in building houses and giving electricity to people who didn’t have under apartheid,” he says.
Hain was sneaked into the Sunnyside Park Hotel in Parktown, Johannesburg, a few miles from the Wits Business School. The establishment that brought him here was under siege from hot headed activists. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

‘Hain The Pain’ All Grown Up

The South African economy may be struggling but football remains big business in the country with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) expanding its reach outside of the continent.
The increased pulling power of the league has been more evident over the last 18 months with many high-profile acquisitions by the country’s leading clubs.
The most intriguing of these was the capture by SuperSport United of South African international midfielder Dean Furman, who has grabbed the chance to become part of an ambitious project at the Pretoria club.
At the age of 27, Furman is a player reaching his prime, but instead of pushing to grow his reputation in Europe, he has instead opted for a more lucrative contract in South Africa.
Furman is one of a number of players from outside of Africa that have pledged their future to the South African domestic game. What started as a trickle 18 months ago has turned into something of a rush, at two clubs at least.
The New Zealand international trio of Jeremy Brockie and Michael Boxall (both SuperSport), as well as Kris Bright (Wits) have arrived. As has Australian Isaka Cernak at SuperSport, Portuguese junior international, Jucie Lupeta, and most recently Englishman James Keene, both of whom play at Wits.
And then there is the return to the PSL of experienced defender Bongani Khumalo, to SuperSport for the first half of the season and, since January, Wits. His failure to get a work permit in England was a deciding factor, though there were other offers elsewhere in Europe.
The new arrivals have had varying degrees of success. Cernak and Bright have especially struggled to adapt to the local game, but the rest have added value to their teams.
Furman remains the most high-profile of the new arrivals though, having come through the junior ranks at English giants Chelsea, made his professional debut for top Scottish club Glasgow Rangers and captained his country at an African Nations Cup finals.
Born in Cape Town, his early years were spent in the plush surroundings of Camps Bay before his parents immigrated to England when he was five. Four years later, he was scouted by Chelsea playing for his local club and joined their academy.
His next move involved a future Liverpool manager and a Scottish great.
“I was coming to the end of my apprenticeship at Chelsea and was unsure whether I would be kept on,” says Furman. “Throughout my time at Chelsea, the youth coaches had been really supportive of me. One of them, Brendan Rodgers, had a link at Celtic, which was [former Scotland star] Tommy Burns, and so I spent a week training there.”
“After that I had a week at Glasgow Rangers as well. I really enjoyed both experiences and would have been happy to sign for either club. But Rangers moved faster I guess and I committed to them.”
Furman made his senior debut for his new club in 2008, two years after joining the club, but felt his fortunes lay in England, despite being offered a new contract by the Scottish side and after a successful loan spell at fourth-tier Bradford City, joined Oldham Athletic a division above.
He immediately hit it off with coach Paul Dickov, so much so that he was handed the captaincy of the side for the 2011/12 season, just days past his 23rd birthday, making him the youngest skipper among England’s 92 league clubs for that season.
“I think Paul Dickov could see a bit of himself in me,” says Furman.
At the end of the first season, the captain had moved on and Dickov was looking for someone else to take the leadership role.
“It was a great honor and a great responsibility for me at a young age. But I think that is just the way I am. Whether I am wearing the captain’s armband or not I try and get the best out of my teammates. It is something that comes quite naturally to me.”
A move to Doncaster Rovers would follow, initially on loan and then permanently in 2013 as Furman sought to perform at a higher level.
He did compete in the English Championship with Rovers and did not look out of place, despite their relegation in the 2013/14 season.
He turned down the offer of a new contract at the club at the end of the last campaign and had a trial with Championship club Blackburn Rovers, where he received glowing praise from the club’s management, but who ultimately opted to sign players in other positions they felt needed greater cover.
Furman had long been linked with the South African PSL ever since he made his debut for Bafana Bafana under Gordon Igesund against Brazil in 2012. Now with options to consider on the table, the best of these were from SuperSport United, a club with substantial financial backing and ambition.
“It wasn’t an easy decision, purely based on having to move to another country and the affect that would have on my girlfriend and our families,” he says.
“But [SuperSport CEO] Stan Matthews came over and outlined his vision for the club. I spoke to a lot of people about the team and the PSL and ultimately we decided to experience something new.”
Furman says he and his girlfriend have settled in well and believes there are a number of factors why the PSL is becoming a more attractive league for players from outside the continent.
“The legacy from the [2010] World Cup has really put the spotlight on South African football. And there is some real talent over here with exciting players, so it is great to watch and be involved in. The facilities are world-class too.”
Also, there is no doubt that tougher financial conditions among European clubs means more players will be looking for opportunities outside of the continent.
“There are a lot of really good players scratching around looking for a club. Financially, teams have tightened up so good players have been released to cut wage bills and it is becoming more difficult therefore to win a good contract at a good club because there is so much competition.”
It is for that reason that Furman, while just reaching his prime as a player, is already thinking about life after retirement.
“I have got a couple of properties in the UK and am also doing my dissertation for a sports science degree. Your career ends very early in life and so you need to think about the next 50 years.”
The rude financial health of the PSL should make those 50 years easier for Furman.

Home, hale  And Hearty

Last month I suggested that the South African government is unsure of which route to follow to find a shared strategy with the private sector to deal with the infrastructure backlog preventing the region’s progress.
Has the ruthless march towards recession, higher unemployment, coupled with the prospect of credit ratings downgrades and potential changes in voter sentiment, finally struck home?
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s recent bellwether meeting with 60 CEOs reminds me of the Union Buildings meeting I attended after South Africa successfully hosted the 2010 World Cup. The President and most of the Cabinet met with business in high spirits to reinforce the need to harness the collaborative momentum that had delivered so well.
Will the economic crisis that has followed the inaction and ineptitude after that euphoric session finally galvanize government and business into action?
Economic revival will not be achieved without massive investment in infrastructure and it cannot be delivered effectively without collaboration between the public and private sectors at the highest level.
In many countries there is a close relationship between the government, the national agenda and the construction industry. Many have transparent cross shareholding and collective arrangements that make for quicker infrastructure expansion.
The key is harnessing private sector funding for public infrastructure through commercially viable PPPs and concessionary projects, where each party takes a share in the risk for reward. This relieves the fiscus of having to fund everything and can then direct scarce public funds towards infrastructure that will attract industrial investment and drive long-term economic growth.
My previous company has decades of experience with this in Africa and Eastern Europe, but political ideology in South Africa has bedeviled this opportunity.
After 2010, we had numerous discussions with Brazilian groups and learned of this collective mindset in Brazil ahead of their 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics programs.
France has a deep collaboration between government and construction. The United States infrastructure is now undergoing massive rebuilding, with a strong private sector participation in both funding and implementation.
Likewise for overseas work, our competitors come into our region with robust political and financial backing from their governments.
The French approach to business is founded upon national interest and long-term foreign relationships, which was evident in recent years with the prospects for a fleet of nuclear power plants for South Africa. For several years, I participated in the developing French strategy for this work that encompassed major technology groups, their suppliers looking to localize in South Africa, the French national power utility and their government representatives.
Likewise, the Russians and South Koreans have strongly developed public/private trade institutions and strategies and have engaged with targeted partnerships with local companies. The success of South Korean business in our market is remarkable. The Russians are now firm contenders for nuclear power.
In stark contrast, in my experience in working across Africa and the Middle East, South African business generally feels alone and has to fend for itself internationally.
South Africa’s tax-payer funded development finance institutions have been known to fund projects in other African countries without involving any South African content. Most competitor nations would have contractual requirements that their funding has a high content from the lending nation.
This further diminishes South Africa’ growth prospects, the tax base and the desired employment and regional cooperation. The lack of support, and the time lost, is eroding the commitment to South Africa as the bigger companies shed local jobs and continue to shift to new international markets.
The construction industry has been through hell but it’s ready to make a difference. To do this it needs a champion in government, that has until now been absent.
The industry has tabled robust investments and long-term plans that include significant additional training and skills program. It has also offered to assist distressed municipalities and undertake social projects.
There is also a suite of execution strategies that will deliver on the commitment to collaborate with, mentor and jointly execute large projects with black-owned business to ensure the next generation of large construction companies are created from a solid experience base.
Perhaps out of adversity, the need for radical change in ideology and policy from government and for business to deliver more jobs, demographic and economic transformation and black industrialization, Gordhan’s new approach will find traction.
The engineering and construction industry in this country cannot wait much longer.

Collaborate Or Else

With the new South African visa regulations, it’s not just the small B&amp;Bs taking a hit – the high-end is feeling the effects too.
Foreigners who want to visit South Africa must apply for visas in person at South African embassies to have their biometric data captured. Residents of countries who require a short-stay visa for South Africa, and do not have a South African embassy in their country or city, will have to travel. Parents and guardians traveling with children must be in possession of an unabridged birth certificate.
The travel and tourism sector directly employs an estimated 679,500 people, is growing at a rate of 3% and contributes directly and indirectly to 9.4% of South Africa’s GDP. But Cape Town’s top-end is feeling the brunt of the legislature. The Westin, at R2,330 ($167) a night, is situated at the entrance of the Victoria &amp; Alfred Waterfront; with views of Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and the entirety of Table Bay. Within walking distance from town it’s a firm favorite for tourists. It’s an easy sell but the five-star hotel has already taken a hit.
“At The Westin, we have started to see the ramifications that the new visa regulations is having on the tourism industry. Damage to the local tourism industry has already begun.  We definitely anticipate a lull for the festive season this year. A further concern is the collateral damage that comes from this, such as the strain on the South African economy as well as job loss,” says Rob Kucera, FEDHASA (Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa) Cape Chairman and GM for The Westin Cape Town.
Occupancy rates have dropped significantly for The Westin. A study commissioned by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa said the tourism industry lost R886 million ($63 million) in direct spending last year because of the regulations and fears that Ebola might spread from West Africa. It’s estimated that South Africa is set to lose 100,000 tourists this year, translating into a R1.4-billion ($100 million) loss.
“We have changed our strategy to find business in other market segments and countries. We have taken a hit over our current winter period and the upcoming season will not be as good as last year,” says Kucera.
“There is no doubt that due to the new visa regulations we have challenging times ahead. As the industry body for the hospitality sector we are committed to encouraging these conversations for the benefit of the tourism industry and ultimately to safeguard the international tourist impression of South Africa as a holiday destination of choice,” he says.
South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma announced that a new inter-ministerial committee has been established to deal with the unintended consequences of the new travel visa regulations. The regulations are coming under fire – not only for the effects on the tourism industry but for the justification of them. The consequences come at a bad time for South Africa; the economy shrank by an unexpected 1.3% in the second quarter.
Tourism minister, Derek Hanekom, admits tourism has been hit. He said the number of visitors from China, one of South Africa’s major markets, has dropped by nearly 40% – and the numbers for other markets were similar.
In defense of the regulations, Home Affairs director-general Mkuseli Apleni briefed parliament. In his report, he claimed an estimated 30,000 children, 50% of whom are under the age of 14, are trafficked through South Africa every year, and that the new regulations would protect those children. The figure has since been dispelled by Africa Check and in parliament, it was stated that 23 children had been trafficked in a three-year period.
With too much room in the inn on all fronts, the tourism industry’s fears are mounting

Too Much Room In The Inn

The new controversial South African visa requirements have been labeled an economy killer and sparked widespread jitters in the tourism business.
Foreigners who want to visit South Africa must apply for visas in person at South African embassies to have their biometric data captured. Residents of countries who require a short-stay visa for South Africa and do not have a South African embassy in their country or city, will have to travel. Parents and guardians traveling with children, must be in possession of an unabridged birth certificate.
<div id="attachment_3789" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3789" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-3789" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/0000223010-300x196.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="196" />CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA &#8211; APRIL 28: Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Fatima Chohan meets to discuss the recent xenophobic violence on April 28, 2015 in Cape Town, South Africa. The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs hosted a meeting with Ministers of Home Affairs, Small Business Development as well as Police on the challenges of xenophobic violence and looting of foreign owned shops. (Photo by Gallo Images / Die Burger / Deon Raath)</div>
While the tourism industry cries foul, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Fatima Chohan, defended the new regulations. She argues that the migration laws have not been changed for 15 years and that the regulations are in line with international rules against child trafficking. An estimated 30,000 children are trafficked through South Africa each year, according to government.
“Research suggests that it will cost the South African economy 21,000 jobs and around R10 billion ($809 million). By the end of 2014‚ the number of visitors from China and Brazil had dropped 70% and 62% from the year before‚” says Beverley Schäfer‚ the spokesperson on Economic Opportunities‚ Tourism &amp; Agriculture from the opposition party, the Democratic Alliance.
South Africa began implementing new immigration regulations in May 2014. From May to December, South Africa lost 66,000 foreign tourists due to changes in the immigration regulations.
The Association of Southern African Travel Agents (ASATA) has estimated the new rules will hit 15% of tourists.
“In 2014, South Africa received 9.55 million foreign overnight tourists, an increase of 7,5 percent over that recorded in 2013. Demand from all overseas markets steadily dissipated throughout the year, coming off highs of 8,6 percent in the first four months of the year to a decline of 1,2 percent in the last four months. Assuming a 20 percent drop in demand from the family market will result in a direct, indirect and induced loss to the South African economy of at least R10 billion ($809 million) per annum and potential job losses of around 24,000,” says ASATA.
The damage to the South African economy so far is R2.6 billion ($210 million) and a threat to more than 5,800 jobs, it says. In the future, ASATA warns of the loss of 100,000 tourists with R1.4 billion ($113 million). This translates to a net loss to the GDP of around R4.1 billion ($331 million) and 9,300 jobs.
Despite South Africa’s economy facing another hit, the hospitality sector is poised for further growth in the next five years in the wake of a number of inbound travelers into the African continent, according to a report issued by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in June. The hotel industry in 2014 benefited from an increase in foreign visitors and rising room rates. The new visa regulations, could scupper this.
“Many in the industry fear that international tourists will not consider South Africa as a destination, which already has a number of issues and concerns despite being a cheap destination. International visitors especially those from India or China or those traveling with families may chose a destination where entry requirements are less onerous,” says Nikki Forster, a director and partner at PwC.
South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom, admits tourism has been hit. At the World Economic Forum on Africa he hinted that there would be a review.
“The current requirements [are] up for discussion right now as we speak, so it is not engraved in stone… We are in very intense discussions on this and I think we will find each other and find the right balance between legitimate defending, legitimate interests of the state and defending your national security interests and not putting unnecessary requirements on people wanting to travel to South Africa,” he said.
The Department of Tourism has since stated there will not be a review, but that talks about implementation will continue. The ministerial cabinet has resolved to set up a team of ministers to discuss and engage with any concerns to address the unintended consequences of the regulations.
With reports that Air China has cancelled the launch of direct flights to South Africa over the regulations, many of the continent’s finest resorts fear the threat of too much room at the inn.

The $809-Million  Question

Patricia de Lille has spent the vast majority of her almost four decade career in South African politics. The guiding principle of her working life has been to never use her position as a female leader to ask for special treatment.
De Lille famously exposed corruption related to the multibillion-rand arms deal in government in the year 2000, took part in the drafting of South Africa’s progressive constitution in the early 1990s and currently serves as mayor of the country’s second largest city – Cape Town.
“Women are their own worst enemies. I don’t believe in this quota stuff and asking for special dispensations just because of your gender. In politics you have to learn to play by the rules, then you assume power and once you are in, you start changing the rules,” she says. De Lille was born in Beaufort West, a small town located approximately an hour’s drive from Cape Town. Dreams of studying law were shelved after a teenage De Lille fell pregnant and she entered the workforce at a paint factory located outside her hometown. The trade union movement underway on the factory floor became an outlet of political expression and de Lille worked her way up from being a shop steward to becoming the regional secretary of the South African Chemical Workers Union.
“During this time, I embarked on a program to get more women leaders within our trade union, starting out from the shop steward position. I wanted to find out why women don’t put themselves up for elections. Everyone knows men vote for men but what I realized is that the women vote for the men as well…The first thing I had to make women realize is that we don’t need to ask for permission to take on leadership positions.”
De Lille moved on from the trade unions to join the Pan Africanist Movement in 1989 before heading up the group responsible for the constitutional negotiations ahead of South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994. She went on to join Parliament in various portfolios before founding the Independent Democratic Party in 2003 (which later merged with the Democratic Alliance in 2010).
“I set myself the target of becoming the first woman to establish a political party, contest the elections and win seats in Parliament. I did that and I hope I have opened the road for other women in the future,” she says.
De Lille’s current role of leading development in the City of Cape Town comes with challenges largely as a result of the apartheid era’s spatial planning where suburbs populated by black people were built far from the business hubs of the city – resulting in a long and expensive commute for their residents.
Cape Town’s population has expanded by 30% in the past 10 years and current data estimates residents will grow by 100,000 each year for the foreseeable future.
The swell of populace coupled with divisive city planning is placing considerable strain on existing infrastructure and this will be one of De Lille’s major tasks as she moves into her fifth year of mayoral office.
Further challenges include breaking down the common misconception that Cape Town is all about style and little substance.
“We are not just a tourist destination. We are open for business and we want the world to invest here with us,” she says.
On her leadership style, De Lille says that a career in politics is dependent on the ability to empathize, and humility – admittedly both female-biased characteristics although De Lille refuses to play the gender game when it comes to her value system.
“I have always looked up to principles and values which resonate with me. They are completely gender neutral.”
De Lille is fiercely nationalistic but also admits that the South Africa has lost its way through the 20-year transition period from the post-apartheid regime to the democratic state.
“I hope we get the leadership we deserve,” she says.
De Lille lives with her husband and children, who she credits for giving her the support she needed to pursue her political career.
“I remember someone asking my little boy many years ago whether he minded the fact that his mommy is away from home so much. He said he didn’t mind sharing his mom with the country.”
Her spare time is minimal but any weekends she has off are spent on the golf course with family and friends, as well as listening to jazz and R&amp;B music.

Nelson Mandela Commemorative Concert

‘Women Are Their Own Worst Enemies’

As a former South African Olympic swimmer, what qualities did you develop from the sport?
I started swimming when I was eight and trained every day for six hours until the age of 27, so I think that made me a determined person with a strong spirit.
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What does an aspiring athlete need to succeed, and did these qualities serve you well in life?
I wouldn’t be who I am today without my swimming and sport. Every athlete needs to understand the true values of sport, such as discipline, respect for oneself and others, as well as learning to make an effort and instil team spirit. I learned what duty means during my time as an athlete, as well as responsibility towards the country I represented. I think this prepared me well for my current role.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6136" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2014-Apr-May-042-044-ENTR-Monaco-TW-001-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />
There must have been challenges, such as learning French and Court Protocol, when transitioning from your life as a South African Olympic swimmer to Princess and wife of Prince Albert?
Yes of course, and I embraced these changes with the help of my husband, who has always been my strongest support.
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You are passionate about children being water safe.
The Princess Charlène of Monaco Foundation was established in December 2012 and our primary aim is to save children’s lives. It is something I am very passionate about. So many children die every year because they can’t swim. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 400 children and more than 1,000 people drown every day. Some three million children are rescued from drowning every year, with some suffering severe injuries as a result. These figures are terrible. It’s so important to raise public awareness of the dangers associated with water and to teach life-saving techniques to children. The skill of swimming can also be a gift that a person passes on to the next generation.
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What are the foundation’s current projects and what projects do you have in the pipeline?
This year will see a continuation of activities in Morocco and South Africa, where our projects have been set up. There’s a busy year ahead as we’re also considering some ambitious projects in India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Mauritania. These are all countries where the number of deaths by drowning is particularly high.
In France, we will be holding a ‘Learn to Swim’ program for 350 under-privileged children, with another water safety day planned in Dinard for 150 children. We are also planning a ‘Swim to Survive’ program in Quebec for more than 3,000 underprivileged eight-year-olds and a ‘Water Safety’ day for young children in Tustin, California.
In Monaco, we will be partnering with the Sea Rescue and First Aid Training Center to train children in first aid and the rules and basic skills of life-saving. This is in addition to swimming lessons, which are already part of the school curriculum.
We are also currently studying low-cost easy-to-instal portable pools that could be the solution for places that lack the financial means to build the traditional concrete or fiberglass pools.
These are all the main projects, but we are studying many more.
There is no way I could do any of this without help and the foundation also has a network of ambassadors in different countries to set up projects and look out for young talent. It would be wonderful if the media supported me in increasing world awareness on the importance of water safety for children and such support would be a good start to enable us to save children’s lives.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-6137" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2014-Apr-May-042-044-ENTR-Monaco-TW-002-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />
What work has the foundation undertaken in South Africa?
In July last year, we established our first ‘Learn to Swim’ program in Durban under triathlete and sports coach, Dominique Donner-Rodd. Already over 130 children have taken part, including children from two orphanages. The foundation also helps promising young sports talents who lack means, mostly financial, to realize their sports potential. We currently have two brilliant young South African swimmers – 12-year-old Khwezi Duma who has represented South Africa in the junior category at the age of 10. She has already won seven gold medals during her short career. Our other star is 11-year-old Zoe Frank, a member of the South African women’s team, who has already broken six records in her category and is training for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
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What other organizations are you involved with, apart from the foundation?
I am very proud to be a member of the board of the Princess Grace Foundation USA and I am also Honorary President of Monaco Against Autism. I think it’s very important to support and encourage disabled people and I am Ambassador for the Special Olympics, as well as Peace and Sport. I have also been appointed co-patron of the Giving Organization Trust, a group of South African charities that deal with issues ranging from AIDS among underprivileged children to the protection of the environment. So I’m pretty busy.
As Monaco’s first lady, you also preside over the Principality’s National Day celebrations, the Monaco Grand Prix, the Rose Ball and the Annual Red Cross Ball, and attend many social events with the Prince, such as the recent Winter Olympics. Any tips for coping with such a hectic schedule?
If someone has a tip for me… it will be much appreciated!
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Do you follow fashion trends or favor specific designers?
I don’t follow trends and I never wear something to try make a statement.
What is the ‘must have’ item of clothing or accessory in your wardrobe?
Jeans and a white t-shirt.
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Where is your favorite holiday destination in Africa?
Anywhere the sun is shining.
<div id="attachment_6135" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6135" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-6135" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2014-Apr-May-042-044-ENTR-Monaco-TW-004-300x221.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="221" />Cap Town Decembre 2011 Prince Albert of Monaco and Princess Charlene of Monacos meet the Desmond Tutu at the Desmond Tutu Foundation</div>
Lastly, having successfully taken your place on a tough global stage under the glare of the world media, what advice do you have for young women starting out in the business world?
To be themselves always, and to remember the words of Nelson Mandela: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

The Olympic Princess From Johannesburg

The South African adult sex industry is big business. And while some of you may blush and titter at my choice of phrase, it is impossible to ignore the fact that many players in the sector are coining it.
Although no official statistics are available, insiders say it is a multibillion-dollar industry. And if attendance figures at Africa’s largest sex expo are anything to go by, the sector is booming, as more and more women rid themselves of the shackles of conservatism.
Arthur Calamaras, who jokingly dubs himself the ‘king of porn’, is the franchise owner of Sexpo in South Africa. This year he had hoped 50,000 people would attend the four-day exhibition in September. In the end, 45,000 visited the health, sexuality and lifestyle expo, which is still considered a respectable number.
The face of consumers of adult sex products is changing dramatically. The stereotype of pimply teenagers or lecherous old men no longer applies. Women are getting into the game in their droves, with more women than men attending Sexpo.
Calamaras says one reason for women’s increased interest in Sexpo and porn shops in general is that women are now designing sex toys. So not only are they prettier, but they come in ergonomic shapes and have innovative features.
In addition, market players wanting to attract women, especially rich women, have opened upmarket, lux-urious adult shops.
One example is sensuality boutique Lola Montez. Owner Sharon Gordon, a qualified human rights lawyer, opened Lola Montez as she believed it was time to be an activist for what is regarded as one of the most important aspects in a relationship – sex. Gordon was newly divorced at the time.
“At the same stage I was going through that whole dilemma… that women over 40 go through, that no one is ever going to love me again, that I am never going to have sex again.
“I thought that rather than playing at the one-night stand thing, I needed a vibrator. So off I went to one of ‘those shops’ and had the worst experience of my life,” she recalls.
Gordon then traveled to Australia, England and the United States to establish what was going on in the adult sex market internationally. She came back to South Africa and opened Lola Montez more than a decade ago, becoming one of the first women to enter the local industry.
“I really started it from a point that nobody needs to feel dirty about their sexuality and that I could do this better than it was being done.”
Gordon believes that at the time, other than in San Francisco in the US, she had the first store where people could actually touch a vibrator before deciding whether or not to buy it.
“When you come to a Lola store it’s a holistic experience. You will get educated, you will be able to touch and feel. It’s all about feeling comfortable with your sensuality and your sexuality in a safe and educated environment.”
Calamaras has also shifted focus in his 65 Adult World shops, as women are driving the sales.
“I have started introducing more female lines. In the last three years, demographics have changed a lot. As we revamp each store, we change the look and feel to make women feel more comfortable,” he explains.
He agrees that to cater for women, products had to undergo a makeover.
“The vibrator has changed from what it was 10 years ago. It has multi-speeds. Medically, products are safer, more thought is put into design; it’s more cosmetic than looking like a genital.”
Charmaine Brewis, who owns Lady Jane, an exclusive adult toy and lingerie shop in Durban, South Africa, says most of her clientele are 35 and older, married, or have high disposable incomes. She says her customers do not bat an eyelash at paying $300 for a product.
“A lot of women who come in are going through menopause and they have taken responsibility for their sexual life because it is affecting their relationships. So then they will come in and they will buy a vibrator or something like that,” explains Brewis.
Gordon, who describes herself as a relationship engineer, believes adult toys can help improve connections. “We fix the relationship with yourself and the relationship with your partner because we can educate you. At the end of the day, they are toys. That’s what they are. They are to play,”
she says.
One of the most popular services Lola Montez offers is a ‘couple’s event’. Partners go to the store together and do several exercises to establish where they are in their relationship. They are then given communication techniques to help express to one another what it is they want. Afterwards, staff members assess what the couple would be interested in and are able to advise them on purchases.
Although there has been a surge in internet sites selling sex toys, Gordon says Lola Montez still sells more in-store. This is especially common with first-time buyers who are unsure what they are looking for.
“That first buy is always within the comfort of: are you a clit or G-spot girl? Are you allergic to latex?”
And yes, she does count well-known women among her clients. “They come into the store and it’s quite interesting because the minute that it’s a personality and you are supposed to recognize them, we just make as if we don’t know who they are. And the minute you do that, all of a sudden they are just a person, and you sell what you need to sell,” she says.
As with most businesses, the economic slowdown has had a negative impact on the industry and the middle class is making fewer purchases. Gordon believes this is a grave mistake.
“Essentially we are a luxury item. We are not bread and milk. You can still have sex without us. My big thing is that that’s thinking wrong. You actually have to have us.
“What’s the first thing that walks out the back door when financial woes walk through the front? It’s your sex life and your relationship. If you are maintaining it by buying naughtiness and sexiness and making sure that you are keeping your relationship and self-esteem in play, then you should be buying our product and therefore we should be at the top of the grocery list.”
Although there is money to be made, both Calamaras and Gordon say the sex industry is not an easy one to break into. And as a woman, the stigma attached to the sector makes it more difficult for Gordon. Some women refuse to sit next to her when she attends her son’s rugby games. Others keep their husbands far away from her in case she steals them.
This attitude and perception is changing in South Africa, but in the rest of Africa, the picture is very different. In the vast majority of African countries, sex toys are illegal. Women either have to make their purchases secretly in other countries, or find other ways to spice up their sex lives.

SA Sex Sector all grown up

It’s the three-letter acronym, with a sting, that few can ignore. BEE—Black Economic Empowerment—is a decade old this year and has rarely been free of controversy.
Questions are being asked about whether BEE has brought more people of color into the South African economy or reached its expiry date.
There are many critics of the ruling African National Congress’ (ANC) policies. They claim that BEE has far from closed the gap between rich and poor, despite South Africa’s solid economic infrastructure and increased social welfare spending. South Africa’s GINI co-efficient numbers—the global measurement of inequality—remain among the highest in the world.
Professor Adam Habib, political commentator and new vice-chancellor of the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, says BEE was never intended to be a policy to bring previously disadvantaged South Africans into the economic mainstream, even though it was presented as such. For him BEE was an exercise in exquisite deception.
“The ANC’s aim was not to deracialize the economy, through investing in small business or entrepreneurs, but a critical decision to deracialize the apex of white business in South Africa, which they did and created a class of capitalistic and parasitic bourgeoisie,” says Habib.
Habib uses the word “parasitic” because he says the BEE super elite have not created new business, promoted Greenfield projects or stimulated job creation or entrepreneurship that’s sustainable or meaningful.
“The irony is, it’s easier to get a tender worth R250 million ($25 million) than it is to get R25,000 ($2,500) to start a small business,” he says.
Habib says, the policy needs a complete overhaul. As he puts it: “Pigmentation becomes a tradable commodity in South Africa.”
His three checkboxes to justify BEE are: for small business development to be prioritized; a “one bite at the cherry” clause to apply for those who benefit from BEE deals; and firm action to stimulate new enterprise.
Moeletsi Mbeki is less confident that there is anything worth salvaging from the policy enacted during his brother, Thabo Mbeki’s, presidential tenure. He says BEE has not benefitted the majority of South Africans, black or white.
“In the 10 years of BEE, what we’ve learnt was that it was an important device to create an economic oligarchy for the politically connected, which was always the aim. The majority of South Africans, black or whites, are no better off because of policies like BEE or affirmative action,” says Mbeki.
“The ANC needs BEE to continue to perpetuate the illusion that everyone can enter into this circle of wealth.”
BEE has come with a complex system of scorecards, codes and charters that cut across two broad aims of skills development and employment equity. It is broken down into additional categories and indicators so government can assess companies for BEE compliance.
The ANC’s man on economic transformation is Enoch Gondongwana, who failed to respond to FORBES AFRICA’s requests for comment.
The party’s secretary general, Gwede Mantashe, has criticized BEE, saying he has “serious grievances with BEE focusing on shareholding rather helping beneficiaries gain a deeper understanding of business”.
Mantashe has slated a lack of transformation, saying the new breed of black CEOs is mere window dressing. He has also criticized growing wastage as BEE companies use the state as a cash cow, by providing poor quality goods at inflated prices.
The Black Management Forum (BMF) disagrees and says BEE has to continue because it serves the country’s growth and development needs.
“BEE is a moral initiative to redress the wrongs of the past. It’s also a pragmatic growth strategy that aims to realize the country’s full economic potential, while helping to bring the black majority into the economic mainstream. Given the fact that the economy has not transformed to encourage participation, which reflects the demographics of South Africa, makes talk of a ‘sunset clause’ irrelevant and premature,” says Rowena Baird of BMF.
Baird argues that BEE is not a racially divisive policy because its aim is not to take wealth from one group to give to another.
There are lessons from countries such as Malaysia that embarked on a 20-year-long National Economic Policy (NEP) in 1970. It was meant to eradicate poverty and restructure society, to eliminate the identification of race in economic life. It promoted affirmative action in favor of Malays but also had the effect of pushing Chinese economic, educational and cultural life to society’s periphery, leading many Chinese to feel like second-class citizens.
For Mamphela Ramphele, former managing director of the World Bank and leader of new political party Agang, the Malaysian story should be a warning to South Africa that making citizens feel alienated is a recipe for disaster.
“BEE can only work if it has real intentions to redress the legacy of the past that systematically disadvantaged black people,” she says.
Ramphele says that more structured programs need to be in place. She says well planned employee share schemes can mean money in the pockets of a wider range of previously disadvantaged individuals.
The South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) says racial inequality has been declining, but it’s not because of the post-apartheid policies.
Anthea Jeffrey, head of special research at the SAIRR, says: “Such inequality has been declining steadily since 1970 and started under the Nationalist Party.”
Factors she cites include rising skills, unionization, and better paid jobs for Africans.
“Redistribution via the budget has played a vital part; 16 million people are now on social grants. The government also provides free RDP houses, free schooling in 60 percent of schools, free healthcare to many, and free basic water and electricity to the indigent. In addition, public sector employment has been steadily expanding, while average wages in the public sector, where Africans predominate, outstrip those in the private sector by around 40 percent,” she says.
“Despite its evident successes, racial inequality remains stark. The poor are far from being content as rising social and labor unrest makes clear. The number one aspiration of adults living in relative poverty is to get a job,” says Jeffrey.
Unequal skills and a lack of opportunity divide; makes policies like BEE and employment equity irrelevant to the poor because legislation doesn’t bring them in from the cold.

Paragons Or Parasites?

It’s no secret that South Africa, the biggest and most power-rich country in Africa, faces an energy crisis. It has left the country’s growing industry and mining sector lagging. Government says the 485 tcf (trillion cubic feet) shale gas reserve, could be an answer.
Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, involves horizontal drilling to create fissures. The insertion of pressurized water, sand and fracking fluids release the gas. The tight-rock shale gas reserve is compared to extracting small pockets of gas from cement. Conventional fracking requires a high volume of water, up to 20 million liters per well. The process is heavily criticized for its potential environmental damage such as water usage and contamination; the pollution resulting from the production process and spoiling the biodiversity and aesthetics of the Karoo—a vast, largely untouched, landscape just to the north of Cape Town.
“The focus has been on the bad things, but there are many good things,” says Rob Jeffrey, managing director of Econometrix, who presented their economic predications for fracking at the Fossil Fuel Foundation conference on May 29, in Johannesburg. Organizers were disappointed that no government officials or policy-makers attended.
“South Africa is an energy-intensive country… If we want high growth, we need more energy. Fracking will encourage local industry development and create many jobs because the gas industry will be built from the bottom up, unlike in the States. It will result in poverty alleviation, by building downstream and upstream industries,” says Jeffrey.
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) is in charge of licensing; Petroleum Agency South Africa (PASA) is in charge of gas production and the government would be in charge of distribution. The time is now, says Ethel Teljeur of NERSA.
“South Africa [might] miss the window of low gas prices if it doesn’t invest in gas infrastructure,” she says.
Teljeur gave the example of missed opportunity in South Africa when home-grown energy company, Sasol, bought shale gas interests in Canada (Talisman) worth over $2 billion and would invest R10 billion ($1.17 billion) over the next five years; money that could have been invested at home.
An argument for fracking could find favor with the government. Dipuo Peters, South Africa’s Energy Minister, was one of the cabinet members who placed a moratorium on fracking. She says fracking should go ahead, if it can be done in a safe and responsible manner.
“The government is cognizant of the controversies associated with shale-gas extraction processes such as ground water and soil contamination, however with on-going developments I am confident that these challenges will in the not-so-far future come to pass,” she said in late March.
In her budget vote speech at the end of May, Susan Shabangu, Minister of Mineral Resources, said the investigation into the feasibility of shale gas in the Karoo will be presented to Cabinet in July.
“We should not have to sue the minister [Shabangu] to get the information which each citizen is entitled to know,” says Jonathan Deal—chairman of the Treasure the Karoo Action Group (TKAG). He took legal action, when in spite of letters and applications, little information was forthcoming. The TKAG won the case.
“When it was being established we needed to know who was on the task team; what they were investigating; who they were consulting; what reports they were considering; whether they had visited America or not or anywhere where fracking was happening. And essentially, what their activities were. We were concerned that it was being manipulated, or orchestrated. We wanted transparency, in revealing the information,” he says over a telephone interview from his Karoo farm.
Deal is an entrepreneur who is not opposed to economic development, as he has often been accused; on the contrary, he supports it, if it is done in a sustainable and responsible manner. He notes that there are more than 140 places worldwide, where fracking is under a moratorium, restriction or a ban.
Deal claims he has attended more public participation meetings than any other South African. He has sat with lobbying gas companies and their consultants.
“They are misleading and side-step the real issues. They have obfuscated and clothed it [public participation meetings] in technical details. And then they are allowed to tick a box to say they have visited wherever and consulted with the local community,” he says.
“One of the fatal flaws gas companies face is the millions of people in this country who will be directly affected by fracking but know nothing about it. They are the rural people that work on the farms, who do not have email, cellphones, telephones or a car to the nearest library to digest Shell’s technical English EMP [Environmental Management Plan].”
The energy industry is trying to get around these fears, with new technology. Andrew Kinghorn, of Shava Mining Enterprise, spoke about GasFrac’s Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) gel. The American-based company has eliminated conventional fracking fluids and the use of water for fracking. They pride themselves in being friendlier to the environment.
The waterless LPG gel remains liquid throughout the stimulation process. After the frac closes the gel returns to a low viscosity and supports sand in the fractures. When using water, around 20% to 50% of the fracture never contributes to gas production because it is in contact with water.
“Nearly 100% of the LPG gel is returned with the flowback in a much shorter time, 10 to 15 days, than conventional fracking methods,” says Kinghorn.
The gel’s properties include low surface tension; low viscosity and low density. It is soluble in hydrocarbons, which enables 3 to 5 times longer fracs; higher long-term production and quicker time to the market.
“It results in the elimination of water, water wells, ponds, handling facilities, frac tanks, additional cartage, disposal costs and the reduced flowback cost due to quick clean up. By using LPG, we are able to realize a higher yield of oil or gas and we don’t take water away from other uses or have the demanding logistics of transporting millions of gallons of water to a well,” he says.
Another positive advancement in the industry, as pointed out by Doug Bentley, of Schlumberger, is that all hydraulic fracturing chemicals are biodegradable. The only question which remains is, are gas companies willing to pay for the more expensive, environmentally friendly fracking fluids? Bentley emphasizes that: “Well placement is the number one issue for improved production. Drilling needs to be planned in 3D as soon as possible.”
There are numerous factors to be considered: the social, economic and ecological. Philip Lloyd, research professor at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology refers to gas as the “beautiful fuel” which provides an opportunity to develop our power system in a clean, relatively low-carbon way.
The reserve might be overestimated, due to the disappearing of gas through volcano-like cone escape structures over billions of years, according to Professor Maarten de Wit from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Scientists are unsure of the amount of escaped gas and how much remains.
“The South African landscape differs vastly from that of the United States because of the dolerite outcrop and needs to be assessed in a different way,” he says.
For now, gas companies and South Africans, alike, are holding their breath ahead of the outcome of the task team’s findings later this month.

Tag: South African

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