Hadeda News - 11 November 2022

Massive Investigation Into Takealot, Ubereats And Google In South Africa

The Minister ofTrade, Industry and Competition has extended the publication date for a final report and inquiry into online market companies such as Takealot, UberEats, Google and others.

In a gazette published this week, the minister extended the period of completion of the Online Intermediation Platforms Market Inquiry (OIPMI) from 18 November 2022 to 18 February 2023 – an extension of three months.

This gives the commission more time to process stakeholder feedback on the preliminary findings published in July

In response to the growing importance of the online economy and competition concerns in SouthAfrica and other economies, the Competition Commission launched a probe into competition and participation in the online economy in 2021.

The inquiry identified leading platforms in each category of ecommerce – those that get the most consumer traffic – upon which the business users are relatively dependent, and which are, or are likely to be, entrenched.

This includes:

AppleApp Store; Google Play Store; Takealot; Booking.com; Airbnb; Mr Delivery; Uber Eats; Property24; Private Property; AutoTrader;

Cars.co.za; Google Search.

In July of this year, the Competition Commission released a report stemming from the OIPMI, noting specific non-competitive behaviour in the sector

The commission recommended that certain considerations be taken into account regarding payment options for goods, how things are priced and what comes up when you search for them.

The commission found that there was a general lack of effective competition in the fees charged by app developers leading to high app prices, the way that most accommodation and food delivery services offer the same prices and how the market seems to be against new entrants as dominant businesses pump money behind a service.

More specifically, the commission found the following, which is need of change:

Search rankings:The current system where top-ranking search positions are sold to businesses even if they are not relevant to consumers is advertising, said the commission.This impacts consumer choice and limits space for SMEs to enter the market.

Fee discrimination:The commission found that fees were tailored to undermine SMEs in online classifieds, food delivery services and

more.The inquiry recommended that a maximum cap is placed on the fee differentials between large and small businesses, potentially at 10-15%

Online stores:The Inquiry found that conflicts of interest arise in operating a marketplace for thirdparty sellers and selling their own retail products. It recommended an internal structural separation of retail from the marketplace to implement equitable and competitively neutral processes.

App stores: According to the investigation, SouthAfrican app developers compete against larger international app development firms for users’ attention.The inquiry said that app stores should provide country-specific curation of app recommendations and provide free promotional credits to South African app developers to help get visibility

In response to some of the commission’s findings, one of the biggest players under the microscope in the report, online

retail giantTakealot, said that the criticism from the commission was based on weak evidence and even called the findings defamatory, reported MyBroadBand.

This follows the retailer being implicated through the inquiry in uncompetitive behaviour

According to MyBroadBand, Takealot further argued that brickand-mortar retailers and other ecommerce players were constraining it. When questioned on the findings specific to food delivery platforms pushing out SMEs,Takealot, as the parent company of MrD, said that it was constrained itself with restaurants’own delivery services, takeaway options and sit-down dining.

“This is the new economy.The world is digitising, and there is great empowerment that these platforms can do and generate a lot of jobs that traditional businesses have not been able to,”Takealot said.

125 ml sterk swart koffie 62.5 ml brandewyn of sherry (indien jy nie alkhol wil gebruik nie, maak die koffie meer)

2 groot eiers of 3 medium eiers (geskei)

125g Bakers Boudior beskuitjies (vingerbeskuitjies)

25 ml strooisuiker 10 ml addisionele brandewyn 10 ml kakao 150g mascarpone kaas (of gewone roomkaas)

Room die geel van

eiers en strooisuiker saam tot dit dik mengsel is. Voeg 10 ml brandewyn en roomkaas by die eiermengsel en meng tot glad. Klits die eierwitte tot styf, en vou in die eiermengsel in. Meng koffie en 62.5 ml brandewyn. Doop beide kante van die beskuitjies in die mengsel en rangskik op die bodem van 'n vlak bak. Bedek die bodem van die bak met die beskuitjies. Smeer ‘n laag roomkaasmengsel oor die koekies. Pak

jou volgende laag koekies wat weer in die koffie en brandewynmengsel gedoop is bo-op. Gooi die oorblywende stroop oor die beskuitjies (indien daar oor is). Smeer die orige roomkaasmengsel oor die beskuitjies. Los in die yskas vir 4 ure - verkieslik oornag - tot dit geset is. Besprinkel met kakao voor dit bedien word.

Bron: Facebook / Flippen Lekker Braai Resepte

The state is now paying a total of more than R131 million per year to a group of 305 civil servants who are on suspension with full pay, the department of public service and administration disclosed this week, in answer to a question in Parliament.

That makes for average pay of at least R430,000 per year to sit at home – but in reality both the total salary bill and the average are higher. Salary information was not included for one senior official suspended from the national department of agriculture and land reform, and the provincial health departments in Mpumalanga and Limpopo have 23 officials on suspension between them for which they did not provide salaries.

The top-earning suspended official is in the department of public service and administration, itself, at an annual cost to the state of

R4.95 million. While that is exceptional, there are several suspended officials making more than R2 million while barred from doing any work.

The suspensions are unevenly distributed, the data shows.At a national level, 30% of the suspended public servants nominally work for the department of home affairs, notorious for its problems with delivering simple services such as issuing identity documents. Compared to those 26 suspended home affairs workers, the department of higher education and training comes a distant second with only 12 suspensions.

Among the provinces, KwaZuluNatal nominally employs around a third of all suspended officials, a total of 75, mostly in education and health.The Western Cape and the thinlypopulated Northern Cape are joint second, with 28 officials each listed as suspended.

Alittle under a fifth of all the suspended government employees are classified as senior public servants.

The count is based on reports last collected at the end of June.

In a separate written reply in the NationalAssembly, the public service department said a total of just over 3,000 public servants had been fired in the last financial year, up sharply from some 2,300 the year before, and around 2,500 the year before that.

Exactly why they were fired is not clear in the vast majority of cases.

Three were dismissed for falsifying documents, three more for criminal offences, one for perjury and nine for "unsatisfactory attendance". 208 were asked to leave under dishonourable discharges, and 354 for deserting their posts. But in 2,424 cases, personnel records simply indicate they were fired for "misconduct not indicated". - Business Insider

Skryfwenke vir jou (1)

Wenke van Welbekende Gepubliseerde Skrywer - Annerle Barnard

InThe Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) onderneem Katniss Everdeen om in haar suster se plek aan die Spele deel te neem en dit is dan ook die begin van haar persoonlike en politieke konflik met die regering.

Sweepslag, 2019 (Annerle Barnard) begin met:

“Die vraag is: Sal hy hom kan doodmaak?” (bl. 7) Die leser is dus onmiddellik bewus van konflik en soos wat die storie ontvou, raak die leser bewus van die aard en rede vir die konflik.

sal haak en inkatrol sodat hy/sy na die volgende bladsy toe sal wíl blaai en sal wíl weet wat volgende gebeur

Tempo

Wanneer jy die storie met ‘n vinnige tempo begin, moet jy dit kan handhaaf. Glo my, dis moeiliker as wat ‘n mens dink!

Wanneer die tempo skielik daal, gaan jou leser verveeld raak. Maniere waarop jy die tempo kan versnel:

Dalk is jy soos ek, ‘n pantser, m.a.w. jy begin met ‘n eerste sin en wat die res aanbetref, “ you’re flying by the seat of your pants” (daarom ‘n pantser eerder as ‘n plotter). Ek het al deeglik probeer beplan en ‘n storielyn vir die plot probeer optrek, maar wanneer ek dit doen, is my kop ‘n volslae vakuum.

Wanneer die storie eers in wording is, trek ek dikwels ‘n tydlyn op net om my eie gedagtes te orden, maar vooraf is dit onmoontlik, want ekself weet nie wat gaan gebeur nie.

Elke skrywer moet vir hom/haarself besluit wat werk en daarby hou. Ek beplan dalk nie die plot nie, maar ek beplan my karakters wel haarfyn.

Storielyn/plot

Indien dit vir jou moontlik is, trek vir jou ‘n storielyn op. Beplanning help ‘n mens baie wanneer jy skryf. Indien jou kop soos myne werk, sterkte. Jy kan steeds by die eindresultaat uitkom, selfs al

voel dit nie altyd so nie. Hou jou storielyn in gedagte

Ek het al male sonder tal gesien hoe skrywers afdwaal en toelaat dat sekondêre storielyne hulle in ‘n doolhof laat verdwaal (uiteraard het ek ook al self die fout begaan). Hou jou primêre storielyn in gedagte. Indien ‘n toneel niks doen om óf die primêre storielyn te bevorder óf tot karakterisering by te dra nie, raak daarvan ontslae.

Konflik!

Konflik stuur stories en daarom is dit nodig om so vroeg as moontlik reeds konflik in jou storie te skep. Wanneer jy na ‘n fliek kyk, maak seker jy hou die ontwikkelende konflik dop. Onthou, daar is baie verskillende tipes konflik. Slegs jy sal weet wat die beste vir jou karakter en storie sal werk. Een manier om dit te bewerkstellig, is om die aanhitsende voorval te gebruik om die protagonis in iets groots betrokke te laat raak.

Andersins kan die karakter ook ‘n openbaring van die een of ander aard beleef.

Sindikaat, 2019 (Annerle Barnard) se eerste reëls lees as volg:

“Is jy gesuip, Bossie? No flippen way!” (bl. 7) Weereens is die leser onmiddellik bewus van konflik. In beide bostaande gevalle is die protagonis in konflik met ‘n ander persoon. Peroonlik hou ek daarvan om innerlike en uiterlike konflik te kombineer Normaalweg lei die een in elk geval dikwels tot die ander

Spel, 2021 (Annerle Barnard) se eerste reëls lees:

“Skiet!” Lukas weet dit gaan nie help nie, maar hoop vir ‘n wonderwerk. (bl. 9) In hierdie toneel is die protagonis in konflik met kunsmatige intelligensie/tegnologie (in Engels bekend asAI).

Wanneer ‘n mens die leser vroeg aan die konflik bekendstel, het jy die leser se aandag onmiddellik. Waarskynlik omdat my seuns nie van lees hou nie, probeer ek stories só skryf dat dit die leser

Verhoog die aksie en gebruik ook die dialoog om die aksie te versnel.Aksie en dialoog dryf stories op ‘n konkrete manier voort.

Skep afwagting. Dit maak nie saak of die leser ‘n vuurwarm toneel of ‘n byl in iemand se skedel verwag nie, die afwagting is wat saak maak. SoosAlfred Hitchcock gesê het: “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” Wanneer daar afwagting is, sal die tempo outomaties versnel.

Skryf korter sinne en raak van lang beskrywings ontslae. Wanneer ek aan lang sinne en beskrywings dink, dink ek outomaties aan die Victoriaanse, asook agtiende eeuse literatuur wat ek as deel van my studies moes lees.

4 Skryfwenke vir jou (1) Indien jy advies rakende spesifieke aspekte wil hê, laat weet my asb.

Lekker skryf.

The Film and Publication Board (FPB) has issued legal notices to internet access and service providers and internet service providers requiring them to comply with the provisions of theAct.

The legal notices require ISPs to report on measures they have taken to tackle the proliferation of child sexual abuse material and “other online harms” on their platforms and/or services.

The gazetted legal notice, published on Friday, 28 October 2022, obliges ISPs to comply with the provisions listed below within 90 days of the gazette:

Register with the FPB in the manner prescribed by regulations made under theAct;

Provide reports to the FPB on all reasonable steps taken to prevent

the use of their services for: The hosting or distribution of child pornography and, The hosting or distribution of propaganda for war, incitement of imminent violence or advocating hatred based on an identifiable group characteristic that constitutes incitement to cause harm by any person.

Whether they have reported the presence thereof – as well as the particulars of the person maintaining or hosting or distributing or in any manner contributing to such – to a police official of the SouthAfrican Police Service (SAPS); and The reasonable steps taken to preserve such evidence for purposes of investigation and prosecution by the relevant authorities.

According to the FPB’s interim chief

executive officer, Dr Mashilo Boloka, “This is a monumental step to protect the children and members of the public against online harms pursuant to the objective of theAct, which came into operation on 1 March 2022.”

This a preliminary informationgathering process to see the ISP’s effort in combating online harms and abuses. Since this is the first step, in cases where ISPs fall short, they will be given an opportunity to selfcorrect within a prescribed time, Boloka said.

“We sincerely hope that the operators will be open and honest in their reporting. Based on the reports we receive, the FPB shall determine whether to make this a compulsory reporting requirement every quarter.

“Concurrent to this notice, we will also be analysing the various coregulatory industry codes and working with co-regulators to ensure alignment with the amendmentAct and its regulations,” Boloka said.

The FPB said it plans to issue further notices to additional providers in due course to build a comprehensive picture of online safety measures across a wide range of services within its legislative jurisdictions.

ISPs that fail to comply with the notices within 90 days will be

referred to the Enforcement Committee with the possibility of hefty financial penalties or imprisonment sanctions as prescribed in theAct.

In September, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies gazetted the Film and Publications Regulations, 2022, enacting SouthAfrica’s internet content laws that came into effect in March this year

The laws, which have become known as SouthAfrica’s “internet censorship laws”, give the Film and Publications Board (FPB) widesweeping powers to classify and regulate all online content in the country

Under the laws, the FPB has migrated from being a classifications body to a fully-fledged regulator for digitally distributed content in South Africa, with the powers to issue and renew licences or certificates, accredit distributors and impose fines in case of non-compliance.

The laws have faced a lot of criticism, particularly in the broad definition of a ‘distributor’of film, game or published content, as well as the sweeping powers of oversight they give the FPB over any and all published content in SouthAfrica.Business Tech

KOMPETISIE

Baie Geluk aan Hoërskool Upington se sewe span met hul uitmuntende spel tydens die Frogfoot sewes toernooi op Loftus.

Die sewe span van Uppies het n uitstekende toernooi die naweek van die 5de November 2022 op Loftus beleef.

Die span wen hul eerste wedstryd teen Oos-Moot. Hul tweede wedstryd teen Grey-PE het vir groot opwinding gesorg, met Grey-PE wat in die doodsnikke van die wedstryd n wen drie aangeteken het om die wedstryd naelskrap teen Uppies te wen.

Uppies wen hul derde wedstryd met 19 teenoor 17 teen Robertson.

Dit plaas Uppies in die bowl semifinaal teen die span van Frikkie Meyer. Dit was n baie harde wedstryd, met Uppies wat as wenners uit die stryd tree en hul in die "bowl" finaal plaas teen Diamantveld.

Weer eens was dit n baie taai, maar opwindende wedstryd. Diamantveld druk die eerste drie en kort voor rustyd was die telling 5 -0 in Diamantveld se guns.

Voor die fluitjie vir rustyd kon blaas was daar n hanteringsfout, deur Diamantveld binne hul eie kwart gebied, en Uppies kon die bal by die skrum ingooi. Goeie

skrumwerk deur manne soos PA Kartsen, Jaco Fourie en kie het goeie bal besorg aan Uppies. John-Joshua Steenkamp, wie die bal by die skrum ingegooi het as skrumskakel, het die bal agter die skrum opgetel, n volle 15 tot 20 meter met die bal gehardloop en n prag drie in die regterhoek gaan druk. Die rustyd telling was 5 elk. In die tweede helfte het beide spanne weer eens puik rugby gespeel en was die eindtelling weer gelykop. 3 Minute ekstra tyd was gespeel maar geen punte kon deur beide spanne verder aangeteken word nie, en die eindtelling was 22 elk. ‘n Mens moet egter Uppies se verdediging hier komplimenteer Diamantveld het twee keer oor die doellyn van Uppies in ekstra tyd gevorder, maar was hul speler in beide gevalle in die doelgebied opgehou.

John-Joshua Steenkamp het met briljante laagvatte die diamantveld speler in sy spore gestuit en met hulp van sy spanmaats die bal in die lug gehou, waarna die eindfluitjie geblaas het. Met die finale telling steeds gelyk op het die toernooi reëls ter sprake gekom. Die wedstryd was volgens die toernooi reëls aan Diamantveld toegeken omdat hulle die eerste drie van die wedstryd gedruk het. Die seuns van Hoërskool Upington

kan egter hul koppe met trots om hoog hou en Hoërskool Upington kan baie trots wees op hul spelers.

Die seuns het beslis die naam van Hoërskool Upington op die spreekwoordelike " map" geplaas. Ondersteuners van verskeie ander skole het deurentyd vir UPPIES geskree tydens wedstryde, en te kenne gegee dat hulle baie beindruk was met die tipe spel wat die Uppies seuns gelewer het.

Geluk aan elke Uppie speler en n besondere pluimpie aan die afrigter, Mnr Slabert en sy afrigtingspan.

‘n Mens kan werklik met trots sê dat elkeen van die Uppie seuns se name hier genoem behoort te word want hulle het hul almal goed van hul taak gekwyt. Die naam van Emlynn Jacobs, wie telke male puik spel gelewer het, en selfs in een wedstryd die "speler van die wedstryd" toekenning ontvang het, moet egter genoem word. Nog " man of the match" toekennings het gegaan aan manne soos PA Karsten en Sipho Levingue, wie beide ook uitstekend op die dag gespeel het .

Ons sien met groot verwagting uit na wat die seuns van Uppies gaan oplewer in die 2023 rugby seisoen!

VAKANTE BETREKKING

Andries Scholtz Andries Scholtz

Gavin Vorster het tydens die Sanco Karoo Ope die baan rekord van Upington Gholfbaan gebreek en NOU is die rekord 63. Rekord was voorheen gehou deur Cilliers Malan en Bertie Steenkamp op 64.

BA, B.Th, M.Th (U.F.S) Functional Therapy (UNISA) Facilitative Leadership (Stellenbosch) SubstanceAbuse (SANCA)

Riva Resort Upington Manager Peter Nsane’s son Romuled got married this past week in Llongwe Malawi. His beautiful bride Priscilla looking stunning.A great time was had by all.

e Karoo sea.Yes, the Karoo has beaches, ocean, crashing waves and danger And there are few seas wilder than the rumbling, tumbling roar of the saltwater that crashes onto the beaches of Oranjemund, Lüderitz and Port Nolloth.

I had always been a Karoo boy, though I didn’t know it. When we drove from Oranjemund, down via Port Nolloth and west towards Steinkopf and Springbok to find the road all the way to CapeTown, we were driving through Karoo. Even Lüderitz, where the sea is yet wilder, is in this farflung region of the endless old Garob; or, it is now

My dad, from whom I inherited a certain timidity, was not one to wade into those deadly waters near the mouth of the Orange River himself, but a sturdy bloke down the road would, on an occasional Sunday, arrive at our back door with a bag of rustling, fidgety kreef ready for the pot.

They were giants, their tails long and plump, and so well grown that there was plenty of white meat well into the carapace. One day I walked through the back door to find six large lobsters shuffling around on the kitchen floor They’d made an escape from the fridge after someone had left the door ajar There was much screaming and hurtling out the back door

But they were soon corralled and ended up on the braai that evening, basted with lemon butter, my folks not being fond of garlic.This was typical of that British expat generation who had grown up in England with no hint

of garlic anywhere.Their son quickly caught up and made up for lost garlic time.

But, truth be told, kreef needs no garlic anyway. It is great with it, but crayfish flesh has so much flavour all of its own that there’s little point in imposing any other flavour on it at all. I feel the same way about oysters: I prefer them au naturel, no lemon, no pepper, noTabasco, nothing. Just straight down after a pleasant chew, especially if they’re meaty ones like those you find in Lüderitz.

There’s something about proximity to the beach that improves the flavour of crayfish, and all seafood for that matter There’s a trendoid habit in some very posh restaurants of including vapours of one kind or another in a dining experience. When you’re near the sea and eating kreef, the smell of the salty brine seems to enhance the flavour and even the texture. So those refined chefs are indeed onto something, even if there is a certain pretentiousness about it.

Being right on the (Karoo) beach with the sand between your toes, and pulling the luscious white meat out of the carapace with your fingers, is a true blessing that makes you grateful for Neptune’s abundant largesse.

The Succulent Karoo is ancient but relatively “new” in being described as such.The ecoregion was dubbed this by the World Wide Fund for Nature and while it might not “correspond to the actual Karoo”, says Wikipedia, all of us who call

the Karoo home know that “the Karoo” is more than a mere geographical demarcation.The Wikipedia entry says that “the Succulent Karoo stretches along the coastal strip of southwestern Namibia and SouthAfrica’s Northern Cape province, where the cold Benguela Current offshore creates frequent fogs. The ecoregion extends inland into the uplands of SouthAfrica’s Western Cape province. It is bounded on the south by the Mediterranean climate fynbos, on the east by the Nama Karoo, which has more extreme temperatures and variable rainfall, and on the north by the Namib Desert.”

The glorious Namaqualand with its purple rock faces and otherworldly trees and succulent shrubs runs through this terrain, the land we meandered through on our annual escape from the Diamond Dorp to the relative civilisation of the Western Cape. But the passing years and the wisdom (one hopes) it brings make us realise just how

expansive the places of our beginnings were and how deeply our roots run in those hot sands.

The whole of the Karoo and its many parts are like that. What might appear to be useless veld, which more often than not is in dire need of rain, is in fact full of life of millions of kinds, both fauna and flora.The succulent holds its water reserves jealously in the face of the beating sun. Scarab beetles nibble on succulent flowers. In the Sperrgebiet, the Nama Padloper tortoise munches on cacti and any desert flower or fruit it finds and stores the water it inherits from them for an entire year if need be.

With the desert wind on your face and the aromas of the sea in your nostrils, wriggle your toes into the beach sand of the Succulent Karoo to dine on the salty white flesh of Karoo Kreef, Neptune’s blessing and gift to the coastal dwellers of the Garob. DM/TGIFood

The West Coast of SouthAfrica is an open museum, where countless archaeological, palaeontological and historical sites can be found.

You will see old mission stations, outposts, forts, whaling and fishing stations, historical monuments and other structures built between the 17th and 20th Century by European colonial powers.You might also find World War II radar stations.

Then there are archaeological shell middens, near-shore Stone Age artefact scatters, caves and rock shelters, and also rock art.

Added to this list are older palaeontological sites that formed before and while humans walked on this land. Many of these relate to the history of sea levels tied to glacial climatic cycles: important shelly sedimentary formations and fossil-bearing deposits. These include mineralised animal bones, old marine terraces and relict shorelines, but also shell and plant microfossils.

And lastly, there are rare and scientifically significant occurrences of meteorites that fell on the West Coast.

This critically important list forms a part of our heritage and is therefore legally protected by the SouthAfrican Heritage ResourcesAct of 28April 1999 (Act Nº 25).

Since the promulgation of the Environment ConservationAct in 1989, and the heritage resources act in 1999, archaeologists, palaeontologists and historians have played an important role in Environmental ImpactAssessments when Heritage ImpactAssessments are also required.

Until the late 1980s, StoneAge sites on the West Coast were largely undisturbed because housing and tourism demands preferred CapeTown and places in the southern parts of this coastline. However, this changed quickly in the 1990s with the increase in diamond mining in Namaqualand, and rampant residential developments unfolding south of Lamberts Bay

The impact on archaeological sites has been devastating.At least there is a record of many coastal heritage sites as

enacted under heritage legislation. However, this effort has had variable success.There is a lack of insufficient preemptive action in identifying and protecting heritage sites. Heritage authorities are understaffed.There is often poor follow-up in the study of sites excavated as part of mitigation measures. Insufficient knowledge among some environmental specialists about heritage matters often results in a failure to include important archaeological sites and heritage areas in conservation plans.

The relationship of humans and the ocean is profound, and ancient. Evidence for isolated or sporadic visits to this coast by early hominids goes back 600 thousand years ago (Earlier StoneAge).There are more regular stays by modern humans

about 120 thousand years ago. This presence ranks among the earliest examples of human reliance on coastal environments in the world.

Precolonial settlements (archaeological sites) are often located behind rocky shores near sources of drinking water, including river mouths and estuaries, and also frequently in caves, shelters, around and on top of koppies.The continuous accumulation of discarded marine shells formed the main or most visible component of these sites and are known as “shell middens”.

From north to south, the bestknown examples are the swathes of shell middens (Later StoneAge) that cover the low dunes of Port Nolloth.You will find middens in Spoegrivier Cave in Namaqualand;

Steenbokfontein Cave just south of Lamberts Bay; and Elands Bay Cave at the foot of Baboon Point.Adozen very large open shell middens – or megamiddens - can also be found on this coast, including the Paternoster area, while deep open middens are visible around a group of granitic koppies known as Kasteelberg.

Further south are the ancient and semi-fossilized Middle StoneAge sites of Hoedjiespunt in Saldanha Bay and Yzterfontein-1 at theYzerfontein harbour. Countless other archaeological sites exist between the Orange River mouth and Cape Point.

Rock art is often found near coastal sites where you find rock walls.The paintings on them are visual expressions of spiritual beliefs and myths.They conveyed and helped to maintain deep cultural and social meanings among KhoiSan people.

Shell middens are also known to be places where human burials took place. Careful excavation often shows the care taken to place the body in a flexed position. Sometimes, one or two objects or ochre were left as grave goods. Mixed among the discarded shells are the remains of other meals, such as ostrich eggshell fragments, bones of seals, seabirds, fish, tortoises and bucks of various sizes. When preservation is very good, vestiges of plant foods in the

Diepkloof Shelter hand prints.

Kreefbaai C megamidden, Lamberts Bay Main section.

form of plant fibre, corms and casings are encountered. Stone artefacts, beads and pendants made of diverse materials (and charcoal and ash from hearths) are common in sites near the coast. Sherds from ceramic pots are often present in shell middens that are not older than two thousand years.

The contents of shell middens

can talk much about the lives of past coastal dwellers when studied in detail.

In post-Apartheid SouthAfrica, the deep pre-colonial history of its people must be protected. It needs to be rescued, brought forward and appreciated for what it is, and for the lessons that can be learned from it.These learnings include our ancient origins and our adaptation to a changing landscape and variable

climate, including very dry periods analogous to current climate change.

There are lessons about largescale exploitation of coastal resources and social tensions over a thousand years - well before the fishing industry became established in the Cape. There are lessons about the advent of animal husbandry and the use of ceramics about 2000 years ago.There are lessons in the contact with Europeans that

came to the same shores with ships, guns, germs, slavery and different rules about how the world should move and work.

With all its wondrous and sometimes shocking outcomes, this is a history that humbles us. We are part of a long and interconnected web of events that help us understand where we come from and how we choose to go forward.

PKM Shelter, Elands Bay

Yzerfontein, view of excavations.

Ostrich egg shell beads, Lamberts Bay.

Stone artifacts and a ceramic fragment, Strandfontein.

Fat-tailed sheep rock paintings, Steenbokfontein.

Steenbokfontein cave and koppie.

Arizona van Wyk competed in the SA’s gymnastics competition on Friday in Pretoria.She received a silver medal for WAG LEVEL2. Congratulations, we are very proud of you.

The Basic Conditions of EmploymentAct sets out minimum requirements to notice period(s) that must be adhered to by both Employer and Employee.

The provisions are, seven days if the employee worked less than six months, two weeks if the Employee worked more than six months but less than a year and four weeks if the Employee worked for more than a year Employees who fall under Bargaining Councils or a Sectoral Determination will

also be held liable to serve out the applicable stipulated notice period in accordance with its collective or main agreement.

If an Employee tenders a resignation with an insufficient notice period, the Employer will not be permitted to deduct any monies for the notice period not worked by the Employee.The Employee will however be in breach of contract and the Employer will instead have recourse to hold the Employee liable

for the notice period not served.

The Employer can therefore seek relief from the courts in this instance and sue the Employee for damages or apply for specific performance required from the Employee.

For further information on the minimum wage and to ensure you are paying your employees in line with what is required for your sector, contact your nearest Joblaw offices.

This article aims to provide general information and does not constitute legal advice. For more information contact 054 333 1115 /6 or email ontvangs@joblaw.co.za.

Bou Met Poort Beton in 2022

Moenie onkant gevang word nie

The crippling cycle of rural South African poverty is broken on a farm deep in the Karoo. But somewhere along the Colesberg-Oorlogspoort road, there is a spot that is magical at first light.

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The deep, wrap-around silence is broken by the first joyous song of a Karoo chat.Then the bleat of a lamb.Then the whisper of wind through grass.Then the lisping creak of a spinning windpump.

On any given school day, there is another sound, a faint growl that grows steadily louder. It is a convoy of white vehicles winding along a gravel road through the veld, trailing a veil of dust.The kids are off to school.

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Set among blonde grasses, flattopped hills, spinning wind pumps and exclamation-mark poplars, the neat red roofs and white walls are visible from kilometres away The South African flag flutters above a quadrangle of clipped green grass.

An education phenomenon

This farm school is part of the Hantam Community Education Trust (HCET).At any one time, you will find about 200 children here, mostly the sons and daughters of Karoo farmworkers, including nomadic sheepshearer clans who live in a nearby shanty settlement called Die Nek —The Neck.They are among SouthAfrica’s poorest people, facing the attendant problems of malnutrition, ill health, alcohol abuse, isolation, ignorance and broken families.

The very real success stories coming out of this school are those of children from unpromising backgrounds who have gone on to become nurses, doctors, electricians, teachers, occupational therapists, accountants, plumbers, banktellers, welders, trackers, chefs and businessmen.

In SouthAfrica, the youth unemployment rate (first quarter

2022 estimate) is 64%, for those aged 15 to 24 years old. In rural areas like this one, it is usually even higher Yet more than 90% of the graduates from Umthombo Wolwazi Farm School, operating since 1992, are employed in stable jobs.

“In one generation, we have made visible progress in breaking the downward spiral of poverty,” says Lesley Osler, one of the founders of the school, along with Clare Barnes-Webb andAnja Pienaar

But it was certainly not the plan in 1989.

Back then, Barnes-Webb was running a farm shop on land her husband Peter managed, selling basic foods to farmworkers at cost price every Friday The adults brought along their children, and many were clearly malnourished, she recalls. She remembers seeing that injuries were often treated with random remedies: boot polish, toothpaste or oil.

Barnes-Webb cleaned and brightened a farmstead storeroom, made play-dough, and rounded up toys, crayons and paper. She collaborated with neighbours Lesley Osler (a former teacher) andAnja Pienaar (a former financial controller), who were both keen to bring children from their farms to the playschool.

Then came a chance connection with Jane Evans, an early childhood development expert who had started a training centre for rural women from Viljoenskroon in the Free State. Evans advised that the local parents identify three women who could be sent to her project to be trained as early childhood development teachers.A meeting was organised and local farmers brought in 450 farmworkers, said Lesley Osler

Aschool is born

By the end of the meeting, the community had chosen three young women: Lettie Martins, Nombulelo Matyeke and Thembakazi Matyeke.The trio took the train to Viljoenskroon and came back two weeks later, bubbling over with ideas and enthusiasm.The little playschool brought the new teachers together with the children three times a week, and they all flourished.

But there were no plans to take things further. It was the parents

of the children who pushed for something more.

“Anumber of the parents approached us, and told us their hearts were heavy,” says Osler “We were shocked. What could be wrong? We knew the children were thriving. It turns out the parents now had grave misgivings about their children’s options the next year The nearest farm school was a 15 kilometre walk away, and it was a bleak and dreary place with two undertrained teachers.

“So we asked the parents what they had in mind and they said: a primary school. I had been a teacher, but not one of us knew anything about actually running a school. Well, we tossed some ideas around, then called a meeting with the whole community, farmers and everyone. We wanted to know who would back such an initiative.”

Afountain of knowledge

It turned out that there was support from various quarters. With some sweat equity from parents, donations of space, furniture and goods from farmers, plus the gift of electricity from Eskom, Osler, Pienaar and Barnes-Webb transformed some old buildings into a school at Grootfontein farm.They planned to take it up to Standard Four (Grade Six).

“We wanted it to be the best we could make it,” said BarnesWebb. “It had to be good enough for our own children.”

In 1992, the new school was named Umthombo Wolwazi (Fountain of Knowledge) and started off with 60 children.The Department of Basic Education contributed by paying some of the teachers’salaries.

By the next year, they had 96 children coming from 28 farms in

a 50km radius.

When the school needed to expand again, Osler, Pienaar and Barnes-Webb had to form a Trust in order to raise more funds.They approached embassies, foundations and corporates, occasionally travelling to Paris, London and NewYork for the funding that would give their learners the best possible chance in life.

Lesley Osler: “We teach people that they have every right to be treated with dignity and respect. There’s a ripple effect on us, the staff and the community. I’ll walk a thousand miles for them, and they for us.”

Skilled and gainfully employed For those who cannot cope with academic life, who dropped out due to circumstances like pregnancy, disability or other issues, theTrust runsYouth Empowerment Programmes. This is Estelle Jacobs’baby

Since 2008, she has been the facilitator, fixer, and general force of nature behind theTrust’s secret weapon for creating employable graduates: the Hantam Hospitality School.

This rather remarkable institute is housed in a side street of Colesberg and uses donated funding to train disadvantaged youngsters in useful skills like basic and advanced cooking, housekeeping, front of house and basic computer skills over six months. Every graduate then does an internship with lodges, guesthouses and restaurants in the district.

Every year there is a new intake of a dozen or so new pupils sourced by word of mouth from a wide catchment area. Many come from the Colesberg district, but also Gariep, Noupoort, De

Every day, the children get a nutritious and filling meal. Image: Chris Marais

Aar, Nieu-Bethesda, Trompsburg, Bethulie, Cradock, Tarkastad, Steynsburg and beyond.

The resulting employment rate for the hundreds of graduates from this school over the years is around 96%, most of them in steady jobs.You will find them working in supermarkets, the kitchens of old age homes, in fast food establishments, in restaurants and guesthouses all over the Karoo.

Hardware and soft skills

At the back of the Hospitality house, five young men are wielding power tools under the close supervision of Estelle Jacobs’s brother, Jan.This is the new Hantam Handyman School, and these youngsters are fine-tuning their skills before graduating.

One has a slight disability and

the others just did not progress well in school. But their pride in what they can do is tangible. The results of their work are around them.They started in January 2021 by fitting a ceiling in an old outbuilding, painting it, installing lights before moving on to a bathroom in one of the teachers’houses, fixing broken chairs, repairing stoves and making cages for gas bottles. They have learnt to weld security gates and burglar bars, and can build dog kennels out of pallets.

“Over six months I teach them roofing, basic building, tiling, plumbing, welding, painting, a bit of electrical work and carpentry. But just as important are the softer skills,” says Jan Jacobs.

“I try to build them up, teach them to be punctual, polite and reliable, how to work out a

quote, how to accurately cost out materials and labour, how to manage their time, and how to work logically and neatly. By the end of this course, just like the Hospitality students, they will be placed as interns at lodges or B+Bs, and be paid a small salary.

“I also teach them how to spot an opportunity, and how to make themselves useful or even indispensable.”

They don’t just graduate with skills, says Estelle. Each one also gets a toolkit that contains an angle grinder, a gas soldering kit, some basic painting materials, pliers, plumbing tools, a trowel and a saw.”

This is just the beginning, though.They are mentored and supported through the first three years of their working careers.

“We are in constant contact with them via WhatsApp.That’s why they have such a high retention rate.”

The HCETalso runs a Farm Workers’Apprenticeship Programme where young people can be trained and mentored before becoming agricultural interns.These graduates are in high demand on local farms.

Back at Umthombo Wolwazi, the three founders, now approaching their eighties, have handed over the reins to Jacobs and MaryAnn Smith, who used to manage Gary Player’s horse farm up the road.

At the entrance to the admin wing, one simple sign tells the whole story of the HantamTrust project. It says: “Never, never, never give up.” DM/ ML

The three founders of the Hantam Community Education Trust.

From left: Anja Pienaar, Clare Barnes-Webb and Lesley Osler

Image: Chris Marais

Lesley Osler checking up on a sick child at Die Nek.

Image: Chris Marais

A convoy crosses the vlaktes near Colesberg, carrying children to an exceptional farm school. Image: Chris Marais

The road to Umthombo Wolwazi Farm School. Image: Chris Marais

During breaks and after school, there is usually a sprawling soccer game on the go. Image: Chris Marais

Hanna Phemba and the Persona doll the children named Thabo. Image: Chris Marais

We are hosting the annual Orange Descent Canoe Marathon on the 12/13 November 2022

Below is the information about the event I will appreciate it we could get as

much experience for the event in next week for the build up to the event.

Orange Descent Canoe Marathon will take place on the 12/13 November 2022 and is a

2 day stage race with a total distance of 54km. The 2022 event will be a K1 event but K2’s and K3 canoe are welcome.

Race registration will take place

from 12pm on the Vryday the 12th at Orange River Wine CallersTasting Room. We all paddlers and their families will be able to pick up their race gooday bags and also enjoy some of our local ORC wines and local craft bier

Day 1 will start 8am at Die Punt Resort, Friersdale and will finish 26km later at Die Mas, Kakamas

This section of river is well knows for its exhilarating rapid, and its one of a kind 3k paddling in a fast flowing irrigation canal just after the Neus Weir

The section below the weir is called Neus Gorge and starts of with to challenging rapids as the Orange River channels trough the breathtaking rock formations.

All paddlers and their families will then be treated to a visit toAugrabies Falls and end of a great day with sundowners and snacks at the Oranjekom lookout point.

Day 2 will start 7am at Sakkie seArkie, Upington and will finish 28km later at Oranjerus Resort, Kanoneiland. This section is also well know for its collection of big rapids and weirs to challenge the paddlers as they make their way to a standing ovation from all the spectators and their families at Oranjerus.

Race Prize Giving will take place at Oranjerus and will start at 11am where we will celebrate the category winner for the 2022 Orange Descent.

Every one is invited to come and support the paddlers as they make their way down the orange river one of South Africa’s iconic river races. You can follow the event on our social media page www.facebook.com/OrangeD escent en website www.orangedescent.co.za For any information regarding the event, please contact Waldo van der Linde0721849090 11c Schroder Street | Upington, 8801

The Beautiful Story ofArtist Frida Kahlo. Please follow the entire story on Maria Botha’s Lens & Light Facebook page HAIR, MAKE-UP, STYLING - Sanet Mouton-Jaarts @Seasons_Image_Consulting MODEL- Wilicia Lubba LOCATION -Ansefie van Rooyen CONCEPTand PHOTOGRAPHY- Lens and Light Photography WARDROBE -All mentioned above and Klijntje Geskenke en Dekor

Eerste vir STAAL

Wellness Programme

Launched For Northern Cape Artists & Athletes

The SILAPHAWellness Intervention Programme, an initiative by the Department of Sport,Arts and Culture to support artists and athletes, was rolled out in Northern Cape by Minister Nathi Mthethwa.

OnThursday, 03 November, Minister of Sport,Arts and Culture (DSAC), Nathi Mthethwa launched the SILAPHAWellness Intervention Programme for Northern Cape-based artists and athletes at the Northern CapeTheatre in Kimberley The Programme, which has been rolled out in other provinces was designed and established by DSAC to address some of the pressing issues that affect South African sport and creative workers. Issues such as mental health, substance abuse, financial management and legal matters.

Addressing Northern Cape’s artists and athletes who attended the launch event in numbers, Mthethwa said: “We launched the SILAPHAWellness Programme in February 2021, during the height of the COVID19 pandemic. We’ve since helped 1 911 practitioners

through our dedicated call centre toll free line. We’ve also touched 1 900 practitioners through our interface outreach provincial activations, totalling to 3 811 sport and creative sector practitioners helped.Their various problems range from legal issues, critical incidences, addictive disorder, financial problems and the most prominent being mental health related challenges.”

At the event, themed “Own your talent through-and-through,” a star-studded panel, facilitated by media personality, Penny Lebyane, shared with the audience how they dealt with mental health challenges, mistreatment from the industry and other issues.This was carried out as a means of demonstrating how and why an initiative such as the SILAPHA Wellness Intervention Programme is necessary in the SouthAfrican creative and sporting landscape. The panel consisted of some of the country’s well-adored artists and sportsmen including actors, DawnThandeka King,Thato Molamu as well as Northern Cape’s very own, Moagi Modise, soccer legend, Doctor Khumalo

and Kimberley’s para powerlifter, Ricardo Fitzpatrick.

“Fight as hard as you can to keep your sanity. It’s all about keeping your head above the water At the end of the day, the good will outweigh the bad. Luckily for you guys, you do not have to fight the battle alone. This programme will play an essential role in ensuring your wellbeing,” said Modise.

The SILAPHAWellness Intervention Programme has a range of resources that are available to SouthAfrican artists and athletes at no cost.These include legal advice, mental health management, lifestyle management, financial management and substance abuse management.

Northern Cape MEC for Sport, ArtsAnd Culture Ms Desery Fienies who was present at the launch expressed her team’s support of the SILAPHA Wellness Intervention Programme: “We are looking to create awareness within the Northern Cape among the artists and athletes as well as the community at large. We will be looking into the possibility of

rolling out the program to all 5 districts in the form of district activation programmes.As the Northern Cape Provincial Government, it is imperative that we ensure that we reach out to all our athletes and artists in every corner of the province.”

Since its inception, the Programme has been successfully rolled out across all SouthAfrican provinces. Minister Mthethwa said the SILAPHAprogramme in Northern Cape is being executed together with the department’s GBVF programmes.These are Golekane, a men-led programme driving behavioural change amongst men, as well as Baqhawafazi, which is aimed at giving a voice to survivors of Gender-Based Violence.

“Though we are proud of the work we have managed to do through the SILAPHA programme, much more work needs to be done. However I must say, we’re on the right direction but until we see a dramatic drop in women murders and cases of femicide –we cannot tap ourselves on the back,” said Mthethwa.

Authorities Call For Support In Fight Against Large-scale Plant Theft By Syndicates

The poaching of indigenous plants by international syndicates is happening on a huge scale, prompting local authorities to call on national government to provide more funding to law enforcement authorities battling the plant thieves.

This comes after three Saudi Nationals were fined R2 million this week for illegally harvesting 1 633 386 indigenous plants, which were found hidden inside their luggage.

Western CapeAgriculture, EnvironmentalAffairs and Development Planning spokespersonAndricus van der Westhuizen said the poaching of indigenous plants, such as succulents, had increased over the past four years.

During this period, a total of 12 000 plants a month were confiscated by authorities.

This week, the SouthAfrican Police Service and the National ProsecutingAuthority welcomed the R2 million fine imposed on

Abdulnaser Mohammed Althenaian, his son, Mohand AbdulnaserAlthenaian and BedahAbdulrahmanAlbedah by the Vredendal Regional Court.

The trio – all Saudi nationals –were arrested last month in the Pofadder-Bitterfontein area of the Northern Cape after having been caught in possession of a huge quantity of illegally harvested indigenous flora. In addition to the fine, the court ordered them to leave South Africa within 48 hours.The more than 1.6 million plants were forfeited to the State.

The three men had entered into a plea agreement, where they admitted they had arrived in the country on October 7 this year and hired a vehicle at Cape Town InternationalAirport.They had set off on a trip to search and acquire plants, which they planned to export back to a farm in SaudiArabia.

They had booked in at a Northern Cape guest house and hired four locals to assist them. On leaving the area, they were

confronted by the police and Cape Nature officials near Pofadder,.

The plants were found concealed in their luggage.

Charges were later withdrawn against the locals who were arrested alongside the trio.

Van der Westhuizen said the incident had to do with an entire network of syndicates.

“This recent incident highlights the fact that it is not simply petty crime, but that the poaching of plants forms part of an intricate international web of syndicates dedicated to the theft of our natural heritage.

“The Standing Committee on Agriculture and Environmental Affairs of the Western Cape Parliament visited the Knersvlakte in September this year and was informed that the poaching of succulents and other plants has grown exponentially over the past four years, with Vredendal being an epicentre of this theft.

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“CapeNature revealed that the average number of plants being seized by authorities per month over the past four years is around 12 000.

“The standing committee congratulated CapeNature on its efforts to upskill the various role-players in the judiciary system in the fight against poaching.The value of the training and co-operation is already bearing fruit.

"Yet, while CapeNature has been working with the SAPS and the NPAto ensure the successful prosecutions of culprits, the reality is that local and provincial authorities cannot fight this battle alone.

"The DAreiterates our call on Minister Barbara Creecy and the National Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries to provide support in the form of funding, and to engage with her counterparts in law enforcement to provide urgent support to stamp out this criminality.” - Weekend Argus

Unwind from the heat of the day and go for Sakkie se Arkie sundowner on the mighty Orange River in Upington

Sakkie se Arkie UPINGTON

Scatec Aligns To Green Standards On Northern Cape Project

Engineers from renewables company Scatec have started work on a large project in the Northern Cape, which forms part of the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.

Once operational, the project will have a total solar capacity of 540 MW and battery storage capacity of 225 MW/ 1 140 MWh, and provide 150 MW of dispatchable power under a 20year power purchase agreement.

It is due to start supplying power within 15 months of construction starting.

The facility will comprise three collocated projects.

“We were extremely careful when we started to lay out the facility site. Learning from a rigorous environmental-impact assessment (EIA) process, we realised that there is rich biodiversity in the region, and every precaution was taken to minimise the environmental impact,” explains Scatec sub-

SaharanAfrica executive VPJan Fourie.

The company reached financial close on the development of the Kenhardt site earlier this year

The mitigation principle it followed, Fourie explains, is “avoidance, then relocation, and only then destruction”.This means the company would do everything possible to avoid any sensitive local fauna and flora and safeguard local ecosystems.

The Kenhardt region is noted to be rich in plant biodiversity The 16 species of fauna and 99 plants (flora) species of “conservation concern” life puts a special responsibility on anyone who does any kind of construction work in the vicinity.

“If you look at the map and the configuration of our site, you can see clearly how we identified local sensitive areas.Among other ecological sensitivity, we took into consideration the location of quiver trees and hydrology. Even the access roads themselves were carefully

planned. We did everything we can to avoid protected plant communities and animal life,” says Fourie.

As part of the development of the site, Scatec had to undertake an EIA.This detailed the presence of environmental sensitivities and describes how the company would ensure its protection through a risk mitigation approach.

“We partnered with a specialist team, who partnered and guided us through this process. We had to apply for flora relocation permits and every single relocated plant was tracked and monitored. We made use of the latest geographic information system technology to record plant species attributes in the field during the search and relocation process.The field data were then fed in real time to an interactive management dashboard with consolidated species information,” Fourie indicates.

Legislation requires the project to always maintain a net gain of

species. In the case of quiver trees, the flora permit requires that ten new trees be planted for every single relocated tree.

“When you look at pictures of the Kenhardt region you may very well think you are looking at a barren, dry, and desolate landscape.This would be completely wrong, as our research and planning have shown.There is an enormous richness of life in the area, and we will do everything we can to protect it,” says Fourie.