Hadeda News - 30 September 2022

In her own words ”I grew up going with this festival... ‘n kindjie van Keimoes, a small fan-girl among the crowd admiring the artists on stage! It was the highlight of this festival for me... trying to get every single autograph that I could. Admiring artists like Snotkop, Emo,Adams Dr. Victor &The Rasta Rebels, Juanita du Plessis, Nicholis Louw, ...and so many more...This year I get to CO-HEADLINE alongside my best friend, icon, colleague and confidante, an artist of great class, Donovan Yaards From Keimoes to Witbank, Witbank to Pretoria, Pretoria to Turkey,Turkey toAustria, Austria to Poland, ...and now I get to share that with MYHOME again...!!

I'm humbled. I'm blessed. I'm excited!!

Come and enjoy the evening with us at the Kalahari Kuierfees at Desert Palace Resort. Let's rock the night away”

Hout

AfrikaHout

Die Inspirerende Onnie Agter Kakamas Se Tienertoneelprestasies

Baie goeie dinge kom uit Kakamas. Die “groot geraas” van die Augrabies-waterval naby dié NoordKaapse dorp weerklink in die opslae wat landwyd gemaak word deur Hoërskool Martin Oosthuizen se dramaleerders. Dié tienertoneelgroep het onlangs, vir die tweede jaar in ’n ry, die wenproduksie by Kaapstad se Hoërskool Dramafees, deur Kunstekaap en die Suidoosterfees aangebied, gelewer

Vanjaar het Hoërskool Martin Oosthuizen die prys vir beste produksie ontvang vir hul toneelstuk Skaakmat, en verlede jaar vir Neer daal die reën. Die inspirerende onderwyser agter dié prestasies is Barnie Mans.

Barnie is ’n boorling van Kakamas. Hy het op die dorp skoolgegaan, en sy ma, in lewe ’n nooi van Springbok, was op haar dag Huishoudkunde-juffrou by Hoërskool Martin Oosthuizen. Dis ook hier waar sy Barnie se pa leer ken het. “Dit is die tipiese kleindorpiescenario van die jong juffrou wat met ’n boer van die omgewing trou en dan die res van haar lewe hier bly,” verduidelik Barnie.

Vandag gee Barnie

Rekenaartoepassingstegnologie en Skeppende Kunste by sy alma mater. “En soos dit enige goeie onderwyser betaam, is daar ook ’n Lewensoriëntering-periode of twee op my rooster.” Hy is ook een van twee departementshoofde by Martin Oosthuizen, wat aan hom ’n lading administrasie in skoolbestuur besorg. “Ek probeer om een maal elke twee jaar ’n groot kultuuraktiwiteit aan te pak waaraan die hele skool deelneem. So het ons al revues, musicals, ‘stadium spectaculars’, kunstefeeste, ’n plekspesifieke spookstorie op ’n plaas 20 km buite die dorp, en verskeie dans- en talentkompetisies die lig laat sien.”

Martin Oosthuizen is ’n akademiese en landbouskool. Drama word dus nie as vak aangebied nie. Soos alle onderwysers jou sal vertel, strek opvoeders se take wyd en ver, en almal word op die sportveld ingespan. Barnie is dus ook ’n “kranige” atletiekafsitter en hy geniet dit sommer baie om atlete by byeenkomste met ’n knal te laat wegspring.

Die dramabloed vloei van kindsbeen af deur Barnie se are. Toe hy ’n leerling was, het sy ma drama as buitemuurse aktiwiteit aangebied, en onder haar regisseurshand het die gogga gebyt. In matriek was Barnie sterk op pad om Regte by Maties se gaan swot, totdat sy pa hom een aand, nadat hy met ’n prys van die soveelste dramakompetisie af teruggekom het, vra: “Wie flous ons? Jy moet mos gaan drama swot?”

Barnie se pa het wel ’n belangrike voorwaarde gehad: “Máár dan gaan doen jy iets by wat kos op die tafel kan sit.” In 1999 het Barnie as dramastudent op Stellenbosch “ingeklok”, en drie jaar later het hy by die Opvoedkunde-fakulteit ingeval vir sy nagraadse onderwysdiploma. “Dit was vir my toe so lekker dat ek daar en dan besluit ek wil ’n BEd Hons in onderwysbestuur aanpak.”

In daardie tyd is Barnie se pa skielik oorlede, en toe hy sy oë uitvee, is hy terug op Kakamas in ’n onderwyspos by Martin Oosthuizen. Barnie kon toe ’n hand bysit met die boerdery waarmee sy ma agtergelaat is. “Ons het ’n relatiewe groot boerdery-opset gehad met wingerde, rosyntjies, wyn en lusern, en ook ’n veeplaas in die Boesmanland.”

Die tekste van Skaakmat en Neer daal die reën, waarmee Barnie se dramagroep die afgelope twee jaar by die Hoërskool Dramafees koning gekraai het, is geskryf of verwerk deur Barnie en twee boesemvriende,Alae Hanekom en Jaco Visser. “Ons al drie kom al van voor skool af saam.Alae het ook ’n dramagraad en Jaco is ’n joernalis. Hulle kry opdragte van my af, soms op baie kort kennisgewing, en hulle moet altyd maar tevrede wees met ’n ‘dankie’ vir betaling. Ons skryf dikwels saam.”

Skaakmat, wat handel oor die impak van oorlog op die samelewing, het ontstaan op die dag toe Oekraïne deur Rusland ingeval is. Barnie het ’n aanhaling aanAlae gestuur: “War does not determine who is right, only who is left,” met die versoek: “Ons moet vanjaar ’n stuk oor oorlog doen.” Twee maande later het sy vir Barnie ’n teks in die hand gedruk en gesê: “Ek weet nie wat jy hiermee gaan maak nie, maar ek is nou klaar.” In die stuk word skaak as metafoor vir die oorlogspel ontgin. “Die teks fokus nie net op konflik tussen nasies nie, maar ook op die alledaagse oorloë wat ons as gewone mense voer – tussen man en vrou, godsdiensgroepe, rasse, klasse, ensovoorts.

“Skaakmat is ’n klein produksie,” vertel Barnie. “Daar is net twee akteurs en twee mense in die tegniese span. Die jong akteurs in die stuk, Zander Oberholster (graad 10) en Danelle Jacobs (graad 11), is tipiese Kakamaskinders. Hul prestasies strek wyd.

“Zander het laasjaar vir die eerste keer tienertoneel begin doen, en hy het sommer met die intrap twee beste akteur-toekennings verower Vanjaar het hy nog twee beste akteur-pryse ingepalm, en hy spog met drie ander benoemings.”

Tydens die nasionale KKNK Dramawebkompetisie het Zander ook ’n spesiale beoordelaarsprys

ontvang. Barnie beskryf dié talentvolle leerder as “’n tipiese plattelandse seun – altyd in ’n PT broek en veldskoene.” Zander neem ook landbouvakke, speel rugby vir die skool se 0/17A-span, en blink uit in atletiek.

Danelle, “’n volbloed kultuurdier”, is in 2021 en 2022 aangewys as kategoriewenner tydens die KKNK se Dramawebkompetisie. Sy is ook ’n finalis in die finale ronde van die ATKV-Digitoneelkompetisie en gaan in Oktober op VIAse program, Gekies vir die kollig, sake uitspook om die nasionale titel. Danelle is ’n kranige skrywer en was onder die top-10 digters van die SAAkademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns se jaarlikse POORT-kompetisie. Sy het in 2022 ook twee toekennings as beste aktrise ontvang.

Met die Hoërskool Dramafees in Kaapstad se Kunstekaap word die geselskap se vernuf in ’n professionele teateromgewing behoorlik getoets. Dit is uiteraard ’n verrykende ervaring vir die jong produksiespan, maar hulle moet uithaal en wys om met stadskole mee te ding. Barnie vertel dat die lede van Skaakmat se tegniese span, Louise Hanekom (graad 9) en Juan Scheepers (graad 10), wonderwerke vermag het onder uitdagende omstandighede. “Ons skool het ongelukkig geen van die beligting- en klankfasiliteite waarmee ons by die kompetisies werk nie. Hulle moet baie keer binne ’n uur die toerustingtegnologie aanleer, bemeester en programmeer. Louise en Juan het Job se geduld en hulle bly altyd kalm en rustig.”

Barnie se tienertoneelgroepe neem al sedert 1996 landwyd aan kompetisies deel. In dié tyd het verskeie gesogte toekennings in Hoërskool Martin Oosthuizen se trofeekas beland. Baie van die leerders het, benewens die gewone kompetisiepryse, rolle in professionele produksies losgeslaan, wat wye blootstelling meegebring het. Benewens die prestasies by die Hoërskool Dramafees in Kaapstad, het Skaakmat vanjaar met benoemings en pryse in elke moontlike kategorie weggestap by die Fraserburg LoganToneelfees,ATKV Tienertoneel (Vrystaatstreek) in Bloemfontein, en die Namakwaland Toneelfees op Springbok.

Die geheim van sukses vir Barnie se tienertoneelgroep is harde werk. “Ons oefen meestal vakansies en Sondae, en laat in die aande ná die dag se aktiwiteite. Dit is belangrik dat die span inkoop in mens se idee en hulle moet glo in mekaar en in die produk.” En mens moenie wegskram van nuwe uitdagings, style en tegnieke nie. “Probeer om altyd te vernuwe! Jy leer die meeste wanneer jy kyk na teaterproduksies en veral na ander skole se stukke!”

Vir onderwysers wat ’n eie dramagroep in ’n skool van die grond af wil kry, het Barnie dié raad:

“Begin klein en eenvoudig. Doen eers iets waarmee jy gemaklik is. Moenie oorweldig voel oor wat en hoe ander groepe dinge doen nie. En luister na jou leerders. Hulle het baie keer baie beter idees as jy.”

Die gemeenskap van Kakamas en Hoërskool Martin Oosthuizen se ondersteuning maak al die verskil.

“Die skool het ’n ongelooflike sterk kultuurgeskiedenis,” sê Barnie. “In 2020 was dit 100 jaar oud, en as mens na die argiewe kyk, is dit opvallend hoe die skool in ’n eeu moeite gedoen het met kultuuraktiwiteite.” Waar ook al in die land Barnie se toneelgroepe optree, daar is die oud-Kakamiete teenwoordig om te ondersteun.

“Tydens onsArtscape-optrede was daar nie minder nie as 22 oudakteurs en Kakamas-inwoners wat kom kyk het hoe ons speel –tuisskare-voordeel in die Kaap!”

Wanneer Martin Oosthuizen konsert hou, is die vertonings uitverkoop. En almal neem deel. “Met 240 leerders is ons ’n klein skool, so almal moet alles doen, of daar is niks. My beste akteurs en aktrises is rugbyspelende landbouseuns, die kaptein van die hokkiespan, die dux-leerder … So, almal wat wil en kan, word ingespan.”

Barnie sê hy geniet die onderwys terdeë. “Ek dink ek is maar ’n baie gemiddelde onderwyser, maar ek geniet die jong mense ongelooflik.

Dit is regtig vir my lekker om hulle te sien ontwikkel en om ’n pad saam met hulle te stap. “Die onderwysstelsel neem die onderwyser al meer weg van die leerder en onderrig, en daar word probeer om die sisteem met allerhande side shows te verbeter Die koms van tegnologie en die gebruik daarvan in die klas het ook vir my ’n hele nuwe wêreld oopgemaak. Ek is mal daaroor om nuwe tegnologie te verken.

“Onderwys is nie ’n loopbaankeuse wat jy maak as jy nie weet wat jy wil doen nie – dit is ’n roeping.As dit nie jou passie is nie, bly weg!”Litnet

Barnie Mans van Hoërskool Martin Oosthuizen in Kakamas

(renewables we have, all here in, and around the Northern Cape)

Northern Cape Resources for Everyone Except Those Living in The Province

SouthAfrica’s electricity crisis is now in its 15th year, and there’s still no end in sight.The stateowned monopoly, Eskom, cannot fulfil its mandate of supplying reliable and affordable electricity to the nation. It’s time to take power back – quite literally.

Taking inspiration from other countries, we have an opportunity to do this in a way that lowers electricity costs for households and businesses while also empowering them financially

Since the mid-2000s, community solar projects have sprung up across Europe, the US,Australia, and even the UK – a country with less than half of SouthAfrica’s annual solar radiation resources.

Abe Cambridge, founder of one of SouthAfrica’s coolest companies –The Sun Exchange – helped set up solar energy cooperatives across the UK before moving to the bottom tip ofAfrica.

He tells me there are essentially two types of solar cooperatives. In a consumer-orientated one, individuals help fund projects and then earn an income based on the electricity their cells generate, or they buy that same affordable power. In a worker cooperative, the employees who work on solar projects also own them.At one point, the feed-in tariffs in the UK were so attractive that cooperatives could install solar panels on lowincome households and provide them with free electricity, because they were earning

enough from supplying power to the grid to cover their costs.

After those tariffs were reduced, Cambridge moved to sunny SouthAfrica in 2014 – a time when solar panels were as rare as principled politicians are today

He set up the country’s first-ever crowd-funded solar facility at the Stellenbosch Waldorf School. The project was partly funded by the school’s teachers and the kids’parents, and it’s been a huge success.The school has cut its electricity bill and the local community is generating an additional income stream.

That ultimately served as a pilot project forThe Sun Exchange, a peer-to-peer solar panel leasing platform.The company facilitates "crowd sales" to fund solar projects that power schools, farms, manufacturing facilities and other organisations. It’s now adding battery storage to a number of its projects.

Under this model, community members and other funders can own individual solar cells in a project and then lease them to the company that uses the electricity. It’s a clear win-win.

Another, vastly different example of local community solar is being run by non-profit organisation GreenCape, which has been doing solar projects for informal communities around CapeTown that do not yet have access to the grid.

Community members can participate in these projects by

paying a subsidised joining fee. They end up paying less for the solar electricity than what they used to pay for candles and paraffin, according to GreenCape.

For community solar to really take off, though, Eskom will need to offer decent feed-in tariffs to incentivise projects that sell energy into the grid – particularly projects that include battery storage and can assist the grid during peak hours.

Encouragingly, the utility is working towards the implementation of a feed-in tariff scheme.

The City of CapeTown has already introduced its own, although its feed-in tariffs remain too low to really make a difference.

Vietnam offers a good example of how it can be done.The SoutheastAsian nation was facing the prospect of power shortages until authorities offered generous feed-in tariffs that incentivised households to install panels.

In 2019 and 2020, more than 100 000 rooftop solar systems were installed in the country, pushing Vietnam’s total solar photovoltaic capacity to 16.5GW and averting the power crisis.

Elsewhere, in the US, a company called CommunitySun builds large solar farms by That wasn’t necessarily a community solar programme, but it shows the power of incentives.

selling individual solar panels to households. Using the local utility’s grid, it sends this electricity to each participating household. In this way, households and businesses coown large-scale solar projects and benefit from the cheap energy they produce.

Asystem like this requires a more liberalised electricity market than SouthAfrica currently has, but it’s something that regulators should be cognisant of.

Considering its solar resources and ongoing energy crisis, South Africa has far too much unused land and rooftop space.Amore attractive feed-in tariff programme could change that, and fast.

Project owners could even start using vacant buildings to generate solar energy for the national grid, since the viability of such projects would no longer depend on selling power to an occupant below And there are ways to make sure that it's not just the middle class that participates in community solar projects.

California recently passed a bill requiring crowdfunded solar projects to ensure that at least 51% of subscribers are lowincome.This means project developers will need to find ways to help low-income households participate, possibly with competitive financing mechanisms. - Nick Hedley / News24

Stroop:

500 ml suiker

25 ml suurlemoensap

175 ml water

5 ml kremetart

1 ml sout

Kook die stroopbestanddele saam en verkil tot benodig.

Poffers:

2 koppies meel

½ koppie melk

½ koppie room

1 eetlepel suiker

1 eier knippie sout

1 eetlepel bakpoeier

kookolie vir diepbraai Sif die meel, bakpoeier en sout saam. Klits die eier en voeg die room, melk en suiker by die eier en meng deur Voeg die eier-enmelkmengsel by die gesifte meelmengsel en meng deeglik tot ‘n slap deeg. Verhit die olie tot warm (soos vir vetkoek), maar moenie olie oorverhit nie, anders bak poffertjies te vinnig donker en is dit nog rou binne. Drup teelepels deeg

in warm olie en bak poffers rondom tot goudbruin. Haal uit met ‘n gaatjieslepel en dompel die poffertjies dadelik in die koue stroop. Wanneer stroop ingetrek het, haal poffers uit en plaas op ‘n drukrak met ‘n skinkbord onder vir die ekstra stroop om af te drup. Geniet!

Bron: ResepMarietjie Nel / Facebook / Lekker Resepte vir die Jongergeslag!!

Rare Pink Diamond To Go Under Hammer In Geneva

The Fortune Pink, an exceptionally rare giant gemstone, will be auctioned in Geneva in November when it is expected to go for up to $35 million (over R630 million), auctioneers said Monday

At over 18 carats, the vividly coloured gem is the largest pearshaped pink diamond of its quality ever to be offered for sale at auction, the Christie's auction house said.

The diamond, which goes under the hammer for the first time on November 8, has been estimated at between $25 million and $35 million. The sparkling pink tear-drop-formed stone, which has been mounted on a ring flanked by a large white diamond on either side, weighs exactly 18.18 carats.Christie's highlighted that this was considered a lucky number inAsia, where it signifies "definite prosperity", saying it expected the diamond to "garner

"Weighing in at an auspicious 18.18 carats... the weight in fact brings luck to the new owner,"Angela Berden, Christie's senior jewellery specialist, toldAFP interest from collectors across the globe."

"It's a beautiful stone, it's extremely rare to find a pink diamond, vivid pink diamond, of this size," she said. "The colour saturation of this stone is... so difficult to find in nature, and then when you find a crystal... with that weight, with that colour, and a very good clarity, that's just really rare." “I wouldn't know where to find another one at this moment."

While the Fortune Pink is the largest vivid pink pear-shaped diamond to go to auction, larger cushion-shaped pink diamonds have previously gone under the hammer In 2018, Christie's sold the 18.96-

carat Winston Pink Legacy, which raked in over $50 million -- the highest per-carat price ever paid for a stone of its kind.The giant Raj Pink diamond, weighing a full 37.3 carats, meanwhile, failed to sell at a Sotheby's auction a year earlier, where it had been estimated at up to $30 million.

Mined In S.A. But 90% Of The Value Taken By Other Countries

In 1999, miners in SouthAfrica uncovered a rough 132-carat pink diamond that was later named The Pink Star. For nearly two Where was the Pink Star diamond mined?

years, experts slowly cut and ground the rock into a 59-carat jewel, and in 2013,The Pink Star sold for roughly US$83 million at auction, becoming the single most expensive gemstone ever sold.

Amodel wears the Raj pink diamond prior to its auction. Photo:Getty

Karakter: Wat beteken perspektief?

Volgens die slim mense is perspektief die lens waardeur jy jou storie vertel. Hierdie lens beïnvloed die leser se ervaring sowel as opinie van jou karakters.

Vertellers:

Jou keuse van ‘n hoofkarakter het waarskynlik die grootste invloed op perspektief. Oor vertellers en die tipe vertellers is daar baie te sê. Die mees algemene is die eerstepersoons- en derdepersoonsverteller. In hierdie blogplasing wil ek egter nie die tegniese aspekte rondom verteller bespreek nie.

Die tipe perspektief waarna ek hier wil kyk, is die karakter se

uitkyk op die lewe. ‘n Persoon wat in weelde grootgeword het, se uitkyk op die lewe gaan drasties verskil van iemand wat moes veg om oorlewing.

Tieners se perspektief verskil dramaties van die van volwassenes. Omdat ek jeugfiksie skryf en ook twee tieners in die huis het, beïnvloed dit hoe ek na dinge kyk.Toe ek begin skryf het, was my kinders albei in die laerskool en daarom het ek ‘n sielkundige (wat hoofsaaklik met jongvolwassenes werk) oor my karakters geraadpleeg. Selfs al is my kinders tans (2022) tieners, is dit iets wat ek steeds doen, want ‘n mens is nooit te oud om te leer nie.

Volgens kenners ontwikkel die prefrontale korteks in die brein eers gedurende adolessensie en die rasionele deel van die tienerbrein is daarom eers teen ongeveer ouderdom 25 voltooid. Dit beteken dat tieners dikwels nie goeie oordeelsvermoë het nie. Volwassenes beskik oor ‘n ontwikkelde prefrontale korteks en dink daarom aan die moontlike gevolge betreffende sekere keuses en handelinge, terwyl dit nie die geval by tieners is nie. Wetenskaplikes meen dat tieners inligting met die amigdala prosesseer en die amigdala is die emosionele deel van die brein. In die tienerbrein ontwikkel die konneksies tussen die rasionele en emosionele dele van die brein nog en daarom reageer tieners dikwels emosioneel eerder as rasioneel.

Wanneer ‘n volwassene skryf vanuit die perspektief van ‘n tiener, is dit belangrik dat die keuses wat die karakter maak die van ‘n tiener sal weerspieël. Hoofstuk 48 van Sindikaat is gebaseer op ware gebeure. ‘n Vriendin met tieners in die huis het my van ‘n soortgelyke insident vertel en dit is waarom hierdie insident in fiktiewe vorm neerslag in die boek gevind het. Bossie (as volwassene) bring hier die volwasse perspektief,

maar Bossie preek nie. Bo en behalwe die feit dat Bossie nie iemand is wat baie praat nie, sal die meeste mense met tieners weet dat dit nie help om vir ‘n tiener te preek nie. Bossie doen dinge op sy manier en dit het wel die gewenste uitwerking.

In Spel het Lukas Brandt by sy ouers grootgeword. Sy taalgebruik is daarom nie die van ‘n tipiese tiener nie, maar hy dink steeds emosioneel eerder as rasioneel. So wou hy te midde van gevaar in hoofstuk 33 vir JJ langs die pad afgelaai het. ‘n Volwassene sou onmiddellik aan die moontlike gevaar gedink het, maar Lukas gee in daardie stadium nie eintlik om nie.

Wanneer jy jeugfiksie skryf, onthou die volgende:

“The teenage brain is like a Ferrari: it’s sleek, shiny, sexy, and fast, and it corners really well. But it also has really crappy brakes.” —Anoniem

Hulle liggame is tot volwasse handelinge in staat, maar dit beteken nie dat hul breine daarvoor gereed is nie.

Lekker skryf.

NOORD KAAP

TUINE

Wenke van Welbekende Gepubliseerde Skrywer - Annerle Barnard

New Drying Techniques Improve Quality Of South African Raisins

currently running a project whereby emerging female farmers are helped to work on the construction of their own drying facilities whilst also being trained in how to properly prepare the land prior to vineyard planting. During this time, they are taught about the latest fertiliser programmes and vine pruning techniques.This work is backed by a new VineAcademy and Model Farm in Kakamas in the Northern Cape, which trains students in the best viticulture practices and educates farmers in new techniques.

sunny climate, along with the ample supply of water from the rivers, makes ideal growing conditions to produce the highest quality raisins with world-leading shelf life, colour and flavour

Ÿ

The three main varieties are Merbein Seedless, Sultana Seedless and Selma Pete, but other varieties include Sugra 39 and Flame Seedless.The main product produced isThompsons, Goldens, SASultana (previously known as WP) and Orange River (OR Sultana).

Innovative drying techniques are among several new initiatives helping to boost the quality and sustainability of SouthAfrican raisins. Growers in SouthAfrica have begun using a net-drying process, whereby raisin grapes are sun-dried on elevated nets.The approach allows for natural wind to circulate around the fruit, with any rainfall being irrigated through the net to prevent damage.

The raisins are also dried on 19 millimetres stone courses, ensuring the product is not damaged during heavy rainfall. In the Orange River region, drying racks are used to prevent the sultanas from being exposed to direct sunlight, resulting in their distinctive light amber colour Golden sultanas, which are normally processed, also gain their famous golden colour from the same approach. Compulsory audits also ensure that the new drying facilities meet the requisite food safety and quality standards. Such techniques are ideal in SouthAfrica, where pest and disease pressure are lower due to the hot, dry climate, and with growers adopting good biological practices and control, fewer chemicals are needed. Water for the

fruit is sourced from the Orange and Olifants Rivers, and while micro, drip and flood irrigation are used, strict governance also requires all farms to adhere to water rights limitations.

Ferdie Botha, chief executive of industry body Raisins SA, explained: “All these techniques aim to protect the environment, public health, and human communities, as well as ensure complete traceability That begins with the grower, and all producers must register their farm at the Department ofAgriculture.The certified number they receive is then used for traceability throughout the entire process, and no product can be supplied without this number.”

Growers are supported by both agricultural advisers and experts from their packers and Raisins SA, and there has been a special focus on new cultivars and adopting a science-based approach to improve yields and quality The sector is further backed by the table grape industry, ensuring a collaborative approach to innovation and growth. Meanwhile, wider social and environmental initiatives are underscoring the latest innovations in farming practices. Raisins SAis

It all helps at a time when German consumers are demanding highquality fresh produce with strong sustainability credentials. “Germany is interested in low levels of pesticide residues and organic produce”, Botha concludes. “They like it when producers focus on regenerative farming methods, and SouthAfrica, as a source, ticks these boxes.”

Notes

Ÿ

The UK promotional campaign is run by Non Profit Company, Raisins SouthAfrica.

Ÿ Raisins SouthAfrica is the mouthpiece of a new and transformed industry, in collaboration with government and other relevant stakeholders.They play a vital role in advancing growers’interests.

Ÿ SouthAfrican raisins are produced in the Orange and Olifants river regions, which is in the Northern and Western Cape respectively The Northern Cape Province accounts for at least 88 percent of the total annual production.The Western Cape accounts for the remaining 12 percent

Ÿ

These regions experience exceptional levels of sunshine, on average 10.5 hours every day between January and March, which is when the fruit is harvested and naturally sundried.The normally dry,

Ÿ

There are seven processors of SouthAfrican raisins: the big four represent 85 percent of the total industry, two mid-size packers (14 percent) and one small but very focused supplier (1 percent).

Ÿ

There are 700 growers of South African raisins, working in over 1,000 farms.

Ÿ

Average temperatures during harvesting and drying period are very warm and dry, ranging from 33—38 degrees C.The maximum temperature can rise as high as 45 degrees C. Winters are cold early mornings and evenings, with frequent frost.Temperatures usually average 20—24 degrees C but can go as low as minus 8 degrees C for extreme cold nights.

Ÿ

The Orange River region normally receives 150 to 180 millimetres of rainfall per annum.

Ÿ Raisins are a “natural powerhouse” packed full of nutrients, such as fibre, iron, calcium, and antioxidants. Because most of the water is extracted from dried fruits, their nutrients are concentrated.

Ÿ 20—25 percent of SouthAfrican dried fruit is exported to the German market.

Ÿ Germany is the largest export market for SouthAfrican raisins, due to the market favouring product that has no or minimum residues.Guetsel Online

Body Stress Release

Kalkloot Intermediêre Skool Nuus

Kalksloot Intermediere Skool vier Erfenisdag. Op die foto Lna R pronk juffroue Potgieter, De Wee, Koopman, Isaks en Klaase.

Kalksloot Intermediere Skool het op 4Augustus 2022 veertig jaar geword. Die dag was gekenmerk deur verskeie feesvier aktiwiteite. Hier sny mnr W. Du Plessis, prinsipaal, die koek.

Onderwysers geklee in skool uniforms.

en dogter tee

Water Beheer

Spesialiste

Uit Die Woord...

“God wants us to understand and to believe that we are more truly in heaven than on earth.”(Julian of Norwich) 1

Dink net : Ons nuwe Kainos generasie is multi-demensioneel geskape. Like 'Jacob's Ladder' we are Gates and Doors (plural) to multiple planes of dimensional existence: Mighty gates: lift up your heads!Ancient doors: rise up high! (Psalms 24:7, CEB).

Jesus is ons enigste voorbeeld broer

In the following story from the Gospel of John, we read about an angry religious crowd who wanted to kill Jesus.The crowd was so angry they picked up stones to kill Jesus inside the temple.There was

nowhere to hide! Nowhere to run! Jesus was trapped. Surrounded! How did he get out of this? They took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus HID Himself (John 8:59). They picked up stones to hurl at him, but Jesus DISAPPEARED (PHI). Going through the midst of them, and so passed by (YLT).

One time they grabbed him and threw him out of the city. Look at what happened next: They rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff (Luke 4:28-30)

Jesus skyf demensies in die teenwoordigheid van n groep mense?

Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way (Luke 4:30).

Let op: When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost, and they started screaming.All of them saw him and were terrified. But at that same time he said, “Don't worry! I am Jesus. Don't be afraid.” (Mark 6:49, CEV).

This era is not going to be simply business as usual. The FirstAdam received life, the LastAdam is a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor 15:45, MSG).The implications of the Gospel are massive. Death will be swallowed up by Life.

Kainos generasie moet bloot gestel word aan die hul ware identeit in CHRISTUS JESUS . Wil jy

Theological Educational Institute:

CAMPUS

HERMANUS, VERMONT, WESTERN CAPE

Prof Dirk Scott

0793991081

theologyeducationalinstitute@gmail.com

waarlik jouself in die perfekte bloudruk van JESUS in jou ontdek?

Paulus skryf dit in :”Col 2:2 The mandate of my ministry is for everyone's heart to be awakened to their true identity, intertwined in love's tapestry This will launch you into a life of knowing the wealth of every conclusion and joint witness hidden within the mystery of God who fathered us and corevealed us in Christ”.

Nasa Mission To Make First Attempt At Redirecting An Asteroid

On Monday, a robotic Nasa spacecraft is programmed to ram itself into a distant asteroid at 14,000 miles per hour (25,500 kilometres per hour) in deep space to demonstrate the agency’s future ability to defend Earth from hazardous space rocks.

It’s a fast action scene straight out of a sci-fi movie:The spacecraft, named DART, will first spot an asteroid the size of a football stadium named Dimorphos as a single pixel in its camera.About an hour later, if all goes as planned, DARTwill smash into its target with enough force to nudge the big space rock ever so slightly off course. The scene will play out nearly seven million miles from Earth.

To be clear: Dimorphos doesn’t pose any threat to Earth, but the DARTmission is the first physical test in space of one of Nasa’s primary tenets: planetary defence.

If DARTcan successfully push the asteroid off course, it could prove a viable defence strategy if scientists discover an asteroid headed toward Earth with enough size and heft to hit with potentially catastrophic consequences. Scientists have identified most of the gigantic asteroids that could wipe out the planet, and none of those known objects pose a threat. What they’re worried about is the thousands of smaller asteroids similar in size to Dimorphos, flying in space near Earth that could one day cross its path. One of those colliding with Earth could cause devastation more powerful than any nuclear weapon ever tested on this planet.

“This would be regionally devastating over a populated area, a city, a state, or a country,” Nancy Chabot, the coordination lead for DARTat the Johns HopkinsApplied Physics Laboratory, said. “So you might not be talking global extinction, but you still want to be able to prevent this if you could.”Astronomers believe they’ve only found less than half of the asteroids in that category circulating near Earth.

The DARTspacecraft, built at Johns Hopkins University and launched in November of 2021, is tiny compared to Dimorphos. “You’re talking about something the size of a golf cart running into something the size of a stadium,” Chabot said. “So you can see that this is all about a small nudge.”

But Nasa thinks that’s all that will be needed to do the trick.That’s because, over time and distance, the tiny change in trajectory will multiply manyfold, enough to ensure the huge space rock would, were Earth in its path, whiz safely by

Dimorphos, measuring about 525 feet (160 metres), is part of a two asteroid system, thus the DARTname, which stands for DoubleAsteroid Redirection Test. It’s a moonlet of a larger asteroid called Didymos, which is roughly 2,550 feet (780 metres) wide.

The two-asteroid system will help scientists measure the nudge DARTgives Dimorphos. From Earth, they’ll be able to calculate how Dimorphos’orbit around Didymos changes over time. Right now, the asteroid takes nearly 12 hours to complete one orbit, but it’s possible DARTcould change that by several minutes.

As soon as DART’s task is complete, astronomers using radar and optical telescopes will get to work observing the asteroids from Earth. Nasa expects to figure out the results of the crash in a matter of days or perhaps weeks after the impact. “I would be really surprised if it took more than three weeks,” saidTom Statler, the program scientist for DART

at Nasa.

Afuture European mission, called HERA, will also launch in the next couple of years and meet up with the two asteroids to fully survey the system and how it’s changed.

Researchers will also get an immediate glimpse of how DART’s smash-up plays out, thanks to multiple cameras that will capture the show The same onboard camera used to help navigate the vehicle through space and hone in on the asteroid will record the spacecraft’s impact in near realtime, sending back images roughly once every second.A small cube-shaped craft deployed from DARTand built by the Italian SpaceAgency will also capture the crash with two of its own cameras from a safe distance. Nasa said it would share footage of the impact in the days after the collision.

DARTis just testing one way in which Nasa or another space agency could try to defend Earth from asteroids.Another method the agency said it may consider would involve sending a spacecraft to linger near a hazardous asteroid to use its gravity to tug on the space rock’s path.Aseparate option could entail blasting engine thrusters at an asteroid for long periods to push it off its path.

“This demonstration will start to add tools to our toolbox of methods that could be used in the future,” Lindley Johnson, Nasa’s planetary defence officer, said. “And we need several of them because the circumstances that we might face could be quite different.” - DFA

Illustration of Nasa’s DART spacecraft and the Italian Space Agency’s (ASI) LICIACube prior to impact. Picture: Nasa/Johns Hopkins APL

“Congratulations to our Grade 10 learner, Nikki van Aswegen who will represent Aggeneys High School, the Namakwa district and the Northern Cape province at the National Road Safety Debate Competition in Kimberley. Nikki is one of the best debaters in her category and and we know that she will do her utmost best in representing the Northern Cape province.”

English teacher Mr Afrika with Nikki

Nikki from Aggeneys High

Places

Surveillance Capitalism

$10 Trillion Dollar Industry

What is meant by surveillance capitalism?

Surveillance capitalism is the monetization of data captured through monitoring people's movements and behaviors online and in the physical world.

Consumer surveillance is most commonly used for targeted marketing and advertising.

Youth SMMES Receive Support

Small business owner, Gopolang Seajane (32), is one of five young entrepreneurs who have recently graduated from a 12monthYouth Social Entrepreneurship Programme. The programme was designed to inspire young Gamagara Entrepreneurs who are committed to changing their communities for the better

The owner of Gamagara Dance SportAcademy, Gopolang had this to say about the programme, “This programme really helped me realise my potential. I am grateful for the tools I have acquired to support me when I’m faced with disappointments, rejections, failures, and challenges that come with being an entrepreneur. Given my line of

work, it has been tough to transform my craft into a profitable business, but the programme also assisted me with that.”

Funded by REISASolar and implemented by Raizcorp, this programme aimed to address youth unemployment and tackle a range of pressing socioeconomic challenges.

“We believe that this programme will support a fundamental change in young people’s lives by promoting the emergence of new youth and women-led businesses. It will also help enterprises in their early stages to thrive and become more sustainable,” said Veronique Isaacs, Project Community

This second phase of the programme, which concluded in June, provided the local entrepreneurs with the skills to grow their small businesses in a

way that reduces their reliance on large entities. Furthermore, having completed the programme, REISASolar will provide funding to the participants requiring capital to expand or grow their business.sagoodnews

Operations Officer for REISA Solar

Picture: Supplied

This

Ahoney business headquartered in the small town ofTaung in SouthAfrica's North West province is on a mission to build and distribute a million hives to repopulate dwindling bee colonies and empower rural communities.

The world's bee population is declining because of intensive farming practices, land-use change, mono-cropping, pesticides, and higher temperatures associated with climate change. Present species extinction rates are 100 to 1,000 times higher than normal due to human impacts, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO UN).

This bee die-off threatens to intensify food insecurity About one-third of commonly eaten foods rely on crops pollinated by honeybees, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

SouthAfrica's rural North West, home to toweringAcacia trees, has traditionally been abuzz with the sound of honeybees.The area has a rich history of indigenous beekeeping and honey collecting.

During SouthAfrica's hard lockdown and alcohol bans, these indigenous beekeepers in and aroundTaung, with an innate knowledge of honey harvesting, turned to producing mead, explains Lesego Holzapfel, founder of Bee Loved Honey

"These indigenous beekeepers in the village, they can tell you exactly where the bees are [and] where the honey is," explained Holzapfel, adding that the knowledge passed down from generation to

generation has been extremely valuable to the community.

"But their methods of harvesting honey have been terrible for the environment."

With no sophisticated equipment to safely harvest honey from wild hives, these indigenous beekeepers often resort to setting fire to the surrounding area, with smoke pacifying bees. In the process, these fires sometimes rage out of control, destroying vegetation and bee colonies.

Bee Loved Honey uses vastly different methods of honey harvesting, with an emphasis on caring for the bees and protecting the environment. These methods are taught, through training sessions, to both unemployed youth and older indigenous beekeepers in rural areas as part of Holzapfel's mission to produce pure honey for sale, create jobs, and repopulate bee colonies.

Holzapfel grew up in rural Taung and went on to study at the London School of Economics and Political Science and City College of NewYork. She returned to her hometown in 2012 with a vision to uplift rural communities through proper education and innovative entrepreneurship. Her initial aim was to transform communities through crop farming, introducing beekeeping as a secondary source of income for farmers while they waited to harvest their produce.

But the beekeeping element grew, with Holzapfel diving headfirst into researching the challenges and opportunities within SouthAfrica's honey industry

“I was disappointed to learn that the number of beekeepers in the country is dwindling and part of that is because of the influx of blended honey that's coming through our borders that forces beekeepers to leave the trade," said Holzapfel.

"Also, SouthAfrica is a net importer of honey. We only have production capacity, as a country, of 2,000 tons, [and] the country consumes more than 5,000 tons, and what's been scarier is that of the 5,000 tons they consume, most of it is not even real honey, it's blended honey.”

Holzapfel shifted her focus to honey in 2017, and, three years later, built a factory inTaung. It's here where Bee Loved Honey manufactures beehives and packages pure honey for sale online and at selected outlets, like the Oranjezicht City Farm Market in CapeTown.

The beehives, which cost R1,200 each, are either bought by or sponsored for rural youth with interest in beekeeping and small-scale farmers. Bee Loved Honey provides training and also has wholesale off-take agreements with the rural beekeepers for the honey produced in these hives, which are transported back to its Taung factory to be packaged and sold.

To date, Bee Loved Honey has

deployed more than 600 hives and collected more than seven tons of honey This brand of honey recently received FDAapproval and is already kosher certified. With this, Holzapfel is keenly eyeing the export market, wanting to build a proudly SouthAfrican brand that is revered by overseas consumers for its superior taste and sustainable sourcing practices.

"We will soon be exporting to the US.The whole idea is taking highqualityAfrican product [and] placing them on the shelves of retailers in the US to change the narrative about products that are coming fromAfrica," said Holzapfel.

And while exports are a focus for Holzapfel, Bee Loved Honey has a far more ambitious goal: to manufacture and distribute a million beehives acrossAfrica by 2025.This, Holzapfel says, will not only empower rural communities and combat unemployment but will also play a vital role in stemming the bee population's decline, adding to overall food security in Africa.

"The idea is that we train the next generation ofAfrican beekeepers. So, these are people who would then care for our bees and then care for the environment, because if our bees continue to go down at the rate [that] they're [currently] going down, we are in trouble, especially from a food security perspective," said Holzapfel.

Honey at the Taung factory (Image supplied Bee Loved Honey)

Lesego Holzapfel and her team (Image supplied:Bee Loved Honey.)

Image supplied:Bee Loved Honey.

Victoria West Read All About It In The Messenger

The authors of this article are both former newspaper reporters – in all our years on the papers, the only time we ever ventured downstairs to the printers was to attend the company Christmas Party, where grubby blue collar would meet wine-stained white collar and share a dram or two.

Although we loved the sights, sounds and smells of our print shops, we had no idea of how they worked. Like water just flows from a tap, all we knew was that the latest editions of our respective newspapers were the end-products of a mystical process.And, if we were lucky on the day, one or two of our own stories would be in the editorial mix.

Old School Print Shop

So when we pitch up in the Northern Cape town of Victoria West in 2016, we are intrigued to hear of an ancient print shop on the main street, behind the Kempen & Kempen law offices. We have to find out more.

JAfriendly auditor called George Kersop opens up for us and there it all lies: the Original Heidelberg printing presses, the paper guillotines, piles of printer’s trays, and rows of lead type ready to be arranged and stacked into this week’s news of note.This was once the home of the venerable Victoria West Messenger, a very old country newspaper

The morning sun shines through the windows and we stroll around, disturbing dust motes that rise in the light.There is a faint smell of hot ink, oil and bird droppings. But there is also still the embedded memory-magic of deadlines chased, local, national and world news written, processed and printed, and a Karoo community informed on many levels.

ARemarkable Country Newspaper

The Victoria West Messenger was born on 11 July 1875.The little Northern Cape farming town lay on the fabled Diamond Road between CapeTown and Kimberley, where a full pack of hookers, hucksters, chancers and chandlers were operating alongside men who were actually getting their hands dirty on the diggings.There was much to report on, as the diamond boomers flowed through a rather astonished Victoria West on their way north.

was launched by Christiaan W Zinn in 1875, and left in the care of his son (also a Christiaan) in 1890 until 1902, when a human whirlwind called DM Olleman took over as manager. He ran the show until 1908, when he went off to manageThe Friend in Bloemfontein, launch the eversuccessful Farmers Weekly, the now-defunct Motor Weekly, Outspan and Personality, and become the prime mover behind theArgus Group of newspapers, where we cut our professional teeth back in the day

Over the decades since its inception,The Messenger reported on mainstream news like theAnglo-Boer War, the establishment of the Union in 1910, World War I, the Spanish Flu of 1918, the Great Depression of the 1920s, World War II and all the other epochs that followed.

The Seduction of Small News But the true value of a community newspaper likeThe Messenger was that it also covered the minutiae, the “real news” that people living in Upper Karoo towns from Calvinia to Carnarvon, Williston to Victoria West, craved.

Legendary SouthAfrican author, historian and general boffin Eric Rosenthal wrote a slim but excellent book, One Hundred Years of Victoria West (18591959), in which he extracted all sorts of up-the-road happenings as reported byThe Messenger at the time.

The five jail-breaking desperadoes and the Maria Morris Murder of 1877; the village crisis of 1881, when the only person qualified to send telegraph signals fell gravely ill; the bitterness of 1883, when the railways bypassed Victoria West and stopped at Hutchinson instead; the 1891 failed rainmaking attempt by Dominee GAMaeder, who went to the top of a hill and launched explosives into a passing cloud; the 1896 invention of a 52-piece steam organ by a local called Christiaan Olwage; the arrival of the horseless carriage (motor car) in Prieska, where “small boys fled in terror, women screamed and strong men turned pale”; the designation of Victoria West as an “Air Service Station”, an international aerodrome in 1919; the establishment of the Petrus Hugo Spitfire Fund in the 1940s, when a homeboy flying ace was in the thick of the Battle of Britain

and Victoria West raised enough funds to buy him a fighter called “The Karroo”.And so on.

Modern-Day Messenger Enthralled by this publication, we buy a fresh copy (11 March 2016) ofThe Messenger at the shops and note the headlines:

The Square KilometreArray (SKA) outside Carnarvon is about to deliver vast volumes of data; a chap calledAdriaan Estes is charity-walking with a huge wooden cross all the way from CapeTown to Bloemfontein; there’s a hoax story about a kid trapped in a squatter camp drain; sporting hero Kiewiet Jaers comes good at a provincial athletics meet and a whole bunch of veteran cars are rallying on 19 March to raise money for Huis Frieda Kempen, the old-age home hereabouts.

There is also something on the blue-green algae in regional dams, the ongoing madness in Parliament down in the Cape, and a favourable review of a new book on explorer-soldier Robert Jacob Gordon.

We discover that the Victoria West Messenger has been renamedThe Messenger and moved to Calvinia, where it shares quarters with Die Noordwester and Die Oewernuus.

“We must go there sometime,” we agree, and pin the idea for five years.

Frans Hugo’s Weekly Journey

In May 2021, we finally arrive in Calvinia to finish the story ofThe Messenger. In a small shop on the main street, the 89-year-old Frans Hugo, his wife Maxie and their assistants are hard at work on this week’s edition. Frans, it turns out, is one of the few newspaper men in the world who can navigate the innards of a Heidelberg press, the entire printing process, the reporting, gathering of announcements and, wait for it, the distribution of his three newspapers every week over vast distances of the Upper Karoo.

He can even cadge the odd advertisement from one of the municipalities in his bailiwick.

Aided by Maxie, former curator of the Calvinia Museum, he prepares the newspapers, has them printed, packed in his Fiat diesel bakkie, and onThursday mornings at about 3am, begins a

long, looping journey that takes him from Calvinia to Carnarvon, Loxton, Vosburg, Victoria West, Prieska, Vanwyksvlei and Brandvlei. It’s a 1,200km road trip most travel journalists would feel proud to accomplish once a year

The lead story this week is headlined:Anargie op Prieska –Anarchy in Prieska.

“LastThursday, when I was there dropping off papers, all the roads were blocked with stones and tyres were burning,” he says. “The community wants more involvement in the local mine. They accuse the mine bosses of bringing their own people in.”

OnThursdays, his first stop is the petrol station in Williston, where he leaves a pile of newspapers with one of the attendants to drop off at a shop later in the day The local Williston doctor, headed for his weekly visit to Fraserburg, takes some of the editions with him. It’s hand-made Karoo distribution at its best, with many informal working parts.

“Then I head off to Carnarvon,” says Frans. “Their municipality takes papers for me up to Vanwyksvlei.”

Sometimes his weekly distribution forays end up with a flat tyre on a dirt road, and sometimes stuck in a Loxton water furrow

“Then I’d have to call someone to help. I used to do all the mechanical work myself, but I’m a bit too old to crawl under vehicles these days.”

The years have not dimmed his passion for the Karoo, he says. “Every week, I see something new out there.The way the moon rises, the light catching on the side of a wind pump, theAngloBoer War blockhouses, and the old, deserted train stations, they all look different every time.”

Ink in the Blood

Born in CapeTown in 1932, Frans Hugo began his newspaper career as an apprentice compositor with the Nasionale Pers group.Then he saw an ad for an all-rounder’s post at the Victoria West Messenger, applied for the job and was swiftly hired.

An ambitious young man, Frans crossed the No Man’s Land between the print shop and the newsroom and honed his writing

continues from pg

and photographic skills.

“On a small newspaper, you learn to do everything,” he says. In those days, the SouthAfrican railway system was a thing of beauty, so Frans would stow his bicycle on a train to get to neighbouring towns to gather

story leads, advertising material and, with a bit of luck, an additional print job for the hungry Heidelberg presses back at home base in Victoria West.

“Shortie McIntosh used to work the linotype and Piet de Wet handled the printing machines. We had to be able to fix those old

Heidelbergs, otherwise you had to bring someone in and they’d charge you R4,000 just to get here.”

One of Frans’s pet peeves is the trend of online news-reading. There is no digital version of his newspapers.

“We used to print 2,500 copies of

The Messenger,” he says. “Now we print only 1,300. It’s because many people like to read their news on cellphones.”

We want to know if Maxie and Frans have any succession plans for their newspapers, and they shake their heads. “They will probably die with us.” DM/ML

The legendary newspaperman Frans Hugo in front of the Calvinia Big Postbox. Image: Chris Marais

One of the Heidelberg printing presses in the old Messenger offices in Victoria West. Image: Chris Marais

The present-day ‘Noordwester’/’Messenger’ offices in Calvinia. Image: Chris Marais Frans Hugo busy in his print shop. Image: Chris Marais

Boxed magic – an Old School printer’s tray packed with lead. Image: Chris Marais

Victoria West: first home of ‘The Messenger’. Image: Chris Marais

Hoërskool Port Nolloth Se Matrieks 2022 Het Ons Boom Met Hul Geverfde Hande Kom Versier!!

Not Fit For Purpose: Why Mantashe’s Minerals Exploration Plan Is Bound To Fail

Much to the surprise of industry and notwithstanding Mantashe’s promises that exploration firms would be released from empowerment obligations, a 51% black ownership provision made its way back into the exploration strategy According to the document, the DMRE will, after identifying worthy projects, only render financial and technical support if the exploration company has at least 51% black ownership.

the 2021 Junior Mining Indaba, provoking a shudder among the audience.

THE exploration strategy South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) published inApril sets a bold target of attracting 5% of the world’s global exploration spend. But the industry says the department’s good intentions are not supported by a realistic plan of action.And that’s to put it mildly

OnApril 14, the DMRE published SouthAfrica’s much-anticipated exploration strategy in the Government Gazette. Industry and investors hoped the document would signal a turnabout in the country’s dwindling exploration spend (see graph: Budgeted exploration spend). In tandem with the strategy document the DMRE also published an exploration implementation plan.

Whereas the contents of the implementation plan resembled points that had been negotiated with industry, the exploration strategy appeared to be the solo work of DMRE officials.

“Hours of workshopping and negotiating with the DMRE … and what arrived on paper is not what we had expected,” says Errol Smart, head of the Minerals Council’s exploration and junior mining desk.

Since the publication of the two documents, mines and energy minister Gwede Mantashe has said that the exploration strategy is a draft and hinted that changes could follow after consultations with industry. But Paul Miller, a mining expert and owner of the consultancyAmaranthCX, has his doubts.

“The question is: what is the status of this document? It was gazetted, but not for public comment.At no point has it gone out for consultation, like with any green or white paper –something a normal policy process would require.The

ministry has claimed widespread consultation with the industry, but that’s a lie.”

The ministry has claimed widespread consultation with the industry, but that’s a lie.

Several obvious stakeholders, such as geological and geophysical experts, were not asked to give input. “This is completely off the books from a normal policy development or regulatory or legal development process,” Miller says. Jonathan Veeran, a mining lawyer at Webber Wentzel, says the exploration strategy is a policy document. “This is the DMRE saying ‘this is where we want things to go’, within the regulatory framework that already exists.”

An unrealistic, unfunded target

The preamble to the exploration strategy is an ambitious target of capturing 5% of the world’s global exploration spend worth about $900m, an objective Mantashe has articulated at several mining conventions. It’s a tall order though: SouthAfrica last laid claim to this share of exploration spending in 2003. In fact, mineral exploration in South Africa has been dwindling for years and was estimated to be as little as 0,75% of global spend in 2021 (see graph on SAshare of exploration spend vs Mantashe targets).

The ambitious target has an equally ambitious deadline: the strategy aims to attract this share of global exploration expenditure by 2025, but Miller believes the strategy and its bold deadline are dead in the water. “By the department’s own reckoning, this percentage means investment of R14bn [about $900m].This is a radical target, requiring a radical plan. Where are the radical investments required to reach that?”

Empowerment back on the books

Veeran says it’s nonsensical to have an empowerment partner at exploration stage. “At exploration level you don’t make any money There’s no benefit created for the empowerment partner [at exploration stage].”

Moreover, exploration is a highrisk venture, and venture capitalists don’t want to part with equity given the uncertain outcomes. “Ordinarily, if you buy a house and someone says: ‘yes, you own the house but someone else has a casting share’you’ll take a different view This same simplistic principle could be attributed to [exploration] companies.They put in the money and should be free to manage it.They want less interference,” Veeran says.

Mining executives have long complained that regional DMRE offices still insist on proof of 51% black ownership for exploration applications, notwithstanding the fact that empowerment is no longer a requisite in the Mining Charter

“One of my big gripes is that the minister has repeatedly said in terms of the charter you don’t require 51% BEE to get an exploration licence.Yet, the regional offices still apply it. Surely, it’s in the minister’s power to tell his regional directorate not to do it. It creates market uncertainty,” says a mining executive.

Enter the Council for Geoscience

In the strategy, the DMRE also assigns a much more prominent role to its Council for Geoscience (CGS) in the to-be-established public private partnerships.This body will be “fundamental in assessing the potential of projects that will be funded”.

Much to the relief of industry, the strategy document stops short of saying the CGS will take a stake in the ventures where it has conducted exploration work.The council’s CEO, Mosa Mabuza, suggested this as a possibility at

The council has since put these aspirations to rest. Says Mabuza: “When the CGS was founded in 1993, it was expressly prohibited from undertaking exploration. Legislation was subsequently amended, and the council was permitted to do some level of exploration participation and activities. But first and foremost, we are a science council. I want to be clear we’re not an exploration company. If we do invoke and deploy this provision [participating in exploration], we can hopefully deliver some successes. We’ve got so much potential, but the level of exploration activity is inconsistent with the quality of geology we have.”

Miller points out that the CGS will need a significant budget increase from its current annual $550m and there will have to be a significant rise in annual mineral and evaluation expenditure to be able to play a significant role in exploration.

“Only half of the CGS’s current budget is spent on projects,” he says.

What we do need is a mining cadastre that will tell you exactly everything that is known about a specific site, who owns it, who has rights to it and who did work on it in the past.That’s what we need.

Some industry players are sceptical of the CGS’s significance in exploration. Says one exploration company: “If we had a transparent and efficient mining and exploration title system, industry could have saved itself. It would get offshore financing; it would bring in foreign direct investment and we would have exploration.The CGS is useful, but not defining.

“What we do need is a mining cadastre that will tell you exactly everything that is known about a specific site, who owns it, who has rights to it and who did work on it in the past.That’s what we need.”

The glaringly absent cadastre Unsurprisingly, the strategy document also did not mention any steps to establish a new mining cadastre to replace the dysfunctional and untransparent Samrad (SouthAfrican Mineral ResourcesAdministrative System). “The big issue with

Gwede Mantashe, mines and energy minister, South Africa

Samrad is that it’s untransparent. Applicants for licences cannot tell from Samrad if a property thought to contain mineral deposits has already been claimed,” a geologist says.

“We need a cadastral system that is transparent,” says Veeran. “If I didn’t get my right, I need to see who got it and why their application was better than mine. [There seems to be an attitude of] ‘we have the resources, so we’ll dictate what happens and who gets the right. We’re the only people who can make the right decision.’That’s a fallacy.”

The CGS’s Mabuza is hopeful that the country will have a new cadastre “sooner rather than later”. “Our minister is painfully aware of the challenge the delay is causing. It greatly affects our ability to achieve our dream. He has taken it upon himself to do all he can to make sure the system is up and running. I think he’s tired of making announcements.”

It shouldn’t be up to the minister

While the exploration strategy says the DMRE and CGS will together identify and assess projects with potential, the exploration implementation plan amplifies the role of the mining minister in the granting of exploration permits, a major concern for industry

Roger Baxter, CEO of the Minerals Council, raised this during his address at the Junior Mining Indaba conference in Johannesburg in June.

In the plan, the DMRE says it wants to do away with the principle of ‘first come first served’ when exploration licences are granted.This principle is explicitly stated in the Minerals and

Petroleum Resources DevelopmentAct. In the exploration plan, the DMRE however laments the “unintended consequences” this principle has had, claiming it has promoted “mediocrity in the implementation of exploration activities”.The department proposes it be replaced with a meritocratic system that considers “national development imperatives”.

According to Baxter, this suggests an elevated level of ministerial discretion, which could mean exploration rights will be granted on the basis of subjective criteria by the DMRE, as opposed to a legal requirement.

Webber Wentzel’s Veeran says although there will always be ministerial discretion in legislation and policies, such powers cannot be unfettered. “It doesn’t mean there’s carte blanche.You can’t just leave it up to a minister to decide arbitrarily who gets an exploration right. [The qualifying criteria] must be clear and upfront from the start.”

If the first-come-first-served principle is to be replaced with a meritocratic system, the DMRE will have to change theAct, says Miller. “You can’t implement this change without a change to the law.”

According to Miller, the DMRE ignored the first-come-first-served principle for years, and granted rights to people who had no merit. “Now they want to fix their own mess by introducing some kind of meritocratic discretion. We’ve always had this principle in theAct, but they ignored it and now they want to reintroduce it. It’s entirely misdirected. It’s like fixing a broken ankle by amputating the whole leg.”

No exploration, no future Amid the policy inertia and

shortcomings in the new exploration strategy and plan, SouthAfrica’s mining output has been shrinking. One of the biggest contributing factors is the dismal rate of discovery of new deposits (see graph: Gross fixed capital formation). Mining has been the biggest contributor to a R200bn tax windfall, and the country has vast amounts of minerals beneath the soil — a fact the DMRE boasts about in its strategy document.

“But you cannot use mining as a catalyst for growing your economy if you don’t do greenfields exploration,” says Veeran. “We seem to have an attitude in SouthAfrica that we’re the only jurisdiction with gazillions of dollars’worth of minerals.”

He also worries that, apart from contradicting policies that fuel uncertainty among potential investors, SouthAfrica is also not planning to take advantage of the battery minerals revolution.This includes vanadium, cobalt and lithium, which are in high demand.

“Apart from the platinum group metals, government is not creating an environment that will drive exploration for these minerals. We need to continually have an exploration cycle. What’s going to happen when all the ores we have are mined? We’ll become one big gold mining dump.”

We don’t have time. Our minerals are being depleted. We’re already 10, 15 years behind and we have to play catch-up, but we can’t do it when the industry is in this state.

It’s simple: when mining companies don’t do greenfield operations, there aren’t new minerals lined up to be mined. It

can take 20 years or longer and vast amounts of venture capital to reach production stage. Many mines in SouthAfrica are heading towards the end of their lifespan, and new mines need to be discovered and developed if the industry is to continue.

James Lorimer, the Democratic Alliance’s spokesperson on mining, found the DMRE’s exploration strategy to be a far cry from the game-changing policy it was supposed to be. “It was supposed to signal a turnabout in the fortunes of the industry. Instead, it is a mishmash of everything government has been claiming it’s doing for the last several years.”

Taken as a whole, DMRE’s hijacking of the exploration implementation plan workshopped with the industry, and then the confusing policy assumptions in the exploration strategy, represent the kind of message that’s been putting investors off SouthAfrican minerals investment for years. It accounts for the seemingly inexorable slide down the rankings of the Fraser Institute, a research company that annually gauges the attractiveness of the world’s mining regions to investors.Aglance at the institute’s latest policy and investment attractiveness index shows SouthAfrica languishing near the foot of the table, not far from Zimbabwe and flanked by the failing economies of Venezuela and Kyrgyzstan (see Fraser Institute graph).

The clock is ticking. “We don’t have time,” says Smart. “Our minerals are being depleted. We’re already 10, 15 years behind and we have to play catch-up, but we can’t do it when the industry is in this state.”Miningmx