Inner City Gazette

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Est 2009 Issue 46 - 2019

Tel : 011 402 - 1977 Inner-City Gazette

Fax: 086 609 8601

Email : info@inner-city-gazette.co.za @ICG_Sales

Investment forum scores $40bn funding Andrea Chothia

A

fter three days of the Africa Investment Forum in Johannesburg, it concluded having scored $40.1 billion in funding.

The Africa Investment Forum 2019, between 11 and 13 November scored approximately $40.1 billion in deals.

The forum is a multi-stakeholder transactional marketplace conceived by the African Development Bank, aimed at raising capital and accelerating financial closure of deals.

African Development Bank Presi-

dent Akinwumi Adesina said the forum secured $40.1 billion investment, compared to $38.7 billion last year.

The opening ceremony was attended

by President Cyril Ramaphosa, President Nana Akufo Addo of Ghana; President Paul Kagame of Rwanda; and Prime Minister Agostinho do Rosario of Mozambique.

Ramaphosa said: “The time is now to unlock our potential. Our continent is ripe for investments, but more importantly, it is also brimming with enormous profitable opportunities. As the investor community, your presence

072 824 3014

21 - 28 November 2019

Website : www.inner-city-gazette.com Inner City Gazette

shows your will to help us to succeed.

I invite you to join us as we pass the flickering torch of progress across every border of this great continent until the light of economic prosperity illuminates every African village, every African town, every African city, in every African household.�

The forum was launched in 2018 in partnership with Africa50, Afrexim Bank, the Trade Development Bank, the Development Bank of South Africa, the Islamic Development Bank, the Africa Finance Corporation, and Benedict Oramah and Ronnie Ntuli of Thelo DB signed an MoU for rail development the European Investment Bank.

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Inner-city Gazette

News

For further information contact Boston on 011 551 2000 Email: info@boston.co.za Visit www.boston.co.za, or Facebook

Boston City Campus have partnered with Edcon to bring skills upgrades to shoppers Boston City Campus, known as in-

tem (whereby you can accumulate

dustry innovators in education, have

badges), provide multiple opportuni-

partnered with Edcon to bring skills

ties for multiple type users.

upgrades, new skills and short edu-

Katz adds that these courses en-

cation programmes to shoppers. So

hance the value you provide to an

now, spending money can be seen

employer, and positively affect your

as an investment in yourself!

CV. They allow you to climb the corporate ladder or to apply for jobs

“We wanted to give back to people

which are considered scarce.

who are loyal to a brand, not just a financial reward to be used on more

So how does this reward pro-

items (which is always great!) , but

gramme work? There are many

real added value in terms of build-

courses that you can do at one time

ing a future and creating content

– for every R200 spent at Jet, Ed-

for a CV,” says Eli Katz of Boston

gars or CNA, you can receive one

Connect. “This type of partnership

course. Contributing to broader

shows the retail space’s commit-

communities the high school cours-

ment to our broader community and

es will allow access to quality edu-

the socio-economic environment

cation at high school level. Self-de-

in which their stores operate,” he

velopment courses allow people to

says.

build themselves emotionally, and the 4IR (Fourth Industrial Revolu-

Katz continues saying that this type of reward is visionary in the sense

tion) courses allow people to remain

that it carries immediate value, and

Eli Katz

can be a life changer for people who

security, data science, real estate in-

Zandile Manana of Thank U says:

take proper advantage and gain new

vestments, construction, sports and

“We are really excited to add these

and advanced skills.

more.”

courses to our hugely popular rewards

relevant in a changing world.

Katz says that the programme ben-

Katz continues saying that we are liv-

programme. They form an additional,

efits Thank U members and SA as a

ing in a world where people need to

much needed and valuable aspect to

whole, because Boston and Thank

continuously be upskilling in order to

our basket of rewards and incentives.

U are educating South Africans, and

remain relevant in their jobs. Whether

The uptake has already been huge

upskilling them, without them having

extra lesson type courses for high

and so many people are taking advan-

to go to any huge efforts or additional

school subjects, or tech skills for em-

tage.”

savings.

ployed people, there are so many op-

He concludes by advising to take

Says Katz: “The offering of courses

portunities. Katz says that the Boston

advantage of this amazing initiative

available is rather large and talks to

/ Thank U rewards programme and

when you plan your year end and fes-

different needs such as High School,

the instant access to courses is fairly

tive season shopping.

wellness, personal development, 4IR

unique. The variety of topics, built in

(Fourth Industrial Revolution), Cyber

gamification, and ‘credit’ badge sys-

“Your purchases could see you gaining a whole new set of skills!”

21 - 28 November 2019

Facebook takes down fake accounts Tech Correspondent

F

acebook says it has taken down some 5.4 billion fake accounts this year; in the battle against manipulation and misinformation.

Amid growing efforts to create fraudulent accounts, Facebook said it has stepped up its defences and often removes the accounts within minutes of their being created.

“We have improved our ability to detect and block attempts to create fake, abusive accounts. Every day, we prevent millions of attempts to create fake accounts using these detection systems,” Facebook said.

Facebook believes that fake accounts; where someone pretends to be a person or entity which does not exist, represented about 5% of its worldwide active users during the second and third quarters of this year.

The network has invested heavily in finding and taking down accounts crafted to deceive about where information originates, particularly if spread as coordinated campaigns with political or social agendas.

The report also showed that government demands for user information hit a new high, led by the US. Overall requests by governments for Facebook user data rose 16% to 128 617 in the first half of this year.

Facebook deputy counsel Chris Sonderby said: “We scrutinise every request we receive for account data to make sure it is valid; no matter which government makes the request.”

In a report that included Instagram, Facebook also highlighted progress tackling terror, hate, suicide, child porn, and drug-related posts.

“While we are pleased with progress, these technologies are not perfect and we know that mistakes can still happen. We continue to invest in

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg

systems that enable us to improve our accuracy in removing content that violates our policies while safeguarding content that discusses or condemns hate speech,” Facebook said.

Facebook reported that it removed about 11.6 million pieces of content that broke its rules, banning child nudity or sexual exploitation of children from the main social network, compared with half that amount in the first three months of this year.

Some 754 000 pieces of such banned content were removed from Instagram in the recently ended quarter, up from 512 000 in the prior three-month period, according to Facebook.

Millions of pieces of content related to drug sales were also removed from Facebook and Instagram in the just ended quarter, the report indicated.

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg stressed how combining company resources allowed it to better tackle unwanted content at both Instagram and the leading social network.

Zuckerberg renewed his call for regulation for all internet firms to openly disclose details about the efficiency of efforts to stop the spread of harmful content on their platforms.

He said Facebook seeks to modify its controversial policy of allowing political ads that include lies. AFP

21 - 28 November 2019

Inner-city Gazette

Top entrepreneurs honoured

News

Finalists are selected among entrepreneurs who have demonstrated extraordinary success Johannesburg - Southern Africa’s top three entrepreneurs were recently named at the 22nd Annual EY World Entrepreneur Awards gala dinner in Johannesburg.

Annual national and regional awards programmes are run in more than 145 cities across 60 countries culminating in the global awards final in Monte Carlo to recognise the world’s top entrepreneurs.

Finalists are selected among entrepreneurs who have demonstrated excellence in areas such as entrepreneurial spirit, value creation, strategic direction, impact, innovation and purpose-driven leadership.

They include traditional entrepreneurs who are founders and leaders of high-growth companies. They also are transformational people who may not have started their company but have been essential to its success.

The 2019 Southern Africa winners in the Master, Exceptional and Emerging categories are: Master category winner: Craig Irvine, managing director, Irvine’s Group.

Irvine’s is a poultry focused company with operations in six countries. They supply and support nutritional, animal health, Cobb Genetics and supporting products across 22 Sub Saharan countries.

Exceptional category winner was Bronwyn Corbett: Co-Founder, Grit Real Estate Income Group.

Grit is a multi-listed real estate income group operating in carefully selected African countries, optimising their structural investments, underpinned by solid property fundamentals and anchored by multinational tenants.

Emerging category winner was Ashraf Mohamed, founder of Polar Ice Cream Company, which produces a wide range of quality Ice Cream and frozen delights. Polar believes that ice cream must reach the mass markets with products that are affordable but more importantly, enjoyable.

The EY Lifetime Achievement Award for entrepreneurship is awarded each year. This year it’s been awarded to Medical doctor, MBA, Doctor of Business Leadership, University of the Witwatersrand Chancellor and one of South Africa’s most successful entrepreneurs, Dr Judy Dlamini.

She practiced as a medical doctor for several years before pursuing a business career as the founder of the Mbekani Group, which she launched 22 years ago. Today the group includes a range of companies, including surgical equipment,

facilities management, security, commercial property and luxury fashion retail. She has served on many boards and is actively involved in women’s empowerment and education.

Azim Omar of EY Africa Growth Markets Leaders said: “These entrepreneurs demonstrate extraordinary business acumen, financial performance excellence and inspired strategic direction. These and most entrepreneurs embrace bold thinking that often sees opportunity in adversity; a relentless drive to build a better working world; and an unwavering commitment to solving their clients’ issues.”

This year EY marks 22 years of recognising entrepreneurs who have demonstrated excellence in their businesses; since the first award in 1998.

The Southern Africa awards programme provides the finalists with an opportunity to connect with local and international businesses and join a global network of entrepreneurs who share their perspectives.

The Southern Africa awards cover Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi, Mauritius, Madagascar, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

For more info visit www.ey.com.

Judy Dlamini displays her award with a colleague during the event

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News

Inner-city Gazette

21 - 28 November 2019

Lotto millionaire won’t quit his job

The man won R6 483 828.80 after buying a Lotto ticket via the National Lottery Mobile app for R100

Ithuba executive Khensani Mabuza

Johannesburg - A Joburg man who won over R6 million after bagging the Lotto Jackpot in October, has no plans to leave his job.

According to Lotto operator Ithuba, the man won R6 483 828.80 after buying a Lotto ticket via the National Lottery Mobile app for R100.

The man said he logged on to check the previous night’s Lotto results and he matched the first four

numbers. He then went to a local supermarket to double-check if he had really won.

Ithuba corporate relations executive Khensani Mabuza said they are excited that their jackpot winner used the National Lottery Mobile app to play.

“We have seen a significant growth in players using the National Lottery app to play our various

portfolios of games. This means that players are no longer restricted to purchasing their tickets in retail stores,” Mabuza said.

Concerning his fortune and future the man said he would not resign from his job, and would not change his lifestyle.

“I will settle my debts and live a debt-free life, and ensure that my children get the best education

available. I will also invest some of the money in business; and also donate some of it to a shelter for the homeless in my community,” the winner said.

He said the only people he has told about his Lotto winning are his wife and children.

Ithuba said it had paid over R2.7 billion in Lotto winnings since the beginning of this year.

City in anti-drugs drive Johannesburg - The City of Joburg plans to roll out more anti-drug campaigns throughout its seven regions.

This follows two campaigns launched in Roodepoort and Kliptown by members of Public Safety’s Communication, Disaster Management and Strategic Support units.

Over the weekend of 16 and 17 November officials set up shop at the Kliptown informal settlement and Kliptown Square to deliver the message of the dangers of drugs and how to quit the bad habits.

Public Safety’s Nomasonto Manyehlisa said the campaign is to educate the community about the danger of the Aldicarb/Temik/Two Step, which is known as Galephirimi. “Aldicarb is a poison used to kill rats and it leads to death. People die if they eat it by mistake.

Many people use the poison to commit suicide, murder and poison guard dogs to commit crime. If you touch or eat an animal killed by the poison you will die. So, we urge the people not to use the substance as it is illegal and it is a criminal offence to sell, buy, possess it or use for any purpose, or hand it over to anyone,” said Manyehlisa.

She added that if anyone is found in possession of Aldicarb, they can be fined or sent to jail.

Residents can call Central Environmental Health on 011 407 6545, Emergency Management Services 011 375 10177 or 112 or JMPD on 011 375 5911 in cases of poisoning.

Residents are also urged to use the tip - offs anonymous line 080 000 2587/SMS 32840 to help stop illegal drug activity.

Woman arrested for false rape report Benoni - A woman has been arrested for making a false rape report to the police, and now faces a charge of perjury.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said: “Police would like to warn people who open false cases that it comes with unpleasant consequences. In the same tone, police are appealing to victims of rape not to be silent but report it as soon as possible. This warning comes after a 21-year-old woman went to Benoni police station and alleged that she had been raped by her stepfather. The case

was prioritised and duly treated with urgency, only to establish that the case was based on a fabricated story. Preliminary investigation confirmed that the complainant opened a false rape case,” said Peters.

In cases of gender-based violence and rape police divert resources to deal with them.

“The community is warned to refrain from fabricating sensitive cases of rape and make the police activate all role players and resources that could have been used for genuine cases at that particular time,” Peters said.

Two people shot dead Selby - Police are hunting for the killers of two people at a block of flats in Selby.

The two people were shot dead last Wednesday, while a third was taken to hospital in a critical condition, paramedics said.

ER24’s Ross Campbell said it was unclear

what led to the shooting. “The circumstances around the shooting are unknown to ER24, however the forensics and the police were on the scene for an investigation,” Campbell said.

Comment from the police had not been obtained by the time of going to press.

21 - 28 November 2019

Inner-city Gazette

Prasa to reinstate security workers

News

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Department warns of ‘confusing’ fake news ‘The purpose of CSE is to address sexual abuse, HIV infections, learner pregnancy, bullying and peer pressure and help learners stay in school until they complete grade 12’

On Tuesday security workers went on a rampage at Park Station, looting shops, smashing windows, security gates and damaging a train

Prasa spokesperson Nana Zenane

Johannesburg - Following a recent High Court ruling that Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) must reinstate the services of companies that were employed by them, over 2 000 security workers are expected back at Prasa.

Prasa had terminated the contracts saying it had no choice because former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found they had been awarded illegally. But the High Court said the way the contracts were terminated was itself illegal.

Prasa terminated the contracts of security companies that employed over 2 000 security workers at train stations around the country at the end of last month.

The High Court ruling was that Prasa must reinstate the security companies and give them one month’s notice if the board decided

to terminate their services again.

Prasa said it respected the court’s decision but investigations into the illegal contracts continued.

The United National Transport Union (Untu) said since then, train stations around the country had been vandalised and the safety of commuters and staff was threatened.

On Tuesday security workers went on a rampage at Park Station in the Joburg CBD, looting shops, smashing windows, security gates and damaging a train.

Prasa spokesperson Nana Zenane said there had not been any arrests over the incident. “These are criminal elements. The premise that we act on is that employees have a right to protest but we can’t link them to criminal activities until we have the necessary proof,” Zenane said

Johannesburg - Fake news about the comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) section of the life orientation curriculum is causing confusion and anxiety among parents, the Basic Education department said on Sunday.

The department said it is concerned with the impact of false reporting by some media organisations on the debate around CSE. The department’s spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the department distances itself from images circulating on social media.

“These images are not part of the books produced by the department.

Members of the public have been contacting the department about videos with incorrect information that have also been distributed on social media. These social media posts mislead the public and create unnecessary anxiety and anger. Social media has been an integral part of the fake news campaign against the department regarding the issue of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education,” said Mhlanga.

One of the “fake” images shows adults in bed with graphic details.

Another piece of false information claimed the department would distribute condoms with stationery in 2020.

The department accused a “lobby group” of creating misleading social media posts and feeding the public “contaminated information”.

“The purpose of CSE is to address sexual abuse, HIV infections, learner pregnancy, and bullying and peer pressure and help learners stay in school until they complete grade 12,” said Mhlanga.

There was no implementation of a “new curriculum” in 2020, said the department. “It is a pilot project across five provinces that is affecting 1500 schools where “consultation has taken place.”

Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga

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21 - 28 November 2019

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Inner-city Gazette

The Arts

Author promotes

reading culture Lusanda Zokufa

T

A scene in Umsebenzi kaBra Shakes

Call to join theatre group Johannesburg - The Market Theatre Laboratory and the Windybrow Arts Centre are looking for performing arts graduates to join them next year.

The Kwasha! theatre company, launched in 2018 by the Market Theatre Laboratory and the Windybrow Arts Centre serves as a bridge between graduates’ education and their professional careers.

In a statement the company said it provides employment as a performer/theatre-maker for 10 months and offers the opportunity to gain professional work experience and space to learn business skills.

“This is achieved through a pro-

gramme of varied creative projects and collaborations, resulting in a repertoire of live performances. Included in the programme are opportunities to make original work that reflects the company’s unique voices and experiences as young South Africans, as well as work that challenges the conventional norms of theatre,” the statement said.

In its first two years, Kwasha! has been nominated for two Naledi Awards for The Little Prince and has won a Bronze Ovation Award and Best Ensemble Award for Currently Gold at the National Arts Festival. Kwasha! has embarked on two

national tours, and participated in numerous collaborations, including with the Centre for the Less Good Idea on Umsebenzi kaBra Shakes, and with Theatre Rocket on the Deurnis/Uzwelo production.

Two productions created by Kwasha! have been invited on international tours, including to the US. Theatre-makers who graduated in the last five years may submit CVs and motivation to at rudy@marketlab.co.za by 6 December.

Shortlisted applicants will be called by 11 December for auditions in January; and final decisions will be made by 14 January 2020.

he Windybrow Arts Centre recently hosted author Rosie Motene to reactivate the space and intensify the centre’s commitment of bringing the culture of reading back to Hillbrow.

The reading lounge for adults will be augmented with more books, one of them the best-selling Reclaiming the Soil by Motene.

Motene presented her bestseller and helped unpack the challenges of inspiring reading in under-resourced areas.

Co -founder of Madibookeng, an interactive book initiative, Smangele Mathebula facilitated the Speed Booking session, an activity that will be frequently held at the arts centre next year.

The concept is inspired by the model of speed dating, but in this case, participants will talk about their books and at the end of the session hopefully exchange books.

Windybrow Arts Centre head Keitu Gwangwa said: “Increasing access to books for the Hillbrow community will encourage parents and children to read, thus improving and enriching their vo-

Author Rosie Motene

cabulary and knowledge.”

The Windybrow Arts centre houses two reading lounges for children and adults. It has books from all over the continent and children’s books in every South African language.

In a partnership between the Market Theatre Foundation and Exclusive Books two reading rooms were launched at the Windybrow Arts Centre as a hub for the advancement of Pan-African literature on July 18, 2017. In 2018 the partnership was awarded the BASA Awards in the inkind sponsorship category.

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Some of the cyclists during the race

Cyclists fill the roads in Discovery 947 ride

Johannesburg - On Sunday thousands of cyclists filled the roads in the Discovery 947 race, which started from the Riversands commercial club.

The race is the world’s second

largest, and that was its 23rd edition. There were several road closures, but there were alternative routes open for motorists.

The women’s defending champion Clara Oberholzer was the

first to reach the finish line, while Mark Pritzen finished first in the men’s race.

Oberholzer said: “I am very happy taking a win for the team. We had some super team work.”

Pritzen said he was excited. “It was a really good race, everything worked out the way we’d hoped.

It is a very unpredictable race, so we are absolutely ecstatic how it worked out for us,” he said.