Inner City Gazette

City pays tribute to the great Gloria Bosman!

The City of Johannesburg mourns one of its own, Gloria Bosman, a great musician and artist who contributed to the creative fabric of Johannesburg and South Africa.

Born in Mofolo and raised in Pimville, Soweto, Bosman first started singing in church and performing in theatres, expanding her passion for music. She received a scholarship to study at Pretoria Technikon (now Tshwane University of Technology) through a production at the Market Theatre in 1993.

Bosman produced a sound that blended African soul sound with the sensuality of jazz, borrowing elements from her early training in classical opera. Her sound transcended genres and her voice can be recognised by South Africans of all ages and backgrounds, and is appreciated the world over.

She became a household name with hits like “Sombawo” and “Amaqwati” and has produced covers of local folk classics such as “Ntyilo Ntyilo”, as well as internationally renowned hits

such as “The Look of Love”.

Bosman has won multiple music awards, including two South African Music Awards (SAMAs), the first of which was for her debut album “Tranquility” released in 1999.

She released five more solo albums and performed locally and internationally with some of the most celebrated musicians and composers, including Sibongile Khumalo, Vusi Mahlasela and Oliver Mutukudzi.

In 2011 and 2013, she performed with the late Bra Hugh Masekela in “Songs of Migration” at the Market Theatre and the Joburg Theatre.

“We are left poorer after the monumental loss of Gloria Bosman. She has contributed immensely to the global appreciation of South African music and played an important role in theatre.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and fans across the world,” said MMC Lubabalo Magwentsu

Bosman had recently joined the

Southern African Music Rights Organisation as a board member. As a known advocate for revolutionary change and equality in the music sector, her presence in the organisation was sure to make a lasting contribution.

Bosman passed away on 14 March 2023 after a short illness. She spent her final hours in her home, surrounded by loved ones. As fans across the world and locally share their messages of support to the family, the City wishes to extend its condolences to Bosman’s family and loved ones during this time.

The Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Cllr Thapelo Amad, also paid tribute to the late songstress, Gloria Bosman who passed at the age of 50 years.

On behalf of all residents of Johannesburg I wish to express my condolences to the BOSMAN family, loved ones and friends.

“Please accept our most heartfelt sympathy for your loss, our thoughts are with you during this difficult time,” concludes the Mayor.

Career Compass guides the way to success

1. Why is it so difficult for school leavers to decide on a career to follow?

Recent research has indicated that prospective tertiary education students are not confident about their career choices. Schools do not have the resources they need to assist learners with career investigation, and in addition they have to focus their time and efforts on the academic material for Exams –they don’t have the luxury of spending time advising on careers. It is in this environment that learners have to make a choice and finalize applications! I can also say from experience – when you are in first year you are overwhelmed, studies are very difficult at a tertiary level, and we land up questioning whether the effort required matches our passion for the industry we have selected!.

2. So Boston realized that there was a gap in career education at school level , and addressed it with a computerized programme?

Well, recent research indicates that 73% of matric students believe they are still in need of comprehensive career guidance and 84% believe there are many career opportunities they do not even know of. Sadly, only 21% believe they have the resources within their area to guide them towards their ideal career. Learners need clarity!

Boston invested in the development of a computerized assessment that can be delivered on a national basis, and made sure it is offered free as part of our corporate social responsibility to education. A decision on careers is a life-changing decision and we have to keep in mind it involves a commitment to fees too, so we believe that we need to try and assist in the matching the most appropriate skills and interests to studies. It is offered at no obligation or cost to any learner.

3. Tell us about the career compass assessment?

This is a hi-tech and brief career insight evaluation that is aimed to help students reach career maturity. It will help you explore things such as :

Do you want to work regular office hours or extended hours work with numbers? Work with people? Work alone?

Work as a member of a team? Are you creative? Do you wish to enter the working world as a technician, web designer, programmer or administrator?

The answers to these pertinent questions guide the student towards the ideal study programme.

4. And when the aptitude assessment is completewhat do you get ?

Results are available immediately, produced in a graph that ranks the individual’s results from the most suited career options to the least, based upon the individual’s interests. Appropriate career choice is important - it has been proven that students are more likely to succeed if they are studying subjects that they enjoy.

‘Statistics show that there is a 15% - 25% throughput rate at South African universities and colleges (Source: High university drop-out rates: a threat to South Africa’s future – HSRC, 2008). This means that only about 1 quarter of all students who start a programme complete it. “This shows career choice requires research and self-evaluation with a consultant. And if you start a degree and you are not happy –investigate your options!”

5. What other advice do you have for learners about to make a career decision?

Education is not static – which is why Boston maintains a liaison with various industries, updates course material, and introduces new courses such as Cloud

computing to keep graduates in demand from the workplace.

Our research, for example, showed that there was a gap for a qualification that covers skills such as skills in the social media and digital marketing fields and so the Boston BCom Management Marketing degree was introduced.

Other degrees and diplomas available include the BCom Law, Bachelor of Accounting, Bachelor of Social Science, the Postgraduate Diploma in Management and diplomas in Networking and Systems Development, all designed to meet new skills demands in industry.

Keep in mind if you choose something like IT it will involve lifelong learning as it is a constantly evolving field.

Another important aspect is to check that the right government and industry body accredits both the course you’re interested in as well as the college that is offering the course.

Operation #ManjeNamhlanje cleanup operation was conducted by JMPD officers who removed the illegal plastic structures at Henry Nxumalo & Marshall Street, which some homeless people have called home. According to the post, the structures compromise the safety and cleanliness of the inner-city.

The police in Gauteng continue unabated in the fight against the proliferation of drugs in the province as they discover a drug lab and seize drugs worth about R300 000.

On Friday (24 March 2023), members of Organised Crime Investigation Unit operationalised information on a suspected drug lab at a certain lodge in Midrand.

The members swiftly acted and upon arrival at the said place, two rooms were searched leading to the discovery of suspected cocaine rocks, crystalmeth, ecstacy tablets, chemicals and laboratory apparatus.

It was further established that, the manager of the lodge is the only one with access to the two specific rooms. He was arrested and charged with illegal manufacturing and dealing in drugs.

Provincial Commissioner of the police in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela applauds the good work done by the members in removing drugs from the streets of Gauteng. "We remain resolute in the fight against the scourge of drug abuse and we will continue ensuring that those who deal in drugs are identified and brought to book", said Lt Gen Mawela.

drug la B F ound insid E lodg E , manag E r jail E d!

Gauteng Townships, Hostels and Informal settlements get the provincial budget boost

More than R7.6 billion to be spent on providing improved infrastructure to Townships, Hostels and Informal settlements

Sebokeng Ext 28, Sewers and manholes in Mohlakeng-Pelzvale and Soshanguve South Secondary School in Tshwane.

Informal Settlements

Another R3.8bn has been allocated for the provision of basic infrastructure in informal settlements, including KwaBrown, Mamello, Piel’s Farm, Thabong, Munsieville, Bergsig and Ratanda.

Hostels

Moreover, a total of R322m has been set aside for the renovation of hostels, including George Goch, Denver, Jeppe, LTA Rethabile, Kwama-Siza, Dube, Orlando, Diepkloof and Orlando West.

of Employees baseline, and delivery of support services such as scholar transport, school nutrition and school subsidies to make education more accessible to children.

Health

Health and wellness of people will also take up a significant share of what is being allocated to the Gauteng Department of Health, with an additional R5 billion, with focus on retaining part of the capacity taken on board to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and which will go a long way in strengthening the health delivery platform which has been lacking.

Crime Fighting

Fighting crime in Gauteng is one of the priorities as it affects many citizens directly or indirectly. The Gauteng Department of Community Safety will be resourced with R4 billion additional allocation, for the training and absorption of the 6 000 crime prevention wardens currently undergoing training that will be completed at the end of April 2023.

technology, supply chain and procurement instruments to create capacity for departments to meet their quarterly and annual targets for women empowerment.

Job Creation for the Youth

The MEC said, they are also confident that by repositioning and improving the supply chain function and procurement.

This will allow them to meet their job creation targets, especially among the youth in the province, as figures released by the Gauteng Economic Barometer of the Department of Economic Development, indicated a huge challenge of youth unemployment in the province.

Township Businesses

The GPG will explore procurement rules which allow government and its main contractors to buy from large groups of township-based businesses, with systems linking them to supply as if they were one large firm.

Gauteng MEC for Finance

Jacob Mamabolo

Gauteng townships, hostels and informal settlements have received a boost of more than R7.6bn in the provincial budget to help build improved public infrastructure in these areas.

Townships

Presenting the 2023/24 budget, Gauteng finance MEC Jacob Mamabolo said a R3.5bn of the budget has been allocated to improving infrastructure in townships, including construction of housing units in

“We are now at a point in our journey to improving infrastructure investments where it is imperative that the Gauteng provincial Treasury, as the custodian that allocates funds, must ensure there is value for money in all our projects.

Education

He said, a total of R4.6 billion will be allocated to the Gauteng Department of Education – these funds are to address the pressures in the Compensation

These crime prevention wardens will be given necessary tools of trade, the allocation will also enable the acquisition of some technological solutions to fight crime – such as drones, and the leasing of helicopters to enhance the visibility of crime prevention efforts. Also included in this allocation is funding for fleet services, to further capacitate traffic police to undertake their duties.

Women Empowerment & GBV

Moreover, the strategic focus remains empowering women as a basis of contributing to the fight against GenderBased Violence and Femicide.

This will be achieved by leveraging

“This will build the needed capacity for these businesses to supply large markets and discover new suppliers. The GPG aims to spend about 60 per cent of the R35 billion budgeted for goods and services to provide support to township business initiatives.”

Invoice Dispute Resolution platform Also, in line with SOPA commitments, the province will also establish an Invoicing Dispute Resolution Unit that will serve as an ombuds for disputed invoices. To this end, a dedicated central email has been established by GPG where all disputed invoices should be sent. The email address is disputedinvoices@gauteng. gov.za.

Water and energy interplay a risk to food security in SA

water infrastructure failures and supply disruptions across South Africa. Intermittent power cuts are a threat to the country’s water supply as energy is required to move it through the system for use.

The entire food sector value chain is reliant on water, from growing crops to manufacturing food items and distributing it for end-consumer use.

South Africa is a water-stressed country with dwindling levels of a finite resource driven by climate change and exacerbated by water infrastructure challenges and slow expansion to feed the increased demand from a growing population.

loadshedding on municipal water supply.

This forms part of a R120-million capital investment to ensure Tiger Brands’ business continuity at loadshedding Stages 6-8, ensuring the company continues to fulfil the food security role it plays in South Africa.

“Loadshedding brings an entirely new and added threat to water availability in the country since energy drives water flow and without power, our taps run the risk of running dry.

cility which is reliant on water for the timeous processing of fresh fruit.

Reducing water intensity across the business

Mitigating the impact of loadshedding on water supply is only one part of Tiger Brands’ all-inclusive approach to minimising its impact on the environment and ensuring the country’s water resources stretch further for longer.

“Considering the enormity of the national water crisis we face as a country and that water is a shared resource, it is imperative that we address the challenge holistically.

Tiger Brands is bringing into focus the critical relationship between water and energy and its impact on food security this World Water Day, commemorated today, Wednesday, 22 March 2023.

South Africans are dealing with daily loadshedding between Stages 4 and 6 since the start of the year with little indication of it easing soon, and a national state of disaster declared to address the situation.

Prolonged and regular loadshedding is also leading to an increase in

South Africa’s 2018 National Water and Sanitation Master Plan indicates that the world’s 25th most populous country could face a water supply-demand gap of 17% by 2030.

It is crucial for business, particularly those that offer essential services or goods, such as the food sector to plan for minimal disruption to operations.

Tiger Brands, South Africa’s largest food manufacturer, will invest capital in excess of R35 million in infrastructure, including an increase in on-site water storage capacity, at its manufacturing facilities to mitigate the adverse impact of

“The ability for an organisation such as Tiger Brands to provide essential food items to consumers is obstructed if loadshedding persists and the need for more energy to be shed escalates”, says Derek McKernan, Chief Manufacturing Officer, Tiger Brands.

“Our multi-million-rand investment will offer some level of surety that store shelves will remain stocked with essential food items during prolonged high levels of loadshedding.”

At a community level, Tiger Brands is supporting the Ashton municipality in the Western Cape with generators and expertise to ensure water supply for the town, as well as the Langeberg and Ashton Foods manufacturing fa-

“As a business, we take our responsibility to minimise our impact on the environment by reducing the intensity of our water usage very seriously,” says McKernan

A 2030 target under its Sustainable Future strategy commits Tiger Brands to reducing its water intensity by 30% by actively identifying and implementing water-use reduction initiatives across its sites, as well as cultivating a culture of water stewardship amongst employees.

During the financial year that ended 30 September 2022, the company achieved a 7,1% year-on-year reduction in water-use intensity across its operations.

Chief Manufacturing Officercat Tiger Brands, Derek McKernan

A sense of belonging: A young woman sows seeds of confidence and courage far from home!

When Jennifer first arrived in South Africa, she was scared of everything. Once news got out that there were migrants being chased out of her township, a local friend helped her move. Since then, Jennifer has gradually made friends and has discovered her passion for sewing.

“When I first arrived in South Africa, I was scared because I didn’t know the local language; I was scared of public transportation; I was scared because I didn’t how to behave in the community; I was scared to walk in the street—everything scared me” Jennifer recalls.96

“At the time, I thought South Africa was the only safe place where I could go,” the 42-year-old explains. Originally from Uganda, Jennifer arrived in South Africa as an asylum seeker in 2012 and now lives in KwaZulu-Natal, a coastal South African province known for its beaches and mountains.

“The first time I heard that foreigners were being chased out of the community, I received a call from a South African who was worried about me as a foreigner; she asked if I was safe, then invited me to her house for lunch with her family,” she says. Once news got out that there were migrants being chased out of her township, Jennifer’s new friend sent her an address and put her in touch with a local taxi driver.

“When I arrived, I realized that she had invited many people over so she could introduce me to her family, friends, and neighbours,” Jennifer says.

It was that day that I felt safe for the first time since I had arrived—I felt like I was finally home. I could laugh freely without fear. And it was that day that I realized that there were people out there who genuinely liked foreigners.

One Sunday at church, a call was launched for women who were interested in a training on sewing at the community centre.

“I decided to try my luck, so I submitted my name and was soon invited to start my training,” she recalls.

“There, I met women from Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Uganda, Lesotho, and South Africans from the Eastern Cape and Free State provinces.”

6During the training, the women shared their experiences and learned about sewing, fashion design, marketing, and business management.

“The training brought us so close that we ended up sharing recipes and teaching each other words in our mother tongue. It was then that we realized that we ate the same food, had similar words in our languages, and wore similar traditional

“The training also gave us an opportunity to attend community dialogues and interact with other community members about issues affecting both migrants and the community. The meetings covered topics such as social cohesion and peace building.”

“Communication is key for peaceful coexistence,” she says.

“During the dialogues, we realized that when we communicate with each other, we learn a lot about one another, we understand each other better, and can resolve many differences before they escalate. Now, we look out for each other; we trust each other.”

“I am glad to have had the opportunity to be part of these dialogues. They have changed my perception about how we are perceived here as migrants. We can see the difference; we can see a change in attitudes.”

During their graduation ceremony in May 2022, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), through funding from the Migration Multi – Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) surprised the graduates with sewing machines to help kickstart their business.

“Each pair comprised of a South African and a migrant received a sewing machine, so that we could continue working together,” explains Jennifer. “This has brought us together and has further strengthened our bond.”

This article is part of the #LivingUbuntu Campaign to promote social cohesion and peaceful coexistence between host communities and migrants” #NoToHate

Music group Bankroll Inc. set to take over!

Bankroll Inc. is a music group established by two enthusiastic youngsters, namely Kool Keed Dripp and Courage The Brave, in September 2019.

Two years down the line, the group decided to make an addition to their roster, recruiting two more artists, namely Emerge and Jaywithm.

In 2019, they released their first solo singles, which were a huge success on streaming platforms. The Blueprint Sketch EP dropped later that year in November, which led the group to accumulate over 600,000 streams (SoundCloud) on their EP.

They received radio plays on local and international radio stations, namely UKHOZI FM, Sloot FM, Sounds Of Azania, Caxton Radio, iHeart Radio, etc.

They were also previously featured in the InnerCity Gazette.

The group collaborated with and shared stages with some of South Africa's biggest icons and were featured on the two biggest albums by the biggest DJ duo (DJ Voltrex) in the country.

2020 started with the group booking countless performances around the city, mainly focusing on growing the group's name.

Bankroll Inc. went on to shoot their first official music video, which got 1,500 views within the first 48 hours on YouTube and was playlisted on MTV Base. This success got them a feature with one of the biggest producers in South Africa, SDD BEATS, at

that time. The group's songs were on high rotation on the radio station called Sounds Of Azania.

In 2021, the group dropped an EP of five tracks titled Lost In Time (L.I.T), which alone gained over +60,000 streams on SoundCloud. They constantly created a huge social media, streaming service, and stage presence name.

In 2022, the group was approached by a radio station based in Braamfontein called SAUMA (South African Upcoming Music Awards) and offered them performances which would occur once or twice every month throughout the year, giving artists a stage presence and radio playlisting and offer artists much-needed stage experience and connection with their fan base.

Within the year, Bankroll Inc. was called in to produce a single by SkandiSoul, who is well-known for his hit single with S.villa and was once signed to Ambitious Entertainment, and Zitulele Luyanda, famous for his hit single featuring Zuko S.A called "hamba nabo" which accumulated over a million views on YouTube and other DSPs.

Bankroll Inc. is quite a music pioneer indeed, a youthempowering movement focused on grooming the youth, addressing gang violence, drug abuse, and other issues troubling the youth and all other age groups today.

The new year 2023 has started, and the group is finally ready to monetize their production expertise as they recently officially opened their studio for outside artists to come and get a taste of the fresh locally produced

sound, but for a fee, of course.

They also got beats for purchase, which can be found on their new YouTube channel "CHARLIE-THAT-REALLY-HURTS BEATS". Bankroll Inc. is set to drop the biggest project in the industry called GANG IN MOSCOW (G.I.M) this year.

On the 13th of March, they dropped the starter of the project, which is basically the introduction of the G.I.M project that features MTV Base new wave A-listers such as Benjamin Freedom and other artists to be mentioned.

Three nABBed WITh unlICenSed rIfle And AMMo!

Three male suspects aged between 46 and 59 were arrested by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) IIOC Undercover Reaction Unit together with the SAPS Johannesburg Crime Intelligence in possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and for conspiracy to commit a business robbery in Jeppe.

On Saturday (25 March 2023), officers received information about suspects in possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition at Jeppe Hostel. It was further alleged that the suspects were planning to commit a business robbery. The JMPD Undercover Commander mobilised a team, gathered information, the description of the suspects and the vehicles they intended to use in the commission of a crime.

The officers spotted and stopped the vehicles which matched the description given, a white Toyota minibus and a Toyota Corolla. They searched the suspects and the vehicles. A firearm (rifle), and a magazine with twenty-two rounds were recovered.

The suspects failed to produce a firearm licence or permit to possess the firearm. Upon further inspection, the officers discovered that the serial number of a rifle

was filed off. The trio was arrested and detained at Jeppe SAPS. The two vehicles used in the commission of a crime were seized and booked in at the SAPS Aeroton pound for further investigation.

All suspects were positively linked to various crimes in Gauteng. The first suspect has a pending case of hijacking a motor vehicle as per the Ivory Park SAPS case. The second suspect was positively identified on footage of a business robbery which took place in Sebenza Edenvale. He was sought for attempted murder as per the Diepkloof SAPS case and also has a pending case for possession of an unlicensed firearm as per the Jeppe SAPS case. The third suspect has a pending case of murder with a firearm as per the Moffatview SAPS case.

“All the suspects will appear in court during the week,” said JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla.

CAf Schools football Championship final hosted in SA!

South Africa is set to host the first-ever Continental Final phase of the CAF African Schools Football Championship at King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban from April 5-8.

The historic event has attracted over 44,000 boys and girls from 41 African countries under the age of 15 to not only compete on the field but also participate in capacity-building programs.

This competition is the culmination of a journey that started with schools’ competitions at the national level and then the zonal phase. Some of the top schools in Africa will compete for the ultimate prize during the Continental Phase of the competition.

The event is expected to be a weekend of festivities in KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, with the final being played on Saturday, April 8, 2023.

According to CAF General Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba, “For the first time, CAF is not just talking about developing the youth, but we are investing in a tangible way to the future of Africa. We are giving hope, we are giving a platform.”

The CAF African Schools Football Championship was first announced by CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, in April 2021.

Motsepe’s vision to invest in youth has been realized with the championship already impacting many lives.

Thanks to a donation of USD 10 million by the Motsepe Foundation, schools will

be able to use the money for development projects.

The prize money for the Zonal Phase is as follows:

Winner (boys & girls) $100,000

Runner-up (boys & girls) $75,000

Third place (boys & girls) $50,000

The prize money for the Continental

Phase is as follows:

Winner (boys & girls) $300,000

Runner-up (boys & girls) $200,000

Third place (boys & girls) $150,000

“We have a lot of confident that we will work together with SAFA, with South African Government and KwaZulu Natal to ensure that this is a success,” said Mosengo-Omba.

The reigning COSAFA African Schools champions, Clapham High School U/15 football team based in Pretoria, jets off to KZN this Saturday, 01 April, to compete in the CAF African Schools Championship Continental Finals.

South Africa is represented by Gauteng’s Clapham High School and KZN’s Edendale Technical High School. The former, (Clapham High School team) is made up of players from the Mamelodi Sundowns Academy.

The CAF African Schools Football Championship is not only important to CAF but to Africa as a whole. It is an investment in the future of African football and a platform for young people to showcase their talent.