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FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY, SOUTH AFRICA APPOINTS 50% FEMALE MINISTERS

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday cut the number of cabinet ministers from 36 to 28, in a move he said would tackle the country’s “bloated” government and improve efficiency.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa trims the cabinet and appoints women to have the positions as he seeks to get the country back on track

AFPSouth African President Cyril Ramaphosa trims the cabinet and appoints women to have the positions as he seeks to get the country back on track

Half the new ministers are women, making South Africa one of the world’s few gender-balanced governments.

Ramaphosa announced the new line-up after he led the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party to victory in elections earlier this month.

He took office last year after the ousting of graft-tainted Jacob Zuma, who had expanded the number of ministerial posts in an alleged attempt to strengthen his patronage network.

“To promote greater coherence, better coordination and improved efficiency, we (are) reducing the number of ministers from 36 to 28,” Ramaphosa said in televised address to the nation.

“This is a significant move of downscaling our state. Many people believed our government… was bloated and this was agreed right across the board.”

In another dig at his predecessor, Ramaphosa said that the ANC had been re-elected with a mandate to end “state capture” — the term used to describe government corruption under Zuma.

“All South Africans are acutely aware of the great economic difficulties our country has been experiencing,” Ramaphosa said.

“It is therefore imperative… we place priority on revitalising our economy while exercising the greatest care in the use of public funds.”

“For the first time in the history of our country, half of all ministers are women,” he added.

Balance of factions

Naming his new slimline cabinet, Ramaphosa kept internationally-respected Finance Minister Tito Mboweni in place, as well as his controversial Deputy President David Mabuza.

Mabuza is seen as a pro-Zuma figure whose name has come up in media reports on alleged corruption and political killings when he was premier of the eastern province of Mpumalanga.

“The retention of Tito Mboweni as finance minister… will appease markets and result in a positive perception of cabinet,” said a briefing note from Peregrine Treasury Solutions, a South African investment company.

It added that keeping Mabuza as deputy president “indicated that President Ramaphosa had to compromise to appease the Zuma faction within the ANC.”

Ramaphosa’s close ally Pravin Gordhan was kept on as public enterprises minister, a key role as debt-laden state companies were at the centre of alleged graft schemes under Zuma.

“The cabinet announcement largely rewards the President’s supporters and seems a conservative selection without the injection of real fresh blood from the outside,” said analyst Daniel Silke on Twitter.

Ramaphosa, 66, an anti-apartheid activist who became a wealthy businessman, faces a tough battle to drive through reforms in a country suffering from chronic unemployment, racial tension and crime.

The ANC won the May 8 election with 57.5 percent of the vote, its smallest majority since it led the fight against the apartheid regime that was replaced by multi-racial democracy in 1994.

The party’s celebrated reputation was badly sullied under Zuma’s 2009-2018 rule as it was confronted by multiple corruption allegations and public anger over the failure to tackle post-apartheid inequality.

South Africa’s economy grew just 0.8 percent in 2018 and unemployment hovers at over 27 percent — soaring to over 50 percent among young people.

Credit: Pulse

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SA DESIGNER, PALESA MOKUBUNG BECOMES THE FIRST AFRICAN DESIGNER TO COLLABORATE WITH H&M

Swedish multinational clothing retailer H&M on Tuesday announced its first African collaboration with South African designer Palesa Mokubung’s Mantsho label.

Mantsho will be available in all South African stores, exclusive flagship stores in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, Belgium, Mexico, Chile and Israel, as well as all H&M online markets from 15 August.

Mantsho is known for its vibrant fabrics, bold and edgy designs with distinct silhouettes and structures. 

H&M assortment manager for collaborations and special collections Pernilla Wohlfahrt said Makubonga was an inspiring talent and personality.

Wohlfahrt said the diverse collection of women’s wear and accessories would introduce a dose of fresh fun and uniquely South African aesthetic to H&M customers around the world. 

“We love how she works with colour, print and silhouettes enhancing the female shape in a flattering and playful way,” Wohlfahrt said. 


“At H&M, we value diversity of ideas and designs and draw inspiration from across our geographical footprint and we are so excited to share this collection with our customers across the globe.”

Makubong said the collaboration was a dream come true and she was excited to work with H&M. 

“This project has been a valuable journey so far and I cannot wait to share my passion and design with fashion lovers around the world. Mantsho prides itself as a ready-to-wear brand and this exclusive collection fulfils this promise,” she said.

The Mantsho label, which means ‘black is beautiful’ in the SeSotho language, was established in 2004 and has since graced numerous runways in Greece, India, the US, Jamaica, Nigeria, Botswana and Senegal. 

– African News Agency (ANA) 

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SOUTH AFRICA’S MEDIA GIRL, BONANG MATHEBA LAUNCHES LUXURY CHAMPAGNE BRAND

She launched the luxury brand yesterday with some of her close friends and colleagues in attendance.

For the event, the focus of the day Bonang Matheba looked so dreamy in a gorgeous dress from South African designer Gert-Johan Coetzee, who is described as a fashion designer to the stars.

See all the photos below.

The Atmosphere

The Guests

K Naomi Noinyane

Fundi Kumalo

Khai Jenner

Yanela ‘Yaya’ Tokota

Ntombifikile

Nadia Nakai

Tshepi Vundla

Tebogo Mekgwe

Mihlali Ndamase

Luthando Shosha

Siyanda Dzenga

Siyamthanda Ndube

Lerato Seuoe

Khanyi Mbau Matanoia

Sarah Langa Mackay

Babalwa Mneno

Boity

Let’s Party!

Photo Credit: @bonang_m | @blaq_smith | @9th_block_productions | #HouseofBNG

Credit: Bella Naija
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SOUTH AFRICA’S NOSIPHO DUMISA TO DIRECT NETFLIX’S 2ND ORIGINAL SERIES IN SOUTH AFRICA

The series, which is set for filming later this year, will be Netflix’s second original series from South Africa.

Dumisa will be working on the series along with her production team who worked on the award-winning Nommer 37.

Daryn Joshua and Travis Taute will write and co-direct with Dumisa, while Bradley Joshua, Benjamin Overmeyer and Simon Beesley join as producers and lead editor respectively.

Blood & Water is a teen-led drama which follows a local teen uncovering her family’s secret past and navigating the complicated world of a South African high school.

“Gambit Films and I are so excited to be working with Netflix on this explosive young adult drama, with not only a cool look at strong female leads but also a powerful mystery at its core,” Nosipho explains in a statement.

“As a director who loves genre, this series combines the best of so many and isn’t shy to delve into the real issues of youth culture, whilst jam-packing it with twists that will keep viewers guessing.”

Reacting to the partnership, Netflix’s Vice President of International Originals, Europe, Turkey and Africa, Kelly Luegenbiehl described Netflix’s investment in Blood & Water as the “next step in our further investment in original African content and we’re excited to explore more projects across the region.”

The series is due to start production in 2019 and is expected to launch globally in 190 countries in 2020.

 

 

Credit: Bella Naija

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ONCE A BROKE COLLEGE DROPOUT, THIS BLACK ENTREPRENEUR NOW OWNS AN UPSCALE NAIL SALON AND COFFEE BAR!

Mpoomy Ledwaba was young and broke when she planned her own business after deciding to drop out of college. She has no money, no experience, and the people around her did not believe in her. Amidst all the challenges, she fought for her dreams and finally opened Aneno Nail & Coffee Bar which has always been jampacked with women since its launching.

At age 12, Mpoomy started working for her dad. At 16-years old, she worked at a restaurant while doing promotions throughout varsity. She was 21-years old when she landed her first corporate job as a banker at Investec. By then, she was also a second-year student of Accountancy at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa.

Initially, Mpoomy thought she’d love accounting because she was good at it and it felt like a natural move. But as time goes by, she realized it was unfulfilling for her. So first, she quit her job. Second, she left the university in the middle of her finance exam and never went back.

“I didn’t diagnose it as depression but now because I understand what depression is, I know it could have been that,” she told Forbes Africa.

It was a brave move for a young woman who did not have any money nor experience. What makes it worse is that her parents were not impressed by her decision, too. Her father refused to send her money anymore and her mother also declined when she tried to borrow money to do a nail course.

“I spent my days crying and praying. It was a tough time. I knew I had made the right decision but everyone and everything around me tried to break me,” Mpoomy said.

Eventually, Mpoomy found a job at a modeling agency doing a billboard and TV advert where she was paid R22,000, or over $1,550 USD. She invested her earnings in a cleaning business, inspired by her father’s cleaning company. For a year, it boomed but she got swamped up by orders that it became overly demanding for her. She then learned that “you can’t start a business in something you don’t know or you are not passionate about.”

Brenden Praise Ledwaba, South African Idols finalist and recording artist, who is then her boyfriend and now husband, was the one who was there with her and supported her no matter what. After their marriage, which didn’t come cheap, Brenden gave her money to go to nail school. It wasn’t easy for them as newlyweds; they had financial problems along the way, but they still made it.

By the time Mpoomy finished her studies and was ready to get a working experience, no one hired her. But she found a way by herself and she created a mobile salon that turned out successfully. Finally, with the help of a mentor, she opened Aneno Nail & Coffee Bar a year ago.

Today, Mpoomy has a team of five people in her own nail salon based in Melville, Johannesburg. Some of her first customers were friends and family but now African celebrities such as Mapaseka Koetle-Nyokong, Mmatema Moremi, Jessica Nkosi, and Thickleeyonce are her frequent clients.

In the near future, the ever-enthusiastic businesswoman sees Aneno having franchises all over South Africa and being a household brand. After all, she believes that “God is the one who makes things happen.”

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SA MOGUL, KHANYI DHLOMO CONFIRMS NDALO MEDIA SHUTDOWN

South African mogul Khanyi Dhlomohas, in a statement on Friday, confirmed reports that Ndalo Media is shutting down.

Ndalo Media is responsible for the publishing magazines: Destiny, Destiny Man and Elle South Africa.

According to Sowetan Live, Dhlomo told staff that the company is financially embattled and will cease operation by January.

The statement read:

After much reflection, I have taken the tough decision to close down Ndalo Media. At this point, my focus is on Ndalo Media’s employees and stakeholders who have all made a significant contribution to the business over the years.

Thereafter, my focus will shift to the next chapter which I’ll share at the appropriate time. I’m thankful for the opportunity we’ve had to touch millions of lives through our work and to all who have supported our brands in various ways.

 

 

Credit: Bella Naija

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BEYONCE WRITES LETTER OF APPRECIATION TO NELSON MANDELA

South African newspaper, Sowetan has published a letter written by Beyoncé and addressed to the late Nelson Mandela.

The letter sees the 37-year-old singer thanking Mandela who passed away in 2013 for teaching her life lessons that she can pass on to her children. She also writes of her conversations with the political leader, and how it will be an honor for her to perform at the forthcoming Global Citizen Festival that tributes him.

Read below:

 

Dear Madiba by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

Dear Madiba,

I first met you in 2004 for the 46664 AIDS Benefit Concert in Cape Town, and the impact you have had on my life resonates with me today and every day. Your kindness and gratitude for every experience, and your ability to forgive are lessons I have learned and will pass on to my three children. My entire family holds you in high regard.

It is an honor for me to travel to South Africa this week in celebration of you and your efforts to right so many wrongs. You were a strategic warrior, a bold activist, and charismatic and well-loved leader. Your vision for dignity, for human rights, for peace and a South Africa free of racism and apartheid, allows us all to turn dreams into reality.

I remember taking that walk with you back to the prison on Robben Island where you spent 18 of those imprisoned 27 years. I recall your measured but focused steps in as you recounted the stories of the struggles, the sacrifices and your resilience. You smiled as you talked to a crowd of artists and their guests, including my mother, who first told my sister and me about the great Nelson Mandela. In that moment I truly understood your heart and humility.

You made it possible for so many people like me to reject impossibilities and understand our capabilities in making lasting change in the world. The smallest efforts could change the trajectory for so many living in extreme poverty, facing injustices, the indecency of racism and fighting for their rights as humans.

As we celebrate the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, honoring your centennial year, I promise you that we have made your dreams our own.

Your work and your sacrifices were not in vain. I will cherish every moment shared in your presence and use the lessons learned from you as fuel to stir positive ideas and solutions.

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

 

Source: stargist.com

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MEET AKHONA MAKALIMA, THE FIRST FEMALE FOOTBALL REFEREE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Akhona Makalima has made history as the first woman to officiate a men’s professional football match in the country.

Since South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) was founded in 1996, the league has fielded only male referees until 2015, when Ahkona changed the narrative.

Achieving this feat in a male-dominated sport wasn’t easy for Makalima. About seven years ago, she took advantage of an initiative created to get more women involved in football, and she eventually earned her first refereeing certificate.

She went on to become the first South African woman to pass FIFA’s fitness test for certifying referees, scaling through a series of trials most men fail.

When she eventually came on to officiate her first professional match in 2015, Makalima proved naysayers wrong by doing an incredible job. Since then she has officiated over a hundred matches in PSL, Sasol Women’s League and Africa Women Cup of Nations.

She started Inter-Refs in 2016. Through the initiative, she teaches girls about the laws of football and how they can make a livelihood through the sport.

(Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)

 

 

 

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BEAUTIFUL ONTLAMETSE PHALATSE WAS BORN WITH A RARE AGE-ACCELERATING DISORDER BUT HER POSITIVITY IS CONTAGIOUS

Ontlametse Phalatse was born looking “normal”, but later on, her mother Bellon discovered something was wrong. By the time she was three months old, she was already having constant rashes on her skin and her mother thought she had a skin disease.

Before Ontlametse celebrated her first birthday, her hair was falling, her nails weren’t normal, the skin problems continued. Her parents were going from doctor to doctor.

Her father abandoned her and her mother before she celebrated her third birthday, as she was aging prematurely.

She was enrolled in school at 6 years old but that came with scornful remarks from her classmates and teachers who thought she had AIDS. People living with AIDS were always being discriminated in South Africa at the time.

It did not stop her as she proved to be a bright student.

In 2009, a doctor friend suggested she have Ontlametse tested for Progeria – (a rare age-accelerating disorder also known as Benjamin Button Disorder), and brought her a book about the disease. She was later diagnosed of the disorder.

Ontlametse has a bubbly and positive personality, and she doesn’t allow her condition to bring her down.

She calls herself ‘First Lady’ because she is the first (recorded) Black child with the disorder.

Her caption: What a lovely day. Life is about enjoying every moment

The disorder is believed to have inspired the Brad Pitt movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, in which he is born an old man and ages backwards.

The Progeria Research Foundation says that only two Africans have been diagnosed with the disease and they both live in South Africa – Ontlametse and a 5-year-old white girl.

Although, researchers believe there are other children with the disorder, but they (researchers) haven’t been able to reach them.

The foundation added that the number of children diagnosed with the disorder around the world has soared from 48 to 80 on five continents.

Ontlametse was not expected to live beyond the age of 13, but later this year, she will be celebrating her 18th birthday.

‘I don’t care what people say about me,’ she says adding that she wants to become a psychologist to help people with their problems. She recently graduated from high school.

In South Africa, matriculation (or matric) is a term commonly used to refer to the final year of high school and the qualification received on graduating from high school, although strictly speaking, it refers to the minimum university entrance requirements.

Source: Bellanaija

 

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#PROFILE | MEET THATO KGATLHANYE, 22 YEARS OLD SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR WHO IS PUTTING SMILES ON FACES OF SCHOOL CHILDREN IN SOUTH AFRICA

Thato Kgatlhanye is a social entrepreneur, author, speaker, and founder of Repurpose Schoolbags. She has a B.A in Brand Leadership Management from Vega School of Brand Leadership.

She is also the CEO of Rethaka (Pty) Ltd, a woman-owned business based in Rustenburg, South Africa. She started Repurpose Schoolbags at the age of 18, after studying and discovering that most of the school children in her community carried plastic bags to school. She designed a new set of school bags using recycled plastic shopping bags, and integrating solar technology and batteries to provide light for studying after dark, as the bag charges during the day.

Thato runs the company with 17 employees and numerous plastic bag collectors. She has been featured on CNBC Africa and Forbes. She has also won the ELLE International Impact Award.

We celebrate her

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