World Bank ranks #CapeTown first in all South Africa’s metros

Cape Town has been winning it all this year. International awards and a very giving winter season sums up what has been a year of firsts.

World Bank ranks Cape Town first in all South Africa's metros

This time around, the World Bank has ranked the Mother City as number one for ease of doing business, compared to the eight other metros in South Africa.

Good Things Guy reported that

The metros were assessed in two of the World Bank's four indicators. Cape Town proved to come out on top when basic comparisons were made, such as connecting a customer to electricity, it takes 91 days in Cape Town, 109 in Johannesburg and 110 in Tshwane.

Another comparison made was between new business construction permits which take 88 days in Cape Town and 155 in Johannesburg.

Patricia de Lille promiser more for Cape Town

Furthermore, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) revealed how Cape Town was the 'opportunity city of Africa'.

"These results are proof of the many efforts we have put into building an opportunity city and I am pleased with the progress the City has made.

"But as I always caution, we will not become complacent as there is still a lot more work to do to ensure that we make this great city event greater by attracting more investment so that more people can find employment," Patricia de Lille, the former City's mayor stated.

De Lille also went on to tease that the City would become more energy efficient with its ongoing green energy initiatives which will make Cape Town's supported by 20% renewable energy.

This is what the World Bank had to say about the indicators they look at in assessing the cities with the greatest business opportunity.

"We set out a clear strategy to improve on the indicators that the World Bank was measuring. We developed a checklist of things we knew investors, local and international, look at when deciding where to invest."

South Africa’s #JobSummit aims to lower the 52% youth unemployment rate

High-impact interventions to drive job creation, job retention and economic growth will be the focus of the much anticipated Jobs Summit, which kicks off today.

The summit will bring together government, business, labour and community organisations to advance job creation.

It will provide a platform for open discussion on the challenges faced by each social partner in the creation of jobs.

President Cyril Ramaphosa opens Jobs Summit

The opening section is expected to kick off at 2 pm with opening addresses from President Cyril Ramaphosa, the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) and the constituency leaders such as business, community and labour.

But it is the signing of the Jobs Summit Agreement that will take centre stage on the first day of the summit.

The NEDLAC, as the vehicle that brings together government and social partners, said the summit will seek to explore innovative approaches to support public and private enterprise development and procurement to boost the local economy.

Announcing the summit during his 2018 State of the Nation Address, President Ramaphosa highlighted that jobs, especially for the youth, will be at the centre of the 2018 national agenda.

Jobs Summit to tackle unemployment

The dire jobs situation is reflected in the Quarterly Labour Force Survey released by Statistics South Africa for the second quarter of 2018.

It shows that despite growth in employment of 206 000 jobs during the second quarter, the rate of unemploymentwas 27.2%.  Furthermore, the unemployment rate of young people was at 52.4% and an absorption rate of only 12.2%.

In line with the National Development Plan, the government aims to raise employment by 11 million to 24 million by 2030.

The summit comes just two weeks after President Ramaphosa announced an economic stimulus package to revive and boost the economy.

President Ramaphosa said the stimulus package measures provide fertile ground for the upcoming Jobs Summit and the Investment Conference later in October.

"It is better to go into the Jobs Summit armed with interventions that are ready than to go to a Jobs Summit and theorise. We want to go into the Job Summit and say these are the type of jobs that can be implemented," said the President at the announcement of the stimulus package.

To ensure the success of the Jobs Summit, the government has called on the public and private sector to play their role by capacitating young people and advancing youth employment.

Originally published by SAnews.gov.za

#Mzansi doctors perform world’s first liver #transplant from #HIV + mom to her critically-ill HIV- child

Faced with the only chance to save a child's life, doctors in South Africa have performed a medical first — transplanting part of the liver from an HIV-positive mother to her child who does not have the disease, it was announced Thursday.

Doctors not certain how the child did not contract HIV after historic transplant

The doctors at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg revealed that one year after the operation, the child may not have caught the virus from her new liver.

The child had a terminal liver disease and would have died without the transplant

Medication given to the child

"may have prevented the transmission of HIV. However, we will only know this conclusively over time," said Jean Botha, chief surgeon at the university.

The team of doctors performed the world's first liver transplant from a mother living with HIV to her critically-ill child who did not contract it, who had been waiting 180 days for a donor.

They said that the mother and child, who have not been identified, have fully recovered and are in good health.

The mother, who was being successfully treated with antiretroviral medication, had repeatedly asked to donate her liver to save her child's life — posing a major ethical dilemma for doctors due to the risk of HIV transmission.

South Africa has the world's largest treatment programme of the infection and the use of positive donors could help tackle the severe shortage of donors.

In 2017, 14 children waiting for liver transplants in Johannesburg died before having the operation.

"We hope that this ground-breaking operation will be the first of many like it and will contribute towards promoting justice and equity in liver transplantation," June Fabian, research director at the university's medical centre, said in a press release.

A paper detailing the case was published on Thursday in the peer-reviewed AIDS medical journal.

Its goodbye to the #Drifta and #Walker as #DStv pulls the plug on its mobile services

MultiChoice is shutting down its DStv Mobile service in South Africa at the end of October.

The company is dropping its DStv DVB-H mobile pay-TV service with the outdated DStv Walka and DStv Drifta that will no longer work at the end of the month.

MultiChoice says when it launched DStv Mobile the technology was new but "over the last few years technology has evolved as broadband access continues to grow. It's not feasible to continue to maintain a separate land-based, dedicated network for this service alone, when an even better service can be offered to our customers on DStv Now through the internet and WiFi".

MultiChoice already started shutting down transmitters so existing DStv Mobile subscribers who have been paying R49 per month for the service are not guaranteed to still get it until the end of the month with MultiChoice offering them R50 Takealot coupons.

DStv Mobile subscribers are encouraged to dispose Drifta and Walka devices at MultiChoice branches in Randburg, Durban and Cape Town or at DStv agencies where there are recycling bins.

Source: News24

Redi Tlhabi to host current affairs show on #SABC

Redi Tlhabi is set to make a come back to the small screen as the host of a new SABC current affairs show called Unfiltered, it has on Wednesday been announced.

The news comes more than a year after Redi announced her resignation from 702. 

Redi's show is set to launch on October 7 at 8.30pm on SABC News Channel and SABC 3. 

Unfiltered is set to tackle an array of issues including crime, corruption, education, politics as well as community and social issues.

"I have always responded positively to conversations that help us confront the ills of our society and affirm our quest for justice, democracy and accountability. It is with that vision that I begin this new chapter with the SABC," said Redi. 

Nomzamo Mbatha flies SA's flag high in Switzerland #GirlTalkZA

Media personality Nomzamo Mbatha hosted the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Nansen Refugee award ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland.

The annual award is usually presented to an individual or organization aimed at helping those who have been forcibly displaced from their homes. The recipient is then given an opportunity to speak about their work to a global audience.

Sharing the exciting news, Nomzamo Mbatha therefore announced this on her social media account.

This year, the recipient is none other than medical doctor Evan Atar Adaha.

The event took place on Monday the 1st.

Tips for motorists in dealing with the catastrophic #PetrolPriceHike

So the petrol prices have gone up again? Ouch that's not such good news to our wallets.  

But dont despair. The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) has some sage advice for you.

The association on Tuesday said as demand for energy rises, its cost as a precious resource also rises.

"This is exactly what motorists have experienced in South Africa as a result of the rising price of crude oil, compounded by exchange rate depreciation resulting in record prices of fuel at the pump," it said.

Petrol prices reach record highs this week, as the Department of Energy on Monday announced that the price of petrol will rise by between 99 cents and R 1 a litre.

The association had these tips for motorists to improve their vehicle fuel efficiency:

• Measure the fuel consumption of your vehicle and consider replacing your vehicle with a more modern, high technology, fuel-efficient product.
• Avoid unnecessary journeys/ Plan your journey.
• Service your car according to the manufacturers recommended schedule.
• Poor maintenance can significantly increase fuel consumption.
• Check tyre pressure regularly.
• Low tyre pressures increase vehicle "drag" and hence fuel consumption.
• Drive smoothly.
• In the case of manual transmission, vehicles change up as soon as engine speed and conditions allow.
• Moderate your speed.
• Fuel consumption increases significantly when driving at speeds over 100 km/hr.
• Reduce weight in the car by removing heavy items if you are not using them, e.g. roof-rack, etc.
• Use only quality, clean fuels.
• Use of contaminated fuels can result in fuel injection equipment deterioration and increased fuel consumption.
• Avoid travelling during peak hours.
• Optimum fuel economy is achieved during steady constant speed driving. Stop-start driving significantly increases fuel consumption.
• Use air conditioning sparingly.

The association represents the collective, non-competitive interests of the new motor vehicle manufacturing industry in South Africa and comprises 22 companies involved in the production of cars and commercial vehicles which businesses collectively employ about 30 000 persons.

Lindiwe Events and Catering is the pinnacle of class, built from hard work

Name: Buhle Mahlangu 

Company: Lindiwe Events and Catering 

Business Line: Events management and catering 

Contact: ‭(012) 752-5333‬

Unit 82 E&T Building 

Corner Sosulu & Francis Baard 

Pretoria CBD

TRENDS MZANSI INTERVIEW 

Building a brand is one thing, carving the brand into a top notch product in a niche market is another. 

Buhle Mahlangu has managed to do just that. 

Motivated by her love for entrepreneurship, she has turned Lindiwe Events and Catering into a game changer in the challenging hospitality industry. 

It is hard to imagine that her business was born out of nothing but a name. 

"I started with just a company name and a vision. I then went to work for an events management company to learn about the industry," she lamented. 

Armed with just a name, a wealth of experience and a vision, what drove Buhle to entrepreneurship stardom?

"I am passionate about entrepreneurship. I enjoy cooking and road trips. I enjoy seeing people happy and my line of work is about celebration and making people happy," she said.

An old English adage attests that: "When you love what you do, you will do it well." Perhaps her love for cooking and road trips unraveled an entire new world of possibilities. 

So popular are her services that clients have continuously showered her with endless praises. 

"We focus on professionalism more than anything else. Time and hygiene are a factor in our line of business and we pay particular attention to that aspect," narrated the 'golden lady' of catering and events. 

But being at the helm doesn't mean that she sorely scales the ladder without any assistance. Buhle passionately opened up about her amazing team. 

"I work with a wonderful team, I have hospitality students and graduates who are passionate about what they do," she smiled. 

While many can allude that her entrepreneurship journey is well in motion, Buhle believes that it's only just begun. She wants to become South Africa's cream-del-a-cream of events management and catering. She hopes to open branches in every metro throughout SA.

She isn't just looking at further building her brand, she also wants to empower other aspirants.

"What gives me satisfaction as an entrepreneur is employing people, seeing them improve their lives because of the opportunity I give them," she said. 

And her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?

"Be honest in your line of business,  do not be intimidated by anyone to compromise yourself for business. Always do business based on merit. And lastly don't be desperate to make quick money allow time to build you."

To connect with Buhle or to enquire more about Lindiwe Events and Catering, please don't hesitate to do so by following the link below: 

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/lindiwe23/

New report suggests quitting junk food could give you the same symptoms as drug withdrawal #InternationalCoffeeDay

If you've just given up burgers, pizza, pastries and any other fatty fast food, a new study will make you pause for thought.

Researchers from the University of Michigan (UM) have found that junk food is essentially addictive and that people who ditch fatty foods experience the same sadness, irritability, tiredness, cravings and depression experienced by drug and alcohol abusers when they quit.

The study, which was conducted among 231 adults aged 19-68, asked participants to record any reaction to the cutting back on highly processed and fatty foods over a year.

"What all researchers can agree upon is that the addictive qualities of tobacco, drugs or alcohol affect the brain similarly and cutting back can lead to negative side effects that can make it difficult to reduce intake. Anxiety, headaches, irritability and depression are some of those outcomes," said Erica Schulte, the study's lead author and UM psychology doctoral candidate.

The withdrawal symptoms were said to last for five days before tapering off, with the first two days said to be the most intense days – much like the pattern of drug withdrawal symptoms.

Previous studies have focused on sugar withdrawal in animals, but the data pertaining to humans thus far has been just anecdotal evidence.

The researchers say they didn't focus on the methodology used to change their eating behaviour, like whether the quitting was as a result of going cold turkey or through a process of gradual phasing out.

Study co-author and Associate Professor of Psychology Ashley Gearhardt said the study implications suggest that withdrawal symptoms could make making dietary changes even harder and as a result, contribute to people relapsing and reverting to bad eating habits.

Seeking help is the foundation of solving problems and Nomzamo Mbatha wants to get better at it #MondayMotivation

No one is perfect. We all have flaws. As a celebrity however, everyone expects you to be perfect. Nomzamo Mbatha however quashed that notion by revealing her biggest flaw on social media.

Hers, is the inability to ask for help.

One of my biggest flaws is my inability to ask for help. 
Something I genuinely want to get better at.

— Nomzamo Mbatha (@NomzamoMbatha)September 27, 2018

Nomzamo is not alone in this. Even her fans agreed with her.