#Bulls mourn the passing of former #Springboks captain Joost van der Westhuizen

The Vodacom Bulls are saddened to learn of the passing of former Springbok and Vodacom Bulls stalwart Joost van der Westhuizen after a courageous six year fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the most severe form of motor neuron disease. He was 45 years old.

Van der Westhuizen changed the way scrumhalves played the game with his sniping runs, solid defensive work and his ability to sniff out the try line (scoring 71 tries for the Blue Bulls, and 6 for the Vodacom Super Rugby franchise). He was such an illustrious talent that he held the Springbok record for most tries scored until Bryan Habana broke it in 2011.

Van der Westhuizen made his debut for the Vodacom Blue Bulls in 1992 and went on to earn 144 Currie Cup caps and 26 Vodacom Super Rugby appearances. He captained the men from Pretoria on 38 occasions and lead the Northern Gauteng union to two Currie Cup victories in 1998 and 2002.

At Springbok level, he was involved inthree World Cup campaigns including the 1995 edition where he put in a heart stopping tackle on All Black wing Jonah Lomu that prevented a certain try. He captained the Springboks in ten Tests and represented the Springbok Sevens team as well.

Blue Bulls Company CEO, Barend van Graan said: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Joost van der Westhuizen, and our thoughts and condolences go out to his family, friends and the millions of fans that adored him.  Joost will forever be remembered as the warrior that terrified opposition on the field, and one that took on MND head on while raising massive awareness for the cause."

Although he suffered immense difficulties because of MND, he showed South Africa his fighting spirit through his foundation, the J9 Foundation, as he pioneered awareness of this dreaded disease.

Gert Wessel, President of the BBRU: "Joost was an individual with a 'big heart', both on and off the field. This showed in his approach to the game as he stood back and stepped aside for nothing in his playing. This tenacious attitude clearly came through in his battle against MND as well" 

Zambian comedian gets his wife a $14 million #Valentines gift.... Yes a private jet

A Zambian Comedian identified as Nkisu Yikona also known as HK surprised his wife a private Jet worth a whooping $14,000,000 for Valentines.

He presented the gift early today to his wife who was shocked as she never expected the gift. The jet was delivered straight to Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka.

Too much #paracetamol damages the liver as much as cancer

Adverse use of paracetamol can potentially be as dangerous as cancer on the liver's function, scientists warn.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have studied the impact of the painkiller on liver cells in human and mouse tissue.

Their tests showed that in certain settings, paracetamol intake can damage the liver by harming the vital structural connections between adjacent cells in the organ.

When these cell wall connections – known as tight junctions – are disrupted, the liver tissue structure is damaged. The cells may then be unable to function properly and may die.

This type of cell damage is known to occur in liver conditions including hepatitis, cirrhosis, and cancer, but it was not linked to paracetamol toxicity until now.

"Paracetamol is the world's preferred pain remedy – it is cheap, and considered safe and effective at therapeutic dose," said study co-author Dr Leonard Nelson. "However, drug-induced liver damage remains an important clinical problem and a challenge for developing safer drugs. Our findings reinforce the need for vigilance in paracetamol use, and could help discover how harm caused by its adverse use might be prevented."

Researchers now hope to develop a trustworthy method of using human liver cells rather than animal testing.

They will then plan to examine how varying paracetamol doses and timescales influence toxicity in the liver, and identify potential targets for new drugs.

Co-author Pierre Bagnaninchi, of the university's MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, added: "Although liver damage caused by paracetamol toxicity has been the subject of intense study for 40 years, recent developments in biosensor technology are enabling a fuller picture of the biological mechanisms involved."

The full study has been published in journal Scientific Reports.

© Cover Media

#WhatsApp to allow you to delete message after sending

We've all been there, sending a message to someone only to be plagued by regret the moment it is sent.  Now, there is good news for all the drunk and angry texters out there. Popular messaging app WhatsApp will soon allow senders to retract messages after they have been sent, according to reports.

The down side is that the feature will only work if the person has not yet seen the message. If there is a blue tick next to your message, you might have to start drafting an apology message to accompany it.

According to the Mirror UK, the option to delete and even edit messages is currently in its testing stage and will be available in a future update, however, no date has been announced as yet.

WhatsApp was bought by Facebook for $22 billion in 2014. Last year, the messaging app announced that it would able users to video call each other. This feature has made the platform, where it will be competing against the likes of Apple's FaceTime, which is only available to iPhone users, Viber, and Microsoft's Skype.

Earlier this year, a hoax saying that WhatsApp would be announcing a feature that allows people to be notified when someone screenshots their conversation.  The story was debanked by several tech platforms such as Asian One Digital who pointed out that the website from which people got the story from is a satirical  platform called 8shit.

Mzansi's love for drumsticks and wings fuels crisis in poultry industry #ChickenDumping

Don't you just love those oven grilled chicken drumsticks coated with your favourite spicy coating? Or those very hot peri peri wings deep fried in hot oil?

Well do you know that your preference for "brown meat" such as chicken drumsticks and wings is listed as one of the major reasons for the poultry "crisis"? Yes it is.

This is as a result of "dumping" of foreign chicken imports from developed nations which prefer chicken breasts or "white meat".

This market preference is affecting the country's poultry sector, which is bleeding thousands of jobs due to the increase in cheaper imports, parliament's select committee on trade and international relations heard yesterday.

"Dumping" occurs when a company exports a product from another country at a price lower than the price normally charged for the same product in the home market.

Garth Strachan, deputy director-general for industrial development in the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), said high costs of feed and drought had an impact.

"The critical increase in imports of bone-in quarters and you also add mechanically de-boned meat portions is also part of the problem. We all know there are retrenchments under way. It's a very concentrated industry."

It is indeed very sad considering that about 40 000 jobs are on the line should the crisis not be resolved.

Thuli Madonsela to receive #Commonwealth Law Award in Australia

Former public protector advocate Thuli Madonsela will travel to Melbourne in March to accept the third Commonwealth Law Conference Rule of Law award.

The Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) nominated Madonsela for the accolade and congratulated her yesterday.

"We are delighted and proud that this worthy South African lawyer will receive international recognition from her peers across the Commonwealth for her work in protecting our constitution and promoting the concept of the Rule of Law‚' said LSSA co-chairpersons Jan van Rensburg and Mvuzo Notyesi.

The Rule of Law award will be presented to Madonsela by the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA). The award recognises an individual or firm that has an outstanding contribution to the rule of law‚ which has an impact both within their own country and the Commonwealth.

The CLA said Madonsela had demonstrated to South Africans the merit in pursuing truth‚ regardless of the obstacles‚ in her tenure as public protector.
Madonsela will accept Rule of Law award at the closing ceremony of the 20th Commonwealth Law Conference in Melbourne‚ Australia‚ in March.

#Isibaya's Lerato talks about playing a bewitched girl

With a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing Management, 24-year-old Florence Mokgatsi found herself more suited to acting than behind a desk in a nine-to-five job.

Having started with small roles on television, Florence has managed to build a solid reputation in the acting industry.

Currently playing the role of Lerato, the daughter to a taxi company supervisor on Mzansi Magic's series Isibaya, Florence says her character has been through many trials and tribulations.

"Lerato has gone through so much; first she lost her baby and she is currently trying to recover from being bewitched by a wicked sangoma who has also held her captive for weeks."

Florence says although the scenes were emotionally taxing, she really enjoyed playing the bewitched parts,' "I did a lot of research prior to these scenes," she said.

Florence says all the witchcraft and muthi was new to her and she learnt so much, "It was quiet an experience because I am a Christian and you would never find me kneeling at a sangomas's office," she laughs.

"I don't judge anyone's on their beliefs but zombies, witchcraft and sangomas's are not in my lane," she added.

Florence says, she hopes to grow her acting career and to be recognised as one of the best in the country and eventually open her own production company.

Isibaya airs on Mzansi Magic, channel 161 every weekday at 20:30.

© Drum

Parow Brandy to be stocked at #Checkers countrywide

Afrikaans rapper Jack Parow is set to tour South Africa to release his own brand of brandy.

Parow Brandy is a three-year premium hand-crafted brandy. It was created by Jack Parow to fill the gap in the local market for a premium, locally-produced brandy. It's produced by a small cellar in Montagu.

The brandy will be exclusively stocked in Checkers country-wide in February. From March it will be available countrywide at various outlets.

Parow Brandy is the house brandy at The Good Luck Bar in Johannesburg and at all RocoMamas restaurants countrywide and is rolling out to other bars and restaurants soon.

What you need to know about starting a business in 2017 #Entrepreneur

Aspiring entrepreneurs often flirt with the idea of starting their own business as part of their New Year's resolutions.  However, every indicator points to a sluggish economy, but the courage to see it through may just be the leap of faith that sets you apart in 2017.

Mags Ponnan, Head of Customer Value Propositions at FNB Business, says the South African economy is taking strain, the World Bank and Treasury are not posting significant GDP growth– it's definitely a challenging environment for any business, more so a new business. The upside to it is if you launch and successfully function in a depressed economy, your business will grow in leaps and bounds when the upswing finally does come. 

Ponnan shares a few tips for entrepreneurs that want to start businesses in 2017: 

Research and understand the market need – start-ups fail because entrepreneurs bank on a good idea that has not been thoroughly tested in the market. A good idea alone is not enough, you need to research the industry you are going into, understand who the competitors and customer base are, interview potential customers so that you can design products or services that answer the market's need.

Businesses need solid plans – most business plans tend to speak the wishes of the entrepreneur and not the realities of the industry that the entrepreneur is looking to operate in. A water-tight business plan goes into the details of what it will cost to launch the business, the value proposition offered, cash flow needs and revenue projections, marketing strategy that will grow the customer base and the risks around the business model. The business plan must be the ultimate blueprint.

Minimum capital required – the dot.com era has proven that one can launch a business with little to no capital, which has a lot of people romanticising about being the next Zuckerberg.  Try to apply the same strategy in your business since this will allow you to get your business off the ground without any pressures to pay back loans or investors. You will need to run your business in the leanest way possible which will allow you to keep your costs low and allow you to maximise your profit margin. Once you have proven the business model has been stress tested and has start generating sustainable profits, it will become much easier to approach banks or investors for funding to grow your business.

 Become a  "jack of all trades" – the greatest gift that entrepreneurs in the 21st century have is the internet, one can literally build a website online, contract a delivery company, buy software to manage your finances, hire consultants for  filing taxes - all with  great ease. However, in the early stages of your business, the approach is do as much you can by yourself before trying to outsource the relatively easy tasks to external consultants. This will not only allow you to personally learn and grow with your business but also to keep your costs to a minimal during the early stages of your business where your revenue stream still needs to grow.

Cash is King – any venture is built on good cash flow. Managing cash carefully allows a business to operate without fear of not being able to pay suppliers for stock or for an unplanned expense. Implementing good cash flow management principles from the onset is vital.  

Tumi Morake is the new #Jaguar Ambassador

Popular award-winning comedian and TV star, Tumi Morake, has been chosen as a Jaguar ambassador. In partnership with Jaguar Land Rover Menlyn, Tumi will be driving a new Jaguar F-PACE – finished in Italian Racing Red, to perfectly suit her personality.

"I have always dreamt of driving a Jaguar and when I attended their launch last year, I had heart palpitations," said Morake. "When I got to pick the colour, I thought that it has to be red, it has to be a colour that speaks to me, something that is out there, unique and exciting. I'm a mom, but I also don't want to look like a boring mom."

The F-PACE combines Jaguar's sports car DNA with the space and practicality of an SUV. It boasts class-leading interior space for passengers, as well as boot capacity of 463 litres – including a full-size spare wheel. When the rear seats are folded flat the total cargo volume increases to a massive 1 553 litres. With underpinnings based on the Jaguar F-TYPE sports car and Jaguar's Intelligent Driveline Dynamics all-wheel drive, the F-PACE offers a thrilling driving experience, with confidence and stability in all weather and on all road surfaces.

To test drive a Jaguar F-PACE, contact Jaguar Land Rover Menlyn on 012 369 2400, or visit the dealer at Summit Place Precint, 221 Garsfontein Road, Menlyn, Pretoria.