Organizations provide food to families affected by looting #FridayFeeling #SouthAfricaBlog

Organisations providing relief to poverty-stricken communities say they were badly affected in the distribution of meals, as the violent looting continued throughout the week.

Trucks carrying food supplies along Gauteng and KZN's major highways were looted resulting in empty tummies as destinations for deliveries could not be reached.

Gift of the Givers has put its entire machinery into action, in spite of severe restrictions on safe mobility, to respond to the gargantuan crisis created by looters, while FoodFoward SA says they will commence operations in Durban and Joburg.

Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman said: "Their inhuman activity has robbed babies of formula milk, while the elderly and the physically challenged, orphanages and ordinary civilians, of all economic strata, have been denied access to basic foods and medical supplies. "

He said the time has come for the country to unite and fight what has been described as a second pandemic.
"Instead of tearing us apart, the traitors united us more strongly than before …" said Sooliman

FoodForward SA managing director Andy Du Plessis said their Durban branch was badly damaged and looted but they "aim to resume operations in Durban and Joburg tomorrow."

Nomcebo Zikode is at war #MondayMotivation #SouthAfricaBlog

Record label boss Lionel Jamela has hit back at claims by singer Nomcebo Zikode that she has not been paid a cent for her contribution to Master KG'S smash hit Jerusalema.

Both Zikode and Master KG, real name Kgaogelo Moagi, are signed to Jamela's record stable, Open Mic.

Jamela slammed Zikode in a statement issued to Sowetan on Sunday, saying Zikode had not signed the Featured Artist Agreement.

"We note the utterances made by our artist, Nomcebo Zikode, on social media in regard to payment for her featured artist role in the song Jerusalema by Master KG.

"Whilst we do not make a habit of discussing our artists' contractual matters in public, Nomcebo's utterances cannot be left uncorrected.

"The fact of the matter is that, since about the first half of 2020, royalties have indeed been accruing for Nomcebo in respect of her role as a featured artist on the song and this has been available for payment to her as way back as then," Jamela said.

"However, no payment has been made to her as yet because Nomcebo is yet to sign the Featured Artist Agreement that essentially records what was agreed between herself and Master KG prior to both of them going into the studio to record Jerusalema.

"This is the agreement that, among other things, set out what percentage of Master KG'S artist royalties is payable to Nomcebo for her role as featured artist in the song.

"The agreement was handed over to Nomcebo also in 2020 and in April this year she instructed her lawyers to review it, prior to her signing.

"Since then, there have been back-and-forth engagements between her lawyers and ours in this regard.

"These engagements remain ongoing and as soon as these are concluded and the agreement is signed by all parties, Nomcebo will be paid all her royalty monies, backdated to the first half of 2020.

"This position is very well known to Nomcebo."

Zikode released a statement on the matter on social media on Sunday morning in which she aired her grievances.

Jessica Molebatsi steps up the winter fashion game #JessicaJane #GirlTalkZA #SouthAfricaBlog

Jessica Molebatsi - fashion designer and founder of the JessicaJane label – is taking this winter by storm with her 2021 winter range. Her garments shine brightly in acid yellow and cerise pink and exude a much-needed message of positivity that amplifies the brightness of the women who wear them, expressing their true value and feminine beauty.

Carving a niche for herself in Feminine Couture, Jessica's passion is helping women feel confident, beautiful, and valued; this ethos shines through every sequin in this energetic collection. 

Designed specifically with go-getting superwomen in mind, this collection was created to help women easily slip into a comfortable outfit and look meticulously put together, especially where they don't have the time to fuss. 

"The essence of this collection was about enabling women to express their individuality. I wanted to empower the femininity within each of us, not to impose my idea of femininity onto my clients, but for the woman who wears them to remain their beautiful selves - just with an extra confidence boost," says Jessica. 

Influenced by the romanticism of french aesthetics, this collection strikes the perfect balance between vivaciousness and vintage. 

Inspired primarily by her extraordinary clients and her own life as a working mom, this collection empowers women without having to make them fit a specific mould and be uncomfortable in the process.

Remember Tshidi from #RhythmCity? She is still "killing it on TV" #SouthAfricaBlog #MondayMotivation

SA social media erupted into celebration the minute fans heard one of their favourite dramas, Abomama, was returning for a second season.

One of the lead actresses in the show, Nokuthula Mavuso, shared in the excitement.

Mavuso shared behind-thescenes pictures with her costars Khabonina Qubeka, Asavela Mngqithi and Unathi Guma, who plays Dora, on Twitter.

She said it had been difficult to bring everyone together for season two to finally materialise because of Covid-19 and clashing actor schedules.

"Season two hasn't been easy to do," Mavuso said.

"Just getting everyone together was nearly impossible, but I am enjoying every bit of it."

Fans have also been entertained by interesting casting news.

How to make money with a side hustle #SouthAfricaBlog

SA entrepreneur Vusi Thembekwayo describes passive income as an active investment of one's income into a form of income that does not require labour.
Many young people have embarked on passive income sources or side hustles.

Sandenathi Mbane of Qonce (formerly King William's Town) in the Eastern Cape is a graduate from Walter Sisulu University and is unemployed due to the high unemployment rate in the province and the impact of Covid-19 on the economy.

Mbane started network marketing products for Forever Living.

She now gets a commission based on the products she sells each month and uses social networks (Facebook and Instagram) to market her business online.

Mbane has a clientele of about 12 people who buy her products regularly.
She says the difficult part is securing market share — she and other distributors battle for clients.

Mbane says starting the business was easy but maintaining it in terms of attracting customers is difficult. 

"Selling products online sounds like an easy job but it is not. Yes, it is not a nine-to-five job but attracting clients is the hard part. My commission since I started has increased.

"I was getting R1,500 when I started but now I earn R3,100. It helps in terms of me covering my needs, especially during the pandemic.

"A lot of people during this time were looking online for what to buy and that helped in getting more clients — that's why my commission increased," Mbane said.

Many people across the world are also making money as YouTubers, and this has become a big market.

Owamie Hlongwane is a YouTuber, with an entertainment vlog where she comments and updates people on the latest trends in SA.

Owamie was initially relying only on money she made on YouTube, but said she wanted something that would generate more income.

She started selling T-shirts and also recruited other YouTubers and gave them advice on what they could do to improve their YouTube channels and attract more subscribes.

She did a vlog "Starting a YouTube channel while you poor" with advice on how to go about producing highquality videos with just a cellphone.

The great thing about making money online is that you can have a day-to-day or nine-to-five job and still be able to make passive, or extra, income online.

YouTubers earn a commission from the adverts that Google plays before or in the middle of their videos.

To get this money, one must join AdSense to be able to get the commission.

A channel must reach at least 4,000 viewers and must have 1,000 subscribers.

Network marketing, where you sell a well-established product, is also a form of passive income.

With some brands you must become a member first, then you buy the products at a cheaper rate, and you earn a commission based on the sales you make.

Joining Uber can produce another form of extra income.

If you have a car you can sign up for Uber or join Bolt, formally known as Taxify.

You will have to register as a driver on their websites. If you work during the week, you can be a driver during the weekend and earn a commission when people share a ride with your car.

Study proves that money can ACTUALLY buy you new friends #SouthAfricaBlog

Money, as the old adage goes may not buy you happiness – but it can buy you new friends, a study of lottery winners has concluded.

An expert from Vietnam National University studied the impact of lottery winnings on the social circles of 5000 people across five Vietnamese cities and provinces.

He found that, after receiving such a so-called "income shock", people tended to acquire more longterm friends and those made outside of work settings.

The expert said that, using lottery winnings, people are able to increase their consumption on social activities – allowing people to make new long-term friends.

The study was undertaken by development economist Nguyen Viet Cuong of the Vietnam National University in Hanoi.

Data for the study was sourced from Vietnam's 2015 Household Registration System Survey.

This, among other information, asked respondents about their numbers of friends, how many of whom are co-workers and how much they spend socialising.

The survey also collected information on household expenditures on lottery tickets, numbers of lottery wins and the associated cash prizes.

Surveys were undertaken in five cities and provinces – Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Binh Duong and Dak Nong – and provided locally representative samples.

"We find a positive effect from lottery winnings on the number of friends," Dr Cuong wrote in his paper. Our estimate implies that the income shock needed to purchase one additional friend is nearly $5000 (about R6835)."

Future research, Dr Cuong suggested, might explore the impact of a "negative" income shock – such as a large, unexpected expense or a pay cut – on the size of one's social circle.

Survivor South Africa grows in popularity! #SouthAfricaBlog #Mnet

It is the game show of game shows and the king of reality. The Survivor franchise has enjoyed unprecedented success worldwide and nearing its 40th season in the US.

In South Africa, Survivor Immunity Island marks its eight installment, and it debut last night on M-Net at 7.30pm.

This time, the contest features one of the most breathtaking coastlines in the world, the Eastern Cape's Wild Coast.

The Survivor series was originally based on a Swedish concept show, in the same format.

Robinson, formerly Expedition Robinson, was first aired in 1997 and its popularity rapidly gained US network attention.

Survivor was born three years later. In Sweden, Robinson is now in its 42nd season while the popularity of the SA incarnation continues to grow.

Recently Australian streaming service 10 Play signed the upcoming season into its entertainment stable and it will be broadcast Down Under on the same days as the SA broadcast.

According to Leroux Botha, creative producer and series director, Survivor Immunity Island will serve up a dish of telly that will match viewers' expectations.

As we have seen in recent series, the intrigue, tests of loyalty and betrayal get more intense with every episode and, indeed, each new season.

The show is hosted by Nico Panagio who manages and narrates it for the sixth successive season.

"In Survivor South Africa, our castaways push themselves beyond their limits over 39 days to outwit, outplay and outlast each other and it has gained international traction on the back of our relatable characters, great storylines and excellent editing," says Botha.

There are a few reasons why Survivor continues to be so popular.

Not only is it relatable, but the producers have stayed true to the concept. Unlike many other reality-based shows where ratings-chases often skew and flatten original concepts, Survivor has never deviated from its script, so to speak.

Master KG does it again #MondayMotivation

Musician Master KG says he is grateful after scoring a spot on the prestigious Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list.

Mihlali Ndamase, Kabza de Small and rugby players Cheslin Kolbe and Lukhanyo Am were some of the names raising the SA flag alongside Master KG.

Taking to Twitter, the star went on to speak about his recent moves, letting fans know that his single Shine Your Light featuring David Guetta and Akon has been topping the charts.

The Jerusalema hitmaker thanked God for all his achievements.

"I just keep getting better! Friday, I dropped a new song with David Guetta and Akon, already it's on millions of streams and charting across the globe and yesterday I was part of Forbes Africa 30 Under 30. Thank you, God," KG said.

Fans responded to congratulate him on his ever-growing popularity across the globe.

Many of his ardent fans had words of encouragement for the star to keep on keeping at it, as he kills it every time.
Last week, the international sensation announced that he would be dropping a track with Akon and David Guetta.

The central message of Shine Your Light speaks to better days coming for everyone across the globe, especially after the tough times during the global coronavirus pandemic.

It's a track made to appeal to everyone but which retains the unique elements associated with Master KG's music.
"I'm so excited I'm dropping a brand new song with two amazing legends, David Guetta and Akon, at midnight and at the same time Jerusalema just reached 400-million views on YouTube.

"What a time to be alive!" Master KG said.

#Win a Harley Davidson with @BudweiserSA! #SouthAfricaBlog

Be the King of the Road with the King of Beers!

Buy 2 six packs of @BudweiserSA (330 or 410ml) at TOPS at SPAR to WIN a Harley-Davidson Breakout motorbike!

https://www.topsatspar.co.za/Party-Central/Competitions/View/Be-the-KING-of-the-road-with-the-KING-of-beers

#Win your share of R25 million in instant prizes with @JohnnieWalkerSA in the Johnnie Walker 200th anniversary promotion. Here's how! #SouthAfricaBlog

Purchase a 750 ML bottle of @JohnnieWalkerSA Black OR Red Label during the period of the promotion from any participating retailer during the campaign period, upload your tillslip to www.jwkeepit200.com to redeem instant rewards. 

Ends 31 May, T&C's: https://www.jwkeepit200.com/terms-and-conditions