GO EaZy Photo: Shem Compion
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR GOLDEN YEARS I’M A VEGETARIAN
CRICKET SLEDGES
NEIGHBOURHOOD FARMS CONNECTING CONSERVATION WITH TECHNOLOGY FREE COPY
PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY FOR EZ SHUTTLE
FEBRUARY MARCH 2019
MD letter Welcome back EZ Shuttle travellers! We hope you had a good rest and a great time with your families and loved ones. Most of our staff were able to take some much needed leave after what can only be described as an enormous year for EZ Shuttle. During 2018 we transported more than 220 000 passengers and processed more than 125 000 bookings! This put many of our internal systems under strain for brief periods as we built capacity to handle the increased volumes. What was really incredible was we did so with a 100% safety record and an error rate of only 0.21% - something we’re very proud of! We also increased our staff compliment to just shy of 200 people, which, given the current massive unemployment figures in SA, is a remarkable achievement. I can now confidently say that we are ahead of the curve and have put in place systems and staff to cope with whatever 2019 throws at us. While we certainly hope that 2019 will be as good, if not better, we do foresee some economic headwinds for the first two quarters until the elections are done and dusted. Thereafter we hope that the outlook stabilises and we can all get on with building our country’s economy and creating the new jobs we so desperately need. Just know we’ll be there every step of the way while you, our most valued asset, travel in our vehicles to and from your destinations doing exactly the same thing in your business and personal dealings. Here’s to a safe, happy and prosperous 2019!
Heerden Guyck van
GO EZ / February March 2019 3
CONTENTS Making the most of your golden years 8
Connecting conservation with technology 14 The Junction / Competition 19 ‘Tickets please!’ 20
Neighbourhood Farms 24 I’m a vegetarian 30
REGULARS Fleet 6 Cover photo: Shem Compion
/ News 7
Business & finance 28 Apps 35
/ Quiz 36 Events 37 / Back seat driver 38
A Message from the Go EaZy Team A new year is upon us, again! We hope that it is filled with exciting possibilities and positive outcomes in the lives of you, the reader and valued client of the EaZy Shuttle service. Following the wonderful response, we received from the Justin Bonello features that ran in our December/January edition, the Braai Master is back to provide us with his insight, views and a valued opinion on the wider culinary landscape, delivered in his usual calm, reflective and relatable style. Also in this edition – choosing the right retirement home for you and your loved ones; a funny look at some of the more humorous on-field exchanges that have taken place in the world of cricket; insight on ways to turn the disaster that is load shedding into a personal positive on our financial page; how technology is playing a key role in helping the world of conservation fight the disease of poaching; recipes, a quiz and so much more! Have a great 2019 one and all, and see you again in April. Lots of love
xx aZy Team E o G e h T
GO EZ MAG TEAM / PUBLISHER & SALES Lorna MacLeod / EDITOR Cindy Wilson-Trollip / ART DIRECTOR Alice Evans / ADMINISTRATION Kirsten MacMillan / CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rosanne Turner, Andy Sullivan & Justin Bonello / EZ SERVICES +27 (0)861 EZ SHUTTLE (397 488) Mac Publishing & Consulting on behalf of EZ Shuttle. For advertising enquiries +27 (0)44 533 0715, lorna@macpublishing.co.za / +27 (0)71 208 4272 EZ quotes and bookings reservations@ezshuttle.co.za / www.ezshuttle.co.za / +27 (0)861 EZ SHUTTLE (397 488) Editorial Disclaimer. EZ Shuttle and its appointed agency, Mac Publishing and Consulting, subscribe to a code of responsible journalism. While we endeavour to use reliable sources and to verify information before publication, we provide no warranties for the accuracy or completeness of content contained herein. Copyright laws apply and we reserve all rights. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without the prior written consent of the publisher, Mac Publishing and Consulting.
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MEET THE FLEET At EZ Shuttle we strive to provide you with exactly what you’re looking for and have a wide variety of vehicles in our fleet to match your requirements. Starting with our sedans which are all new or late model Toyota Corolla’s, then to our Multi Purpose Vehicles (MPV’s) with 7, 13 and 22 seat configurations. Finally we have coaches in 37 seat full luxury or 60 seat semi luxury configurations too.
POLOKWANE
HOEDSPRUIT NELSPRUIT GAUTENG PIETERMARITZBURG BLOEMFONTEIN DURBAN
GEORGE
CAPE TOWN
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PE
EAST LONDON
NEWS EZ Shuttle in Nice, France There is a lot happening in 2019 and EZ Shuttle kicks off the year with the Amadeus Transfer provider conference in Nice, France on 4 February. All of the major global transfer companies have been invited and we are proud to have been invited to represent our industry. The event is aimed at sharing knowledge and experience across several markets and we hope that we can bring back some ideas to put into action in our business – obviously to provide you, our customer, with a better EZ Shuttle experience.
OUR NEW BOOKING WEBSITE HAS NOW LAUNCHED AND PROMISES TO MAKE BOOKING OUR SERVICES EVEN EASIER.
New faces We welcome Roxanne Wentzel to our sales team. Roxanne will be taking over the servicing of our existing customer base in the Western Cape as Jaqi moves into her National Sales role on 1 February. We wish you both well in your new roles!
New website launch Our new booking website has now launched and promises to make booking our services even easier. The new system will allow our passengers to select the type of vehicle they would like to be collected in. Our old system used to automatically assume you wanted a sedan when you were travelling in groups of three or less but we often found that passengers needed more space, particularly for longer trips with lots of luggage. We have also scrapped cash as a payment option for risk and safety reasons. Don’t worry, we still have EFT, credit card, Snapscan or corporate account available.
Well done Felicia! After completing her National Diploma in HR Management in 2011, Felicia Senwamadi worked in 3 different internships programmes in Gauteng. She joined us in 2017 as an intern and, with outstanding effort and determination soon replaced our head of HR in 2018. She has become a valued and integral member of staff and has recently been included in the companies EXCO. Her caring and hard working approach to our Human Resources function make her a true ambassador of our EZ Shuttle core values. Well done Felicia! We’re glad to have you on board!
And the winner is... Congratulations to Shannon Rosenberg on winning the two night stay at Tshwene Lodge!! Compliments of Rare Earth. Enjoy your stay, lucky lady! Lots of love, The Go EaZy team xx
GO EZ / February March 2019 7
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR GOLDEN YEars
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Rosanne Turner looks at all the ins-and-outs of retiring in South Africa.
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he generation known as Baby Boomers – those born in the postwar years, between 1946 and 1964, are very different to the generation before them. Modern retirees are independent, confident, optimistic and selfreliant, and show no signs of slowing down; ‘60’ is the new ‘40’. They’re redefining the meaning of retirement in an ever-changing world. This means that what retirees are looking for in both a retirement home, as well as the location, is changing too. Baby boomers are likely to live anywhere from 10 to 25 years longer than their parents. Globally, average life expectancy has increased by five years since 2005, and the over 60 market has been the fastest growing population group over the past five years. While this is great news, it does mean retirees need to plan more carefully, as their retirement funds need to be stretched over a longer period. They’ll also be more discerning about their choice of retirement home, as they’ll be spending a lot more time there. But with so many over 60s being young at heart and fitter and healthier than ever before, many prolong the years leading up to retiring, or semi-retire, not only to stretch their funds, but because they’re not ready to leave the job market for a sedentary life. TIMES ARE CHANGING ‘Semi-gration’ is the new buzzword amongst those considering retirement – a term used for those relocating within the same country, as opposed to abroad. Gone are the days when people retired in the same town where they were born, raised and worked their whole life. Nowadays, families may be split across several locations around the country, or even around the world. With local and international travel made so much easier, a retiree can choose the location where he or she would like to spend their retirement, rather than it being an automatic progression of where they have lived and worked. Just as we choose a holiday location based on funds, climate and activities we’re interested in, so we can now choose our retirement location based on these same factors. And it’s so much easier for family and friends to visit us with modern transport and regular flights not only to the main cities, but smaller locations too. With so many people being able to work from home or as digital nomads, many people semi-retire out of the cities, no longer having to live near their place of work. So if your job allows you to work remotely, or if you’re ready to fully commit to retirement, what are the deciding factors when choosing where to live? Here are some suggestions for you to consider.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Experts recommend settling in areas with populations greater than 10,000, as less densely populated areas may have fewer crucial human services tailored to retirees. You may think you want to move away from civilisation, but you can easily begin to feel isolated. Small towns, both coastal and inland draw many retirees, although these towns tend to be within an hour or two’s drive to a major city in the event that specialist services are required. For this reason, the Garden Route in the Western Cape, as well as the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal are two of the most popular regions for retirement in South Africa. Says Ling Dobson, principal of Pam Golding Properties Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, ‘Knysna and Plett attract so many people from the cities considering retirement or lifestyle change – reconsidering their way of life from the hectic corporate city life, to enjoying sunshine, laughter and the outdoors. Most of the retirement estates offer state-of-the-art facilities, allowing you to safely ‘cruise’ through the autumn years of your life, from welldesigned spacious cottages to assisted-living and frail-care, with tennis, bowling, libraries and restaurants on site. The mild Mediterranean weather patterns are unique to the Garden Route, and allows you to enjoy the outdoors, offering numerous attractions, such as golf, sailing, fishing, swimming, cycling, walking and running on the beaches and the surrounding forests, as well as art, pottery and music and great eateries. And, the various festivals offer stimulation to the senses as any city can!’ FEELING SAFE A big factor determining your choice of retirement location is crime level – which tends to be much lower in smaller towns, another reason why there’s a trend to semi-grate away from the cities. For this reason too, retirement villages have become a popular option, as access is controlled and the environment is secure. We find many more retirement villages than a couple of decades ago, and developers have taken it to the next level by offering gated, secure estates which provide beautiful homes of all unit types to active over 50s, providing all the facilities that are offered at residential estates, as well as comprehensive medical care. Usually, within an estate there’ll be options of freestanding homes, assisted living, as well as frail care. Design will be carefully considered taking the residents’ needs and wants into account. Units tend to be single-level, low maintenance, with few steps, and often incorporate wheelchair access, and features such as non-slip flooring and panic buttons are taken into consideration. Often services such as garden maintenance and housekeeping are included in the levies, taking these worries away from retirees. Many
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AGE IS AN ISSUE OF MIND OVER MATTER. IF YOU DON’T MIND, IT DOESN’T MATTER. Mark Twain developments offer quality architectural style with high-end finishes, so the elderly can retire in style, in a safe, gated community with like-minded neighbours. Today’s retirees have different expectations and challenges. The typical Baby Boomers are looking for an environment that will allow them to fully relax, socialise and enjoy their retirement years, while taking care of their current and future healthcare needs – all factors that have been carefully considered when planning successful retirement villages. Those choosing to live in a neighbourhood rather than a retirement village, will be sure to look for good medical facilities close by, including private hospitals, GPs, optometrists, dentists and pharmacies. AND TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST… Climate is another deciding factor when choosing where to retire, and another reason why the Garden Route and the KwaZulu-Natal, particularly along the South Coast such as Margate, tick the box. Both regions offer mild winters, and draw not only semi-gration retirees, but also those retiring to South Africa from abroad. With many people having spent most of their working lives in the hustle and bustle of the city, small towns such as those in the Karoo attract those wishing to spend their post-working years whiling away their days on the verandah, watching the world go by, and deep-breathing the fresh air. These small towns have a strong community spirit, and many have thriving artist and culinary communities. Those with a keen interest in wildlife and the mountains will enjoy the towns near the Kruger National Park such as Hoedspruit, Nelspruit and Hazyview. Whilst locals may find the small Karoo and northern towns great places to retire.The heat can get a little overwhelming for foreigners used to a cooler climate, and they’ll tend to navigate to the coast or the Winelands. Sticking with the City vibe
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For those who are city-lovers throughand-through, Cape Town is a popular destination to retire to. While it still has all the action and bright lights of its big sister, Johannesburg, Cape Town is known to be more relaxed and easy-going than the City of Gold. Many who hang up their suits and leave years of corporate life behind, but are not quite brave enough to downscale to a small town, semi-grate to Cape Town with its laid-back locals. With world-class beaches, wine estates, the mountain, and a hive of cultural activities in a cosmopolitan environment on your doorstep, The Mother City is a winner for those looking for a city retirement destination, but who still want access to the great outdoors. Cost of living will also play a part in choosing your retirement destination. As a general rule of thumb, smaller towns have a lower cost of living than big cities. It’s the small things that add up, for example, you’ll pay a fee every time you want to park in the city, whereas parking tends to be free in many smaller towns. Property tax is typically lower outside of the city. Retirement villages, although they have many perks, will also have high levies – but these levies cover many services, which when paid for individually might add up to just as much, if not more. Take for instance gym or country club membership, garden service, and a security company subscription, all of which may be included at a retirement village, but would have to be paid for should you wish to retire to a stand-alone home in a suburb. INTERNATIONAL RETIREES ARE WELCOME! For foreigners who wish to retire to sunny South Africa, there’s good news. Citizens of most Western countries can visit South Africa for up to three months, as long as they can prove they can support themselves. Generally, a foreign visitor can get permission to stay
longer but they’ll need to prove that they have sufficient assets, generally about $2000 per month. They can first apply to become a temporary resident and then a permanent resident, and foreigners can buy property in South Africa, unlike some other African countries. Some choose to stay permanently, some only for the warmer months, and are known as ‘swallows’. You’ll find a booming expat and swallow community in areas such as Cape Town, the Garden Route, KwaZuluNatal coast and the Winelands. Tax may not be as fun a thought as social activities, climate and culture, but nonetheless it’s important for those retiring to South Africa from abroad, and nobody would be keen to sacrifice large amounts of income or savings to the South African Revenue Service. Firstly, it’s worth pointing out that retirees immigrating to South Africa don’t have to bring any lump sum funds into South Africa. Secondly, what you’ve already built up outside of South Africa isn’t subject to any initial taxation. The tax environment is one that is residency-based and looks also at where your ‘home’ is. Tax is levied on worldwide income and source-based income and gains. In other words, if the income or gain is in South Africa you’ll be liable for tax, but a huge advantage is, for example, the treatment of foreign pension income that doesn’t attract any South African tax. In addition, the capital gains tax is comparatively low when looked at for other tax jurisdictions, a great perk for those with capital. Most importantly, South Africa has many double taxation agreements in place, meaning that if you’ve paid tax in one jurisdiction this payment can be counted as a credit to any tax liability in another tax jurisdiction. A NEW WORLD FOR A NEW KIND OF RETIREE Gone are the days when the word ‘retiree’ would conjure up images of
HOEDSPRUIT...A LIFESTYLE WORTH EXPLORING
Hoedspruit in Limpopo province is a lovely, friendly little South African town at the foothills of the majestic Drakensberg mountains. As the safari capital of South Africa, Hoedspruit is considered the gateway to the world-famous Kruger National Park. Pam Golding offers land- claim free properties from as little as R250 000 per stand. Secure wildlife estates. From mild to wild... There is something for everyone to enjoy a lifestyle with a difference. All necessary amenities are available.
Our property experts will assist you every step of the way
015 793 2712 lowveld@pamgolding.co.za GO EZ / February March 2019 11
little cardigan-clad grannies knitting booties, or grandpas mulling over their stamp collections, magnifying glass in hand. No, today’s retirees are younger at heart and fitter in body and mind, and so local social activities usually play a big role in deciding on a location to spend their golden years. These activities may be within the retirement village itself, or in the surrounding areas. Lawn bowls is no longer the only ‘sport’ for over 50s, and the veteran age-category is growing in numbers in most running and cycling clubs. Cultural clubs are also popular with retirees, such as theatre groups, or art, book and sewing clubs, and even travel clubs, where one can meet others with similar interests. With a nine-to-five workday no longer being the norm, the retired have time to focus on the things that have always piqued their interest, but never had the time for. A glance at the notice board at any retirement village will bring envy to most working people, seeing just how much is on offer, and what active and social lifestyles today’s ‘old folk’ actually lead. As Mark Twain (who was way ahead of his time in mind-thought) once said, ‘Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter’.
RETIREMENT IS WHEN YOU STOP LIVING AT WORK, AND START WORKING AT LIVING. 12 GO EZ / February March 2019
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In the ongoing battle to preserve our landscapes and the endangered animals that reside within them, the protectors - conservationists, park owners, activists, local law enforcers, ranger units etc - need as much help as they can get to stay one step ahead of these increasingly well drilled organized poaching syndicates that infiltrate with bloodlust on their minds. It’s a seesaw war with ‘wins’ and ‘defeats’ on both sides of the fence. It’s been raging for years, countless creatures have died (including humans) and are still being killed and, yet, there seems to be no end in sight.
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Connecting Conservation with Technology
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he ‘protectors’ often rely on donations, financial and material, from the wider public to help them maintain their defences so they can fend off the invading dark forces; support is always forthcoming, welcomed and very much appreciated. But it never seems to be enough. It got me thinking about the areas of our society that could (and perhaps should), be doing more to tip the balance back into the favour of conservation and our endangered species. The corporate world immediately sprung to mind. Whilst researching this feature I was surprised at the lack of companies that had any notable CSR involvement dedicated to wildlife conservation. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few, but I expected, and indeed hoped for, more. But one incredible scheme leapt out from the very first page of my search. Connected Conservation from Dimension Data and Cisco. CONNECTING PASSION In 2015, with a shared passion for protecting wildlife heritage through technology, Dimension Data and Cisco pooled their extensive resource and launched Connected Conservation. The goal was to help protect and stop the poaching of rhinos using a unique solution, starting with a pilot scheme in a private game reserve adjacent to the Kruger National Park in South Africa. Phase one of the project started in November of the same year, with Dimension Data working closely with Cisco to gather information from game rangers, security personnel, technology, and control centre teams. The first step was to create a secure Reserve Area Network and install Wi-fi hotspots in key points. Then the goal was to proactively intervene and stop people entering a reserve illegally — whether it’s cutting fences, being dropped on the ground by helicopters, or simply driving in through the entrance gates. The system uses solar energy as an energy source and the technology used (sensors, cameras, and scanners) has no environmental impact, making Connected Conservation an environmentally sustainable solution. Phase two is now underway and includes CCTV; drones with infrared cameras; thermal imaging;
vehicle tracking sensors and seismic sensors on an extremely secure, intelligent network. The project has been a resounding success: in just three years of deployment, the Connected Conservation project has reduced poaching in the reserve by 96%. CONNECTING TECHNOLOGY Connected Conservation is a success not only in the sharp decrease in the number of rhinos poached, but also in its innovative approach. Unlike any other solution ever used, the endangered animals remain undisturbed and free to roam in their natural habitat – while technology is used to track the movement of people (and potential poachers) coming in and out of the reserve. Many organisations have committed to protecting animals through various reactive initiatives, such as dehorning, or inserting sensors in the horn and subcutaneously. However, the problem with reactive initiatives is that by the time the reserve rangers reach the animal, it has been killed and the rhino horn or elephant tusks have been hacked off. ‘Every day, hundreds of staff, suppliers, contractors, security personnel and tourists enter and exit game reserves,’ said Bruce Watson, group executive, Cisco Alliance: Dimension Data, ‘The human activity in these environments is not monitored because, typically, the reserve is in a remote location with basic IT infrastructure and access control, manual security processes, and very limited communication. ‘This solution proactively tracks and monitors the movement of people from when they enter the reserve gates to when they exit, to protect, and create a safe haven for the rhino. Since the technology was deployed two years ago, there has been a 96% reduction in the number of rhinos poached in the private reserve, as well as a 68% decrease of incursions into the reserve. ‘With our Connected Conservation technology, we don’t touch the animals by darting them with tranquilisers to insert sensors into their horns or inserting a chip under their skin. This can be
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extremely stressful and risky for the animal and we’ve seen a number of rhinos dying or going blind and having to be euthanised.’ This kind of security has been previously impossible due to poor Wi-fi connections. Watson leveraged his relationship with Cisco, forming a partnership under the Connected Conservation banner, which allows them to deploy some of the world’s most sophisticated technology. Cisco Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Karen Walker, tells us, ‘More than ever before, technology has given us the ability to change the world – not tomorrow, not someday, but now. At Cisco, we’re dedicated to making a difference by connecting the world and protecting the oldest and most vulnerable animals with some of the newest connectivity technology. We are extremely proud to be part of the expansion of Connected Conservation into Africa, to save more endangered species.’ ‘We will continue to roll out the project in as many reserves as possible and hope to make the same positive differences we have seen with the success of the pilot project.’
WE WILL CONTINUE TO ROLL OUT THE PROJECT IN AS MANY RESERVES AS POSSIBLE AND HOPE TO MAKE THE SAME POSITIVE DIFFERENCES WE HAVE SEEN WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE PILOT PROJECT.
CONNECTING THE DREAM The resounding success of the pilot scheme has given the Connected Conservation team the opportunity to expand the project into more regions in Africa to protect more species of animals. The program will be rolled out in Zambia and Mozambique, to protect the elephant, and Kenya, to protect both the elephant and rhino. It’s important to highlight that Connected Conservation isn’t just about preserving the lives of rhinos and elephants but also to preserve and protect other endangered species globally such as lions, pangolin, tigers in India and Asia, and even sea rays, sharks and whales in the ocean. In expanding the project, the alliance is getting closer to the dream of eradicating all forms of poaching and eliminating the international trade of rhino horn and elephant tusks. Every year over 1,000 rhinos are poached in South Africa – which equates to three rhinos poached every day. If this number continues, rhinos face extinction by the year 2025. Beyond rhinos, every year an estimated 27,000 elephants are slaughtered (8% of the African savanna population), equating to an elephant being poached every 15 minutes. Based on these figures some might argue the battle is being lost. But with advent of Connected Conservation, the fiscal and technological wealth being provided by two giants of the tech industry and a passion to conserve our wildlife populations from each individual working with and alongside the Connected Conservation scheme, the odds feel like they have changed dramatically. Having already cut poaching by a massive 96% through the pilot scheme at the reserve in the Kruger (we can’t give the name for security reasons) Connected Conservation offers something positive which has been elusive so far in this unnecessary, awful war – hope. The intention is to roll out across all the plains of Africa over the coming years which will in turn have a massive impact on the abilities of the callous poachers and their unscrupulous bosses. Mr. Watson sums up the attitude of this combined effort through his personal ambitions, ‘If I have one passionate dream, it is to eradicate all forms of poaching. That to me would be one of the most successful things I could achieve in my life.’ Connected Conservation from Dimension Data and Cisco is already proving to us all how much of an impact the corporate world can have in ensuring the welfare of our precious, endangered wildlife species. Maybe the success of their efforts and their plans moving forward might just jolt a few other corporate big hitters into joining the battle. If they did, then poaching could very soon become a problem of the past.
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Photo: Shem Compion
HERE I AM WHERE I BELONG Karen Blixen
18 GO EZ / February March 2019
N! WI Stand a chance to win a fantastic 2 night stay for 2 people at The Junction Boutique Hotel in Main Street, Plettenberg Bay valued at R9,000
It’s so EaZy, just answer the following question and email to kirsten@macpublishing.co.za Question: In which coastal town is The Junction Boutique Hotel situated?
THE JUNCTION
BOUTIQUE HOTEL
T&Cs: Excludes meals and drinks. Entries close 20 March 2019. Although the prize will be valid for a year, please note that this excludes peak periods, December, Easter and long weekends. To stay up to date with specials and promos at The Junction Boutique Hotel, follow us on Facebook.
‘TICKETS PLEASE!’
Feature by Andy Sullivan
The Legend of the Cricketing Sledge
I
must start this article by confessing that I don’t like cricket, I love it! But as an ardent fan of the game, it’s not been an easy ride in recent years with the scourge of players cheating on the field to gain unfair advantages played out in front of ever decreasing spectator numbers under a seemingly constant cloud of suspicion borne out of the illegal gambling syndicates who have the financial clout to fix matches through player corruption. The powers that be have their work cut out in trying to attract new audiences on the ‘game for the family’ ticket against the backdrop of such cynicism.
from the cocky leg-spinner, losing his wicket 4 times to Warne the Tormentor. In the final Test Warne ridiculed Cullinan with the line, ‘Mate, next time you tour Australia, me and you are going to take a trip to Sea World to see if you can spot a flipper there!’.
So, laughing in the face of this negativity (literally), we at the Go EaZy sports desk wanted to lighten the outlook, especially in this – a World Cup year - by fondly remembering some of the more memorable, funny and jaw dropping interactions that have taken place in the heat of the battle through the annals of time between some of the best known, and lesser known, legends of the game.
The relationship had caught the imagination of the fans and media alike and as Cullinan walked to the crease to be confronted by a very determined and excited Warne waiting to get stuck into the fragile batsman. Cullinan took his guard and looked around the field prior to facing his first ball. He caught Warne’s eye, who immediately chirped, ‘I’ve been waiting two years for this moment…’
In cricket, they call it sledging. Sledging - the dreaded ‘S’ word in cricket - often brings out the funny side of the sport. While things are said in the heat of the moment to intimidate opponents, it gives us fans something to laugh at. The first recorded instance of sledging on the cricket field took place in the UK city of Nottingham, way back in 1852 when a member of the slip cordon of a local team posed the question to the opposition batsman, who was taking his time at the crease, ‘Does your husband play cricket as well?!’. Not roll around funny, perhaps you had to be there, but this is the first of what has seen a battle of wits also play in the maelstrom of battle out in the middle for over 150 years of cricket. We’ve picked out our own favourites – enjoy! ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET AT SEA WORLD No one has had a bigger mental grip on their rival than Shane Warne had over South Africa’s Daryll Cullinan. Cullinan was actually a very good player who finished with an impressive average of 44.21 from his 70 Tests, but he struggled with Warne from the first ball he faced. During a series in South Africa, where a dominant Aussie side were up against an ever-improving Protea side. Cullinan prodded, played and missed at almost every ball
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The ordeal hit the South African top-order batsmen hard and his task wasn’t made easier when it emerged he went to see a therapist to overcome the mental hold the spinner had over him, just prior to SA touring Australia a few years later.
To which Cullinan replied, ‘It looks like you spent it eating.’ Class. KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY The Aussies comprehensively held the upper hand over Ashes rivals, England, during the late 80’s and 90’s. Their success meant that they were able to field a largely unchanged team whilst England continually chopped and changed their team to try and find the right combinations. A lot of players got a chance, only to be jettisoned just as quickly in the face of a brilliant Aussie side. One of those players was a fast-medium bowler called Jimmy Ormond, who was thrust in at the deep end during another one-sided series. Whilst Jimmy never really made the big time on the playing front, he will have a soft spot in the hearts of cricketing fans around the world for standing up to the bullies. He came into bat at number 10 and was immediately met with a barrage of abuse. Mark Waugh, thinking he was being clever, observed to him, ‘Oh mate, what on earth are you doing here? I can’t believe you have been picked because you are nowhere near good enough to be playing for England.’ Ormond replied, ‘That may be the case Mark. But at least I’m the best player in my family.’
While things are said in the heat of the moment to intimidate opponents it gives us fans something to laugh at
Above: Robin Smith taking time out with a very young Darren Gough. Left: Darryl Cullinan on one of his happier days and Shaun Pollock looking on.
Left: The portly Eddo Brandes celebrating a wicket. Right: England ‘flash in the pan’ Jimmy Ormond.
the object that he kept playing AT and missing, was ‘Red, hard, weighs about 5 ounces and has a stitched seam right down the middle’
ALL ABOARD!! One of the most vociferous ‘sledgers’ in the history of the game was the immortal, moustachioed Merv ‘The Swerve’ Hughes. He had plenty to say to all batsmen, spitting and gnarling at anyone and everyone. He’s had many golden moments that could take several slots in this feature. But our favourite must be when Australia went to Pakistan on an eagerly anticipated tour in the early 90’s. Merv had plenty to say in the build to the Test through the press, leading to Javed Miandad, the Pakistani skipper, to bite. He told reporters prior to the first Test in Karachi, ‘We don’t have any special plans for Hughes. He will be useless on our pitches and in our conditions. He reminds me of nothing more than a fat bus conductor.’ Hughes, rather out of character, didn’t respond. Miandad came out to bat on the first day of the first Test and Hughes remained silent, even when he came on to bowl to him. Miandad looked to have won the war, crashing Hughes for two consecutive 4’s off his first two balls. Inexplicably and perhaps a bit arrogantly, Javed took a huge swing at the third ball of the over, nicking the ball behind and getting himself out. Hughes, who couldn’t believe his luck, excitedly ran past the distraught batsman, screaming directly into his face… ‘Tickets please!’ I PREFER LEMON CREAMS During an international ODI, and once again we head back to the 90’s, between Zimbabwe and Australia, the Baggy Greens were cruising to victory. With 8 wickets down and chasing an insurmountable total, Zimbabwe’s portly tailender, Eddo Brandes, was hanging around at the crease far too long for the Aussie’s liking, as they wanted to get out of the stifling heat to enjoy a few beers.
22 GO EZ / February March 2019
Frustration was bubbling and Glen McGrath cracked. Toiling in the heat and passing the edge of Brandes’ bat on more than one occasion, he walked over to the Zim player and quipped, ‘Eddo, why are you so fat?’ Without hesitation, Brandes replied, ‘Because every time I shag your wife she gives me a biscuit!’ A few highlights…There are so many more instances of savage burns in the Test arena, all of which deserve elaboration, but we just don’t have the space! Like the time Shaun Pollock tried to help a struggling Ricky Ponting by ‘helpfully’ pointing out the object that he kept playing at and missing, was ‘Red, hard, weighs about 5 ounces and has a stitched seam right down the middle’. The next ball Ponting caressed it for four, and immediately responded, ‘Shaun, you know what it looks like, why don’t you go and help find it?’. Or when Merv Hughes sledged Zimbabwean born England batsmen Robin Smith after delivering a ball, ‘You are so sh*t at batting’. The next ball crashed to the boundary as Smith executed one of his trademark square cuts. As he watched the ball hit the rope, he turned to Hughes, ‘Jeez Merv, we make a right pair – I can’t f**king bat, you can’t f**king bowl!’ Or when Ian Botham came out to bat against Australia in the Ashes, and wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh sniped, ‘Beefy, how’s your wife and my kids?’ To which Botham replied, ‘the wife’s fine but the kids are retarded.’ But I want to leave you with a classic from the 80’s and involves the headband wearing, fast bowling Aussie, Dennis Lillee. Steaming into a nervous, young Graham Gooch who was on debut, Lillee made a helpful observation at the end of one over. ‘Mate, it’ll probably help if you got rid of the sh*t on the end of your bat?’ As the batsman flipped his bat around to check out his willow, Lillee followed up, ‘The other end mate…’
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Neighbourhood Farms – growing food, minds and communities
by Justin Bonello
Reaping what you sow…
Above: My daughter, Gabriella and I with the crew of Metro Organics in Sleepy Hollow, Noordhoek. Opposite page: Saneliswe Mkrezo (Head Market Gardener), Cebo Matoti, Luvuio Nyambali (Dept. of Agriculture Interns) and Louis Amos (shopkeeper) at the False Bay Hospital Neighbourhood Farm.
I’m often asked about why I founded Neighbourhood Farms. If there was an aha moment? And it’s difficult to explain. I once was told by a potential funder that I lack focus. At the time I was enraged. I fired off an email that criticized them for having no vision. I was struggling to explain a social enterprise that has so many moving parts, trying to pigeon hole it for their seeming lack of ability to see the bigger picture. I was a polymath trying to share a holistic vision, trying not to get bogged down in minutiae. How could I explain creating a wellbeing economy focused on where we live and work, but which would have a much broader effect on wild, rural and urban spaces!
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So, let me take you back to the beginning… I was (and still am) filming a documentary about the last 350 leopards that survive on the Cape Fold Mountains of Southern Africa. I kept coming across conflict between wild animals and farmers protecting their livelihood, to the detriment of both the wild animal and the farmer. The deeper I delved into the why, the more I realized that if I wanted to try and save the leopards from a regional extinction, I would first have to focus on that human created biome, the city and her inhabitants, for solutions. As a species, we spent hundreds of thousands of years being hunter-gatherers and at the time were
very finely tuned to the natural flow and ebb of the ecosystems. A little over 10 000 years ago, we domesticated animals and developed agriculture, living as a largely rural population where the gap between farmer and consumer was minimal. In most cases, we were the farmer. Fast forward to today and our mass migration into the cities of the world to the perceived land of milk and honey. The gap between us, wild environments and the farmer has become so wide that it has created unforeseen and hidden problems for us all. We’ve un-learned our evolutionary IQ and become the forgetting generation. We are no longer hunter-gatherers or rural, and no longer produce our own food. The farmer has become the most important person in our lives – no farmers, no food. Yet we don’t know who they are, what they do and what they sacrifice to put food on our table. Even worse, there is a series of middlemen between the farmers and us, who’ve increasingly made the farmers so marginal that they are being forced to use destructive shortterm solutions to deal with the threats to their financial security.
THE FARMER HAS BECOME THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN OUR LIVES – NO FARMERS, NO FOOD.
Instead of nurturing farmers, we’ve allowed the middlemen to turn these custodians of the land and its denizens into mass murderers on our behalf, so that we can tuck into a lamb chop or slather a slice of bread with butter. We allow our hard-earned cash to line the pockets of shareholders, to the defeat of the producers and obliteration of their value as providers of our bread, butter and lamb chops. We value the brand over the truth and there’s a cost to all of us for this new disconnected arrangement that we don’t yet fully recognize or comprehend. We now live in cities. They’re the biome we created for ourselves as centers of culture, education, communication and medical care, they’re where we live, and where we work, but we have yet to learn how to live in them to reduce their impact on wild and rural environments. They’re a relatively new environment for humans and we haven’t evolved our thinking or actions fast enough. But the city on its own is not evil. We’re the problem. I’ve coined a phrase for the urbanites: The Forgetting Generation. The longer we live in cities, the more we forget. And it’s a terrible downward spiral. Children grow up believing that food comes shrink-wrapped in polystyrene and no longer relate to living breathing animals being slaughtered for the pot. We forget and we should be remembering. We’re slowly losing our natural awareness and increasingly becoming reliant on those that don’t necessarily have our best interests at heart. When I started looking at this multifaceted crisis there were a couple of epiphanies: GO EZ / February March 2019 25
WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY FUTURE PROOF OURSELVES AND OUR THINKING. Whatever I did with Neighbourhood Farms would have to mimic how business works. It would have to be managed, financially sustainable, expandable, replicate-able, focus on children (and in turn their families and the broader community), create biologically diverse environments, regenerate the fringes of the urban landscape, pay the farmers what they are due and most importantly, do good for all. It had to be a social enterprise.
change into their communities, we need to replug them into an outdoor biologically rich environment where educators can give our children edible education, where an education syllabus can be brought to life. Geography, science, biology, even economics and mathematics – all have their roots in nature and the outdoors. If we don’t start connecting the dots for our children, the future is a fractured place.
The rest was just connecting the dots…
One of our main focuses is water security. We harvest rain water for the permaculture plan, plumb surplus rain water back into the earth, finding how best to plant the rain. Whether cities are in dryland environments or are water rich, perception and conservation of water should be an urban priority for everyone and everyone downstream. We don’t know what the future holds, but we can certainly future proof ourselves and our thinking.
I had to create a mosaic of urban farms and foodbased entrepreneurs that would help bring back the village of our cultural memory, a network of trust and accountability, that had as its primary focus, the wellbeing of our neighbourhoods; that increased social engagement, created employment, reduced crime, made nutrient dense food, left a tiny carbon footprint, available to all; that embodied living lightly, that provided children with a newfound set of the forgotten tools… the list continues. This was easier said than done, but four years down the line, with some support from other visionaries, Neighbourhood Farms is well on its way to delivering this vision.
There are lots of other moving parts, but my hope is that when they all come together, we may claw back a balance between our needs and desires, that children and community members are given the tools and the right environment to break the disconnect and create a cycle of mutual respect and empathy.
To date, we’ve installed 6000m2 of market gardens at three sites in the South Peninsula of Cape Town. Beyond creating employment, these gardens generate a small turnover through the daily sale of nutrient dense, organic produce directly to communities. In the medium term, this will keep the project economically sustainable and will allow for expansion into other neighbourhoods. We have cut out the middlemen and provided market access for other food-based entrepreneurs in their own neighbourhoods. Plus, the children are connecting with where our food comes from.
My hope is that we get to know our neighbors and borrow the cup of sugar; That we re-create the cultural memory of our village; That we keep our economy local, keep re-investing in ourselves and each other in our own neighborhoods; That we change our urban living philosophy to one that has us treading lightly on the planet; That we make sure our children break the cycle and don’t become the forgetting generation.
With the support of the Western Cape Premier’s Office and the Department of Agriculture, we are installing a training market garden in Ocean View to create a new army of urban farmers who carry the same ethos as our organization into their communities. We have to think big but act locally. And we need an army to change the social consciousness across all socioeconomic spectrums.
As we do this, together, we may just be saving ourselves from ourselves and we may be saving the last leopards of the Cape Fold Mountains.
Then there’s the part that quickens my being! So far, we are working with 9 schools, installing outdoor classrooms. If we want our children to be agents of
26 GO EZ / February March 2019
After it all, the biggest cautionary reminder comes with the old adage, ‘You reap what you sow.’ We need to sow seeds for a regenerative future.
Justin Bonello is a cook, father, traveller, and urban gardener and is the founder of Neighbourdhood Farms, registered NPO. Follow the work that they’re doing on Facebook and visit www.neighbourhoodfarm.org
Begin with the End in Mind Steven Covey says that we should ‘Begin with the End in Mind’, so that all our actions are taken with a clear vision of achieving our ultimate goal. Load shedding, two of the most feared words in SA, should therefore be the starting point from which to envisage a ‘brighter’ future.
One step forward, two steps back
Eskom was established in 1923 as the Electricity Supply Commission. In 1925 it built its first power station, a hydroelectric facility, followed in 1928 by the commissioning of the first power station in the world to burn pulverised coal. While this was an exceptional innovation at the time, it appears that Eskom’s reliance on coal has now become its Achilles heel. Traditional energy generators are out of favour because of the high cost and the long lead times associated with the construction of new facilities, the cost of maintaining existing facilities, and the global demand for cleaner energy generation. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying ‘The world as we have created it, is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.’ Our reliance on Eskom for the last 93 years may have left us stuck in our historical paradigm, but rather than being overwhelmed by negative external factors that we cannot change, such as load shedding, a more appropriate response is to change our thinking and focus on the opportunities created by the change in global energy generation trends. There are two shares listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange that can benefit from the transition from fossil fuels to solar and wind power.
Investment opportunities in the maelstrom
GAIA Infrastructure Capital (GAI) has minority holdings in the Dorper Wind Farm in the Eastern Cape and the Nobelsfontein Wind Farm in the Northern Cape. Both these facilities have agreements with Eskom to provide electricity directly into the national power grid. GAIA also has interests in three solar photovoltaic farms. The share price is currently at a 40% below its net asset value (NAV), and they pay a healthy 28 GO EZ / February March 2019
BUSINESS & FINANCE By: Chris Jordan, Business Development Manager. Sasfin Wealth
annual dividend of around 10%. The price earnings ratio (p/e) is about 9.6, which is relatively inexpensive. Alviva Holdings (AVV) is probably better known as an information technology company, but it is also active in the renewable energy sector through Solareff, its renewable energy division. Solareff has installed numerous solar photovoltaic energy solutions, grid tied and off grid, in shopping centres and office parks throughout South Africa and in Namibia. In 2017 they acquired a 75% stake in GridCars, a leading service provider in electric vehicle charging. Alviva’s share price is down about 5% over the last 12 months, but this has largely been compensated for by its dividend payments. It is currently trading
market in the US and Scatec’s market is in industrial applications across various geographies from Brazil to the Ukraine. Sunrun’s share price has appreciated by 148% over the last 12 months, and it is now trading on a p/e of 26.7. It did not pay a dividend in the last financial year. The share price of Scatec Solar has increased by 61% over the same period, but it is now on a very demanding p/e of 134.9, with a dividend yield of only 1%. Both companies appear expensive but their future growth prospects may justify their high valuations. In general, investments in the renewable energy sector have not yet produced outstanding returns, but the drive to reduce the use of fossil fuels in energy generation will intensify in the future, and the use of solar and wind to supplement the existing power infrastructure will ultimately be endorsed by governments and gain greater acceptance amongst consumers.
on a p/e of 6.2, which under normal market conditions should result in strong buying activity. Internationally there is a wider selection of companies in the renewable energy sector, and based on their share price performance over the last 12 months two of the more promising investments appear to be Sunrun Incorporated (RUN) listed on the Nasdaq in the United States, and Scatec Solar (SSO), listed in Norway. Both companies offer photovoltaic solutions, although Sunrun is focussed more on the domestic
Steven Covey says that ‘every human has four endowments – self-awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom … the power to choose, to respond, to change’. Perhaps the crisis at Eskom will be the catalyst for change in energy generation in SA, and over the long term investors may be well rewarded for their early investment into the alternative energy sector.
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GO EZ / February March 2019 29
I’m a Vegetarian
I came to the proverbial fork in the road when I started growing my own food
by Justin Bonello
I’m not, but as I grow longer in the tooth, I often think about becoming one. It’s a bold statement from someone who has been part of the meat and potatoes brigade his entire life, who thought that a meal was only complete if it included protein from a slaughtered animal. My food journey started off with an ever-lurking essential need to know - what to do with nature’s bounty - the mussels I’d harvested, the perlemoen I’d dived, the fish I’d caught? In the beginning, I joke about them now, were lots of experiments – my offerings were burnt, overcooked, undercooked, hesitantly seasoned. The litany continued and the desire for perfection was compounded by my growing status as a foodie. I was a cook with my own television shows and had published seven books. I didn’t yet know everything but was comfortable on my path. I understood the alchemy of food, learned the timing and the combinations, but as I delved deeper into how our food is produced and the downstream effect of large scale chemical and commercial farming, I started questioning my food predilection.
30 GO EZ / February March 2019
I came to the proverbial fork in the road when I started growing my own food, adopted my first two egg layers, Blackie and Nevin, named by Samuel, my 5 year old son, and acquired my first bee hive. My honey was intense, the eggs from my girls were buttery and rich, my tomatoes were bursting with flavour. My food had identity. I knew the grower. My produce was not homogenised. But how did I end up here? I mean meat is meat and a man must eat. Right? Actually, Wrong. We don’t pay enough for meat. Yes, walk with me on this. Big business is always going to be about reducing input costs and improving profitability. Shareholder returns are more important than food that maintains health, and, adding insult to fatal injury, the life of the animal we eat is devalued. 19 Million chickens are slaughtered each week in South Africa to feed our voracious appetite for animal protein.
WE NEED TO CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT FOOD. WE NEED TO BRING BACK THE BUTCHER, THE BAKER AND THE CANDLESTICK MAKER. Add imports from around the world and it translates to South Africans eating 28 million birds a week, 52 weeks of the year.
I began to realise I’d allowed myself to take a detour off the right road.
When you speak to your grandparents, they’ll tell you that they didn’t eat meat every day. It was generally a once a week tradition. A chicken would be slaughtered and turned into Sunday roast, on Monday, it would be turned into chicken pie or mayo sandwiches, on Tuesday, it was turned into broth.
One of my favorite bumper stickers says, ‘Try organic food, or as your grandparents called it, Food.’
Meat was a special occasion. Only the rich could afford to eat meat every day. Now it’s become common place. Almost a billion chickens are eaten in South Africa every year. For the chicken, that noble bird, more has become less. A chicken can live for up to 10 years. The average broiler is slaughtered at 33 days… Then there are the subtle changes that have been occurring in the growing of vegetables and livestock for slaughter since the 1st World War and then at the end of the 2nd World War in what was called the green revolution. But there’s nothing green about it. Coming out of a time of scarcity, tanks were turned into tractors, and advances made in chemical warfare were used to produce herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers, growth promoters, antibiotics and hormones. Farmers were offered increased yields thanks to chemical interventions, and lock, stock and smoking barrel, our food production system changed overnight, and not for the betterment of the farmer’s livelihood, or our wellbeing. Short term, farmers experienced increased yields, and we got cheap food. I imagine the farmers celebrating by buying beach houses and new cars, but it didn’t take too long before the ugly truth was revealed. To maintain the yields, increasing amounts of chemicals had to be introduced. The farmer was beggared by rising input costs and farming became marginal. Left with a strip-farmed sterile piece of land, the beach house was put on the market. The medium-term effect on our health and wellbeing is being felt by the deluge of ailments we now suffer, from cancer to gluten intolerances, to allergies, and that’s not even taking into account the downstream effect of chemicals entering our water systems, of herbicides and pesticides causing incalculable catastrophic damage to the environment that we all rely on.
Did you know? 1. Vegetables, like wine, have terroir. It’s an interesting word Terroir. It rolls off the tongue beautifully.
The modernisation of the food production system has done little to nothing to promote our wellbeing. It may be easier to eat that out of season Spanish avocado, buy a 6-pack of tasteless tomatoes from the supermarket, or smash that fast food chicken burger, but there is a cost to the farmer, and a price to pay by the environment and ourselves, that we barely understand. We need to change the way we think about food. We need to bring back the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker of our grandparents’ day. We need to re-create a daily food culture where we can buy fresh produce on a daily basis. Why can’t our food be harvested and put on the table the same day, nutrient dense, fresh, packed with flavour? Travel the world, and you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables, grown by a local farmer, harvested in season, daily. South Africans don’t have that culture anymore. Apartheid destroyed the rural farmer that lived on the fringes of our urban environment. Go to France, Thailand or Mozambique, and you’ll eat fresh produce from rural farmers. I lament the fact that you can get better organic produce in Maputo than you can in Cape Town. Ohhh the irony. My growing food philosophy is partially drawn from Michael Pollan. He says everything he’s learned about food and health can be summed up in seven words, ‘Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.’ I read his book In Defence of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto* some time ago and the content has increasingly resonated as my expedition into food continues. I’m now a vegetarian 4 or 5 days of the week. When I buy meat, I make sure that I know where it’s coming from and I’m prepared to pay good producers for their effort, quite content to pay more for less, or is that more? I want to know who my farmer is and the production methods he or she uses. I am becoming an ethical eater. Ultimately, I have to use my hard earned rands to contribute to the creation of a food democracy that rewards good producers who supply better, nutrient dense food. Which I can eat to my heart’s content with a clear conscience. I now eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. JB is a father, cook, filmmaker and urban farmer.
Terroir (French pronunciation: [tɛʁwaʁ] from terre, ‘land’) is the set of all environmental factors that affect a crop’s phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop’s specific growth habitat. Collectively, these contextual characteristics are said to have a character; terroir also refers to this character. 2. Plants are one of the natural carbon ‘sinks’ (natural systems that absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere). These naturally occurring “sinks” are critical in the effort to soak up greenhouse gas emissions.
*In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto was originally published in 2008 by Penguin Press. Written by journalist and activist Michael Pollan, it was number one on the New York Times NonFiction Best Seller List for six weeks. It was the recipient of the James Beard Award for Writing.
GO EZ / February March 2019 31
VEGETABLE SPICED CHICKPEA FILLED RICE PAPER AND GREEN BEAN WRAPS WITH NUOC SALAD CHAM SAUCE Ingredients:
For the Nuoc Cham: 2 stalks of lemon grass, bruised and cut in half 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 green chillies, chopped with seeds a small handful of mint, chopped (stalks and leaves) 4 tbsp. fish sauce the juice of 1 lemon or lime a big pinch of brown sugar 4 tbsp. B-well Cheeky Chilli Canola Oil
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed (use dry and cook if you prefer) 100g green beans, cut into 3 parts 2 baby marrows, sliced ¼ small red cabbage, thinly sliced large handful fennel fronds, chopped large handful fresh parsley, chopped large handful fresh dill, chopped large handful fresh basil, chopped large handful fresh coriander, chopped 1 large spring onion, chopped 2 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp cayenne pepper Salt and black pepper to taste 2 tbsp olive oil Juice of ½ lemon 1 cup feta cheese Truffle or nut oil (macadamia, almond) for drizzling (optional)
Start off with a little bit of water in a jar. Next add the lemon grass, garlic, chilli, mint, fish sauce, lemon juice, sugar and chilli infused oil. Close the lid and shake it vigorously until properly combined and set aside while you make the rice paper wraps. The Veggies You can choose any of your favourite raw vegetables. These are some of mine: About a cup of each: shredded carrots finely sliced radishes finely sliced spring onions bean sprouts mung beans julienne cucumber thinly sliced red and green cabbage sliced avocado handfuls of mint, basil and coriander leaves, roughly chopped micro greens cashew nuts, toasted and crushed rice paper wraps (about 4 per friend as a snack) For the Rice Paper Wraps: Pour water into a deep bowl or plate (big enough so that one wrap can fit into it). Next, place a sheet of rice paper inside the bowl, and let it soak in the water. Once the wrap has softened, carefully transfer the wrap onto a clean dish cloth to let it soak up the excess water. Arrange a selection of your favourite fresh ingredients along the centre of the wrap and cover the filling with one half of the softened wrap followed by the second. Shape to secure, dunk it into the jar of dressing and eat. Have enough plates of water and dishcloths around so that your friends can help themselves! 32 GO EZ / February March 2019
Method: 1. Drain and dry your chickpeas. 2. Heat half the olive oil and fry your chickpeas with salt until they are a little browned. 3. Add the coriander powder, cumin, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper and fry for another 30 seconds taking care not to burn the spices. 4. While the chickpeas are cooling, blanch your green beans in boiling water for 1-2 mins and then refresh in iced or cold water to keep their colour. They should still have a bit of a crunch. 5. Mix the green beans, marrows, remaining olive oil, lemon juice, salt and black pepper (to taste) together and allow to marinate for 5-10 mins. 6. Add the cabbage, fresh herbs, chickpeas, feta and truffle oil.
PIZZA WITH ROASTED TOMATO, ROCKET & BASIL
For the pizza dough 3 cups white bread flour A big pinch of salt 10g or 1 packet instant yeast 1 cup of warm water For the Toppings Tomato passata or tin chopped tomatoes Tablespoon of mixed dry herbs Handful of rocket Handful of basil 1 avocado (optional) cut into thin slices Roasted vine or cherry tomatoes Salt and cracked black pepper A couple of handfuls of Mozzarella, grated A couple of handfuls of Cheddar, grated Olive oil
Method: 1. Combine the flour, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl. 2. Activate and dissolve the yeast by placing it in a bowl and adding the warm water until the flour has absorbed the water but is not too sticky. 3. Knead for 5-7 minutes until the dough has a smooth, elastic consistency. 4. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave the dough to rise for about 20 minutes or until it had doubled in size then knock it down and allow it to rise again. 5. Turn your oven on to 220°C and heat up pizza stone or baking tray and at the same time roast your tomatoes in some olive oil. 6. While the dough, tomatoes and oven are busy, place your chopped tomatoes or passata, salt, pepper and herbs into a bowl. 7. Sprinkle some flour onto your work surface, take a small ball of dough and roll it out using a rolling pin until you have thin round base. 8. Bake the base in the oven for a few minutes until it is slightly cooked (so that you get a nice crispy base!). 9. Take the base out of the oven, place on a board and using the back of a spoon, smear some of the tomato mixture around the base (not too much or it will get soggy), sprinkle with the Mozzarella and Cheddar. 10. Let it bake for approx. 5 minutes until the cheese melts and the base becomes nice and crispy, then remove from the heat and place onto a wooden board. 11. Top the pizza with the roasted tomatoes, rocket and basil (and avo if you like!).
GO EZ / February March 2019 33
34 GO EZ / February March 2019
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1. Which Canadian singer recorded the albums Blue and Miles of Aisles? 2. Which device in a jet engine provides extra thrust for take-off or supersonic flight? 3. The film Jerry Maguire featured which sport? 4. What is the chief river of Ghana? 5. Which 2001 film about the Cuban missile crisis starred Kevin Costner? 6. Which epic poem by Dante begins on Good Friday in the year 1300? 7. Which German motor manufacturer was set up in 1937 to produce a ‘people’s car’? 8. The River Tamar forms a historic boundary between which two English counties? 9. Who played Sally Bowles in the film Cabaret? 10. Which fish is smoked and sold as finnan haddie? 11. What is corium? 12. Which Stanley Kubrick film was based on a Stephen King novel and starred Jack Nicholson? 13. ‘Indices’ is the plural of which word? 14. Zr is the symbol of which chemical element? 15. Which drug is known in Australia as
‘twang’? 16. To which part of the body does the adjective ‘rhinal’ refer? 17. What was the name of the character played by Tracey Ullman in the television drama series Ally McBeal? 18. In which play by Shakespeare does the character Beatrice appear? 19. Which US state is further east: Ohio or Wyoming? 20. ‘Bitser’ is an Australian word for which animal? 21. Who succeeded Yuri Andropov as leader of the Soviet Union in 1984? 22. What was the name of the submarine in the TV series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea? 23. Which actor played James Bond in Golden Eye? 24. With which Italian motor company is the Agnelli family associated? 25. Of which Canadian province is St John’s the capital? 26. Which English adventurer and courtier to Elizabeth I was executed in 1618? 27. In which country did the rottweiler originate? 28. Which Pulp Fiction actor starred in the remake of the movie Shaft? 29. Who wrote the novel Roots: The
Saga of an American Family? 30. Which Turkish dish comprises thin layers of filo pastry containing nuts and honey? 31. Which colour is produced by adding together yellow and cyan? 32. Which disease carried by bark beetles was first described in The Netherlands in 1919? 33. What was invented by Sir Frank Whittle in 1930? 34. On which area of the moon did Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins make their landing on 20 July 1969? 35. For which film did Steven Spielberg win an Oscar for Best Director at the 1999 Academy Awards? 36. What is the British English word for the eggplant? 37. Which French town on the Scarpe River gave its name to a type of tapestry? 38. Which musical set in the slums of New York is based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet? 39. The movie Apocalypse Now is based on the book Heart of Darkness by which author? 40. The Quarrymen was the original name of which pop group?
ANSWERS 1 Joni Mitchell, 2 Afterburner, 3 American football, 4 Volta, 5 Thirteen Days, 6 The Divine Comedy, 7 Volkswagen, 8 Devon and Cornwall, 9 Liza Minnelli, 10 Haddock, 11 A deep inner layer of the skin, 12 The Shining, 13 Index, 14 Zirconium, 15 Opium, 16 The nose, 17 Dr Tracey Clark, 18 Much Ado About Nothing, 19 Ohio, 20 A mongrel dog, 21 Konstantin Chernenko, 22 Seaview, 23 Pierce Brosnan, 24 Fiat, 25 Newfoundland, 26 Sir Walter Raleigh, 27 Germany, 28 Samuel L Jackson, 29 Alex Haley, 30 Baklava, 31 Green, 32 Dutch Elm Disease, 33 The jet engine, 34 Sea of Tranquility, 35 Saving Private Ryan, 36 Aubergine, 37 Arras, 38 West Side Story, 39 Joseph Conrad, 40 The Beatles.
36 GO EZ / February March 2019
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JOHANNESBURG 9-10 February TicketPro Dome TRAVEL EXPO 2019 www.travelexpo.co.za
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PORT ELIZABTH
21 February St Georges Park 2ND INTERNATIONAL TEST MATCH - SA VS SRI LANKA www.ticketpros.co.za 23 February Port Elizabeth HERALD CONTINENTAL CYCLE TOUR JUNIOR RACE www.heraldcycletour.co.za 16 March Port Elizabeth THE GRAND WHITE www.thegrandwhite.com
BLOEMFONTEIN
23-24 February Clarens Village Square 2019 CLARENS CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL www.clarenscraftbeerfest.com 21-24 March Clocolan Show Grounds 3MOUNTAINS MTB & TRAILRUNNING www.3mountains.co.za
DURBAN
24 February Durban Botanic Gardens TAMIA LIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA www.webtickets.co.za 9 March The Playhouse Company ROYAL MOSCOW BALLET www.online.computicket.com 10 March Sahara Stadium 3RD MOMENTUM ODI - SA VS SRI LANKA www.ticketpros.co.za 21-24 March Durban International Convention Centre DECOREX www.decorex.co.za 24 March Durban SA TRIATHLON CHAMPOINSHIPS 2019 www.triathlonsa.co.za 30-31 March Durban DURBAN DESSERT FESTIVAL www.quicket.co.za
GEORGE
9-10 February PW Botha High School 2019 GEORGE OLD CAR SHOW www.scocc.co.za
HOEDSPRUIT
9 March Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate PAM GOLDING WILDLIFE ESTATE SERIES 2019 www.lowveldtrailrunnung.co.za
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GO EZ / February March 2019 37
THE POWER OF ‘X’ Let’s be honest, the letter ‘X’ is a pain to use phonetically, which means that fewer words in the English language start with it than any other.
The lack of trust is evident as it is regularly replaced by a combination of ‘K’ and ‘S’. Don’t you think that ‘Lox’ looks so much cooler than ‘Locks’ and requires less effort when being written. But oh no, not to the ‘powers that be’ that gave us words. They clearly didn’t like it at all. The Romans couldn’t find a use for it after they stole the alphabet from the Greeks. They shoved it at the end of their falsely claimed list of letters until something came up that would put ‘X’ to work. They eventually decided that it must represent their number 10, which in itself doesn’t make sense, confirming their confusion. It’s also a nightmare to get off your little green rack in Scrabble as well; the makers of the game declaring their position on the matter by only including 2 ‘X’s in a full set of 100 tiles. ‘E’ is the favoured letter with 24 tiles per set if you’re interested but I really hope that you are not. Heinz don’t even bother including it in their tins of Alphabet Spaghetti! So what is the point of ‘X’? Some of you might relate to the X and Y chromosome dynamic, or the X-Factor, or ‘X marks the Spot’. The X- Men franchise probably wouldn’t have had the same impact if it was called The A-Men (apart from within religious circles). And these would be fair (if not a little sad) observations. However, if I were to tell you that ‘X’ is actually the most important letter in our world today and not for the reasons I have just mentioned; that it has the power to excite, inspire, discourage, satisfy, frustrate, humiliate, disappoint, anger, confuse and manipulate every single one of us, changing our moods and affecting our feelings; that it can have an even bigger impact in its absence than its presence; that it can use its power by merely standing alone, and does not need the help of other letters like the disloyal ‘K’ and ‘S’s of this world; you would probably say I am crackers, as mad as a March Hare, ‘out to lunch’ but allow me to tell you why…
38 GO EZ / February March 2019
It’s as simple as this: the use of ‘X’ at the end of your text messages. Allow me to elaborate. Picture the scene if you will – a wife is waiting for her husband to come home from the golf course as dinner is nearly ready. She decides to send a text to establish his estimated time of arrival, but doesn’t want to sound too annoyed. In the same token she needs an answer. She initially types ‘What time will you be home?’ but isn’t happy with it. It sounds too pushy, and exposes her irritation….she knows what it needs ‘What time will you be home? X’. Job done, mission accomplished. However, the husband receives the message in the 19th Hole and it translates into something completely different. He’ll read it and then say to his mates ‘She’s in a good mood tonight lads, you know what that means (wink-wink, nudge nudge), I’ll have one for the road and be on my way’, which is also what is text back with a deliberately exaggerated use of the letter, with a repetition that signals that he has received and successfully misread the information – you see how powerful this thing is? That evening is all going to end in disaster and disappointment for all concerned, with nobody’s expectations being met. So the power of ‘X’ is everywhere. You’re not looking so clever now are you ‘E’ with your 24 tiles. Roman generals are turning in their graves all over the world, slapping their skulls and saying ‘That’s what it’s for’. I’ll bet the ‘Head of Production – Funny Shaped Pasta’ at Heinz is probably feeling a tad stupid after this revelation. My intentions aren’t to scare or dismay. Use this information as you wish. I ask just one thing. Please think before you ‘X’. - Andrew Sullivan.
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The Outpost accommodates 24 guests in 12 open plan, en-suite luxury spaces cantilevered on a hill overlooking the Luvuvhu River. The private, free standing spaces are inter-connected to each other and the central lodge area by a winding teak walkway. Contemporary architecture makes use of concrete and steel with state of the art retractable screens offering 180º of uninterrupted views of the secluded and majestic African wilderness.
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40 GO EZ / February March 2019