Durban rallies behind matrics with Mandela Day bucket campaign at Pavilion
STUDYING on an empty stomach is hard but this year matriculants preparing for their crucial exams won't go hungry.
Instead they'll receive buckets of love this Mandela Day when volunteers will gather to prepare buckets filled with food which will be given to resource-scarce pupils.
SA Harvest, a leading food rescue organisation in South Africa, is spearheading the campaign and says that hundreds of care buckets will be packed.
'Our campaign is not just about charity; it's about justice,' says Ozzy Nel, COO of SA Harvest.
'Food rescue is not a handout; it's a powerful tool for systemic change. We aim to meet young people where they are and give them a real chance at success.'
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Daily Maverick
11 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Eat more atchar for atomic orange epicurean empowerment
In 'atchar alley', it's all about spiced green mango preserve. This is Station Road, Lenasia, which plays host to at least 30 atchar shops, all next door to each other. The term 'achar' is derived from the Hindi language word for spice-preserved fruit and/or vegetables. In KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, achar often retains its traditional Indian spelling and ingredient diversity in condiments such as kumquat achar, carrot achar and wedding achar. In the northern provinces, this definition no longer applies. When black South Africans from Limpopo, North West, Gauteng or Mpumalanga refer to atchar/ atchaar/ achaar (the spelling has mutated in multiple ways) they mean only the fabulously fiery, Afro-Indian relish made from green mangos topped with atomic orange-coloured oil. From henceforth let us call this fusion form 'Limpopo atchar' because this is probably where it was born and where most of the mangos used to make it grow. Somehow my fingers are most comfortable typing atchar with a 't', so Limpopo atchar it is. It is seldom if ever eaten with Indian or Indian diaspora cuisine, but is rather a staple of black South African street food. Soweto starches and proteins pop in the presence of Limpopo atchar. No plate of pap or kota-style sandwich is complete without this finger- and shirt-staining delicacy. Every corner café sells little red lid tubs at the till. Commuter hub vendors serving snacks from buckets offer it as an accompaniment. It is impossible to imagine mogodu Monday without this startlingly strong pick-me-up. I suspect that it is a mid-20th century culinary co-creation of Northern Transvaal Indian traders, Venda and Pedi people. Modern mangos of the kind sold in supermarkets have been selectively bred to be string-free, soft and super-sweet with a long shelf life. They are visually flawless but frequently fall flat in flavour. Many trees grown from seed over multiple generations by African subsistence farmers are the descendants of heritage cultivars. They are small and sometimes their skins are mottled. Their stringy texture makes them unsuitable for fruit salad, but these drawbacks are irrelevant when grated or chopped fine for atchar. Their ebullient combination of acidity, sweetness and subtle bitterness is magnificent when processed into pickles. The basic recipe for Limpopo atchar contains green mangos, white vinegar, garlic, chillies, mustard seeds or powder, sunflower oil and atchar masala. This sounds simple but actually every individual maker has their own masala mix. In 1950 the apartheid regime's Group Areas Act designated Lenasia, southwest of Johannesburg, for occupation by those they classified as Indian. These days the area is occupied by all sorts of South Africans. Station Road, Lenasia (aka 'atchar alley') plays host to at least 30 atchar shops, all next door to each other. They all sell the component parts for atchar makers to combine at home into their own secret sauce. It is like Build a Bear but oily and intensely aromatic. In a country where almost all royal coronations are contested, it should come as no surprise that there are two, independently owned Atchar Kings trading mere metres apart. Actually, it is one Achaar King (three As and no T) and one Atchar King (two As, one T) but there is definitely a gourmet game of thrones meets Zulu monarch succession dispute vibe. Huge plastic bags filled with pre-grated green mango (with and without garlic) are piled high. Thousands of different mango masalas compete for customer attention with row upon row of vibrant colourants and oils. Some of the more vibrant red colourants seem deeply dodgy. Every trader tells you that only his spice blends will hit the hotspot. Desperate for old-school Limpopo atchar but too lazy to make it yourself or even walk to the corner café? Order online from Lelo's Tasty Foods. This chunky textured, orange and oily atchar is made in the Motherland (Giyani) and is eat-with-a spoon straight-out-of-the-bucket brilliant. It costs R80 for 360g and comes in three flavours: Super-hot, hot and mild. Feeling fancy? The inverted snob in me wanted to dislike Nayi Le Achaar. The label describes the product as 'atchar paté' which irritated me. Well, actually, it says patè with the accent incorrectly pointing in the grave direction rather than in the acute line, which irritated me some more. For a while, I really enjoyed myself being simultaneously regular snob and inverted snob, but then I was forced to eat my (many, many) snotty comments because this smooth textured condiment tastes great. Despite coming in jalapeño, piquanté, feta, garlic and ginger, rosemary and olive and lemon flavours it somehow manages to retain a Limpopo-ish essence. It costs between R80 and R100 for 440g at Johannesburg's supersmart Prison Break Market, via the website and at Makro. What about the widely held anxiety that eating it makes for smelly armpits? Scientists say that all atchar (whether super smart or corner café classic) will be excreted through sweat glands, but no more than any other garlic- and spice-containing condiment. So, what are you waiting for? Eating atchar tastes great and supports local livelihoods. There are no statistics on the social and economic impact of small-scale atchar sales, but my guess is that they are second only to scones and magwinya as a method of raising money to put the children of single mothers through school and university.
The Citizen
12 hours ago
- The Citizen
New Jerusalem seeks generous support this Mandela Month
This Mandela Month, the New Jerusalem Children's Home stands at the forefront of a powerful wave of generous donations, already propelled by a heartfelt contribution from Hyde Johannesburg Hotel Rosebank. As a long-established sanctuary for vulnerable children, the home provides essential love, shelter, and education. Read more: 67 Blankets and Cedar Lakes Estate donates blankets to New Jerusalem Children's Home However, with only 80 out of 120 children currently receiving funding from the Department of Social Development, the home faces significant challenges in meeting the increasing needs of its residents. Hopkins Kaira, the home's marketing manager, emphasised the importance of support during Mandela Month—a time when organisations and individuals mobilise resources to give back. 'In this month, we see many people and organisations stepping forward to help,' said Kaira. 'The home has expanded, and so have the needs—maintenance, school materials, uniforms, and everyday essentials, among others. The children deserve a safe and nurturing environment, and these donations directly contribute to that.' The home's wishlist for this Mandela Month is extensive and includes storybooks, fencing, gates, dustbins, furniture, paint, toiletries, food, cleaning supplies, and more. Moreover, volunteers are essential to the cause and are encouraged to lend their time and skills. 'Tasks like weed removal behind the centre and outdoor maintenance are crucial for creating a welcoming environment for our children,' Hopkins added. He also highlighted that the classroom project now only requires painting. Tshepiso Mofokeng from the Hyde Johannesburg Hotel noted the impactful early donation made on July 4, which effectively kicked off the month of giving. He said donating is part of their ethos, and they seized the opportunity to contribute well ahead of Mandela Day on July 18. 'New Jerusalem was introduced to us by one of our colleagues, who has been working closely with the home…We partnered with them in 2023 and have been consistently donating food. It's a heartwarming initiative, allowing us to engage with the children directly,' said Mofokeng. Those wishing to support the New Jerusalem Children's Home can reach out via 010 224 0458 or 082 732 7832, or email [email protected] or [email protected]. Read Midrand Reporter for more. Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration! Have a story idea? We'd love to hear from you – join our WhatsApp group and share your thoughts! At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
13 hours ago
- IOL News
Water crisis deepens across South Africa as communities face prolonged outages
South African communities are facing increasing distress as widespread water outages disrupt daily living, harming both households and businesses alike. Residents from Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, and beyond have expressed their fury over the consistent water supply issues, which municipalities attribute to a mixture of unplanned maintenance, infrastructure upgrades, and burst pipes South African communities are facing increasing distress as widespread water outages disrupt daily living, harming both households and businesses alike. Residents from Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, and beyond have expressed their fury over the consistent water supply issues, which municipalities attribute to a mixture of unplanned maintenance, infrastructure upgrades, and burst pipes Frustration and unrest continue to ripple across South Africa as numerous communities grapple with ongoing water outages that have severely disrupted day-to-day activities. Municipalities attribute these outages to a combination of factors, including unplanned maintenance, burst pipes, and crucial infrastructure upgrades. However, for many affected residents, these explanations provide little comfort when faced with empty taps. In the face of these challenges, many citizens say they find themselves in a helpless situation, forced to buy expensive bottled water or wait for government tankers, which sometimes fail to deliver much-need water. The crisis is not isolated to a singular locality but stretches across provinces, notably Gauteng, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape, where strict water usage regulations have been imposed to manage the scarcity. In Cosmo City, a suburb in Johannesburg, the situation is particularly dire where residents report prolonged outages that exceed scheduled maintenance days, leaving them exasperated and without a reliable source of water. Phakama Mhlali, a local non-profit organisation dedicated to addressing service delivery issues, revealed the dire concerns the residents of Cosmo City face in a letter shared with the Saturday Star with many revealing that they are struggling with mounting municipal bills and inadequate support during these challenging times. 'Residents are unable to meet the requirements of the current outstanding bill. Support during water shortages: There is little to no support from Johannesburg Water during water shortages and water shedding; little to no notice or preparation is given when water is cut. Leaving no time to prepare and with no assistance from Johannesburg Water. There are no technicians supplied to Cosmo City when residents are experiencing technical issues with said meters. Meter implementations are done unjustly. Only a few residences are required meters and are paying for said water, while other residents continue to have access to water freely without charge. Little support from the ESP programme: elderly and disadvantaged residents are still obligated to meet the full requirements regarding the municipal bill demands of Cosmo residents to Johannesburg Water,' the letter noted. Adding to the chorus of frustration, residents like Ma Hlophe, a local business owner, are grappling with the financial ramifications of water shortages. 'People are leaving my place to find better rentals where they can get access to water and electricity. I have tried so many ways, but we are not getting any help. They make promises, but nothing is ever done. It has been weeks without electricity. Water outages have added more frustration. Things are really bad in this area.' The Forum for South Africa (FOSA), led by Tebogo Mashilompane, speaks out against what they perceive as deliberate sabotage of water and electricity services by the government. 'The issue of water and electricity is a deliberate act of sabotage from the government. The government is complicit in all these infrastructure attacks because when you look into the issue of water, for example, municipalities are deliberate in allowing infrastructure to dilapidate so that they can source the service from the water tankers,' he stated, criticising the current status quo and calling for community engagement on these pressing issues. Mashilompane revealed that FOSA has initiated community consultative campaigns to engage residents directly, spotlighting the systemic neglect that they believe is causing these ongoing outages. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has also voiced its concerns, questioning the silence from Johannesburg Water amidst ongoing Rand Water maintenance affecting major supply lines. 'This comes on top of existing Rand Water maintenance that had reduced the pumping capacity of the Eikenhof Pumping Station to 50%. Rand Water's maintenance already impacts multiple high-demand systems, including Commando, Orlando East and West, Soweto, Brixton, Crosby, Hursthill 1 and 2, Northcliff, Crown Gardens, and various central and high-lying suburbs – dry taps stemming from these outages ought to be communicated by Joburg Water, but there has been radio silence on the matter,' the DA stated. In Emfuleni, the DA has escalated matters to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) due to ongoing water shortages in areas like France, Extension 2, and Boipatong. 'Beyond our complaint to the Human Rights Commission, we demand to know if the contractor who was appointed was indeed qualified to carry out the work; whether the contractor has a proven track record of previously having done this type of work; and finally and why was the community left without water for weeks on end.' Adding to the pressure, the movement has initiated a petition urging the Department of Water and Sanitation to act on the persistent problem of water leaks, further indicating the widespread community dissatisfaction. In KZN, communities like Kwandengezi have gone without running water for weeks, compounding difficulties during school holidays alongside Mthatha residents who are still recovering from devastating floods. Responding to the frustrations, Nombuso Shabalala, spokesperson for Johannesburg Water, told the Saturday Star that recent prolonged interruptions were primarily due to maintenance conducted by Rand Water. 'Johannesburg Water continues to deploy alternative water supply through roaming and stationary water tankers to assist affected communities, with priority given to critical facilities such as clinics, hospitals, and schools,' Shabalala noted. In addressing the concerns over dysfunctional water meters, Shabalala reassured residents that their teams are actively working to resolve reported issues, urging residents to log their complaints through official channels to ensure prompt attention. 'We continue to work closely with Rand Water to normalise supply,' she added. Saturday Star
