5-18 October 2020

OCTOBER 2020

ISSN 2311-6927

1 Stellenbosch Magazine October 2020

ISSN 2311-6927



CONTENT

5 Putco Mafani’s book launch

6 Wilcocks builing

7 Geluksoord vier veertig jaar

8-9 SA Innovation Summit

10-11 Ike Klaassen

12-13 Ebosch

14-15 Chad Nolan

16-17 Prisoner 913

Hello Readers,

We have just entered the 7th month of lockdown due to

the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our economy has suffered tremendously because of our

stricter lockdown regulations. However, if this was not

the case, our situation would have been much worst than

what we are currently in.

How to rebuilt from what seems a daunting task? Every

day we get news of more companies closing down. People

losing jobs are at the order of the day. Locally, the empty

stores, increased for sale and to rent signs, hungry families,

and even longer queues at the unemployment office

are an indication of how badly our once vibrant town has

been affected.

Will we ever be able to pick up the pieces? Only time will

tell. History has shown us that out of the ashes, we can

rise again.

Let us work together to bring Stellenbosch back to the

former state it was in before the pandemic hit us. I believe

we can.

Enjoy the read!

Carol Lakay

carol@stellenboschmag.com

18-19 Elani Plaatjies

20-21 Asipe Makhumalo

22-23 De Toren Private Cellars

Cover Picture Captured by Stephen Yallop

Photography

Model : Kaydee Adams

Location: Flowers in the Foyer, Ryneveld street,

Stellenbosch

Articles in this issue:

Alexander Brand

Elsabe Retief

Lia Snijman

Ros Koch

www.stellenboschnews.com

www.ranyaka.co.za

Images: Francois Lombaard

The truth collection

Lizelle Lӧtter Photography


Putco Mafani‟s book launches on 6 Oct

On 6 October at 20:00, Putco Mafani’s book The Price and Prize

of Greatness will be launched via Zoom as he speaks to

Robert Marawa.

From humble beginnings in Bhofolo in the Eastern

Cape, Mafani has become a household name

in South Africa. A medical condition persisting

into his early teens nearly broke Putco‟s spirit,

but an inner fire drove him to take on the harsh

outside world. He overcame not only poverty, but

solitary confinement, tribalism, being doubted, a

traumatic divorce, and unemployment. Had he

not risen above, he would not have come to

know, as he writes, “the price and prize of greatness”.

A former deputy principal, Mafani started his radio

career at the then Radio Ciskei, going on to

Umhlobo Wenene FM, where he anchored the

biggest breakfast show in the country. He was

also Kaizer Chiefs PRO. This is an inspirational,

authentically South African story.

“Putco has long had a unique voice,” says news

anchor Noxolo Grootboom. “A great book narrated

in the true spirit of bilingualism,” says language

and literacy lecturer Xolisa Guzula.

Mafani is one of South Africa‟s best-known

broadcasters. He conceived of and hosted the

BEE – iBreakfast Eyondlayo Ekuseni – show on

uMhlobo Wenene, building up a listenership of

3,1 million by the time he left.

After his success as Kaizer Chiefs‟ PRO, he is

now a sought-after public speaker and MC. He

lives in East London and Centurion.

Putco Mafani’s book, The Price and Prize of Greatness.

Photo: NB Publishers.

Via www.stellenboschnews.com

The book is available at R280.

– NB Publishers


RW Wilcocks building name change

Article by Alexander Brand

The renaming of the RW Wilcocks building was first announced,

via official communication, by Stellenbosch University (SU) on 24

July 2020. The building currently houses, among other academic

departments and divisions, the Departments of History and Psychology.

It is important to note that the renaming of buildings is not a

new initiative at Stellenbosch University. Many buildings have

been renamed over the past few decades, such as the HB Thom

Theatre which was renamed the Adam Small Theatre Complex.

Before 2010 the renaming of buildings was done on an ad hoc

basis, but with the adoption of the “Policy on the naming of

buildings, venues and other facilities/premises” in 2010, a more

systematic and structured process for the renaming of buildings,

venues and other facilities was put in place.

The Wilcocks building had been earmarked for renaming as early

as 2010, with talks emerging quite strongly when the roof and

third floor of the building caught fire on 10 December 2010 and

had to be restored in the following year. During the OpenStellenbosch

and FeesMustFall student protests of 2015, students occupied

the building and claimed the name Lilian Ngoyi for the building.

In 2019, with the publication of the “Age- and Education-related

Effects on Cognitive Functioning in Colored South African Women”,

article, the debate about RW Wilcocks flared up again with

academic leaders expressing their frustration with the building

still bearing this controversial name.

Because of the many stakeholders housed in the building, Dr.

Ronel Retief, SU Registrar, and Chair of the Naming Committee,

and Dr. Leslie van Rooi, Chair of the Visual Redress Committee

sought permission to change the renaming procedure from an

environment-specific one to an institutional one that would be

coordinated by them.

They drafted a procedure specifically for the renaming of the

Wilcocks Building which was more inclusive, extending beyond

the staff and students working in the building. The procedure

was approved by the Rectorate towards the end of 2019. They

then put out a call on 27 July for suggestions for what the building’s

name should be changed to and the nomination closed on

26 August.

By the closing date, they have received 17 nominations of which

Lilian Ngoyi was one. The Naming Committee met during September,

first to agree on the process for considering the various

nominations, and then to consider the nominations to propose

to the Rectorate for their recommendation to the Executive

Committee of Council.

There have been other recent projects, such as the bronze art

installation, “The Circle", 15 carved welcome messages on concrete

benches, the Lückhoff Living Museum, and the Die Vlaktemap,

that have been very successful in its attempt to make public

spaces more welcoming to all. “It is more than just a process

of adding or removing symbols. It focusses on engagement that

will bring about change through an understanding of historic

and current realities whilst focussing on our future possibilities.

Through feedback received from within the university community

as well as the broader community of Stellenbosch (as well as

other external role-players), it is clear that we are indeed succeeding

in creating welcoming spaces on our campuses. As such

the process of visual redress will continue,” says Van Rooi.

They do not have a final date set for the announcement yet.

Retief says, “A lot will depend on the nature of the nominations,

whether the Naming Committee has enough information at its

disposal to make a recommendation, or whether more information

might be required on some of the proposals.” They

hope to be able to announce the name before the end of the

year.


Geluksoord vier veertig jaar

Op 1 Oktober 2020 het Geluksoord, tehuis vir verswakte bejaardes in Onder-papegaaiberg, Stellenbosch, sy veertigste

bestaansjaar gevier. Dit is ‘n tuiste vir 80 bejaarde persone wat in ‘n mindere of meerdere mate versorging nodig

het en nie meer onafhanklik kan funksioneer nie.

Beplanning van ‘n versorgingsoord vir die verswakte bejaardes in

Stellenbosch het in 1968 begin toe ‘n komitee vir hierdie doel

verkies is. In 1973 is ‘n perseel in Onder-Papegaaiberg hiervoor

bekom en in 1980 is die tehuis geopen en het die eerste inwoners

ingetrek. Die eerste tien jaar van die tehuis se bestaan is

dit as deel van Utopia bestuur, maar vanaf 1997 het Geluksoord

sy eie direksie en bestuur.

Die tehuis is deur die jare voortdurend uitgebou om meer inwoners

te kan akkommodeer.

Daar is behuising in woonstelle vir persone wat hulself nog tot ‘n

mate kan versorg, enkel- en dubbelkamers vir persone wat nie

hoë sorg benodig nie en vierbed-kamers vir persone wat intensiewe

versorging moet kry. Die spesiale afdeling vir persone met

demensie en Alzheimer se siekte word tans vergroot.

Iréne van Wyk, die bestuurder, vertel van verskeie interessante

inwoners wat haar pad die afgelope bykans 21 jaar by die tehuis

gekruis het. Geluksoord is vir party inwoners net ‘n herstelhawe

na ‘n ernstige siekbed, maar vir ander is dit ‘n tuiste vir baie jare

waar hulle met die nodige 24-uur versorging, ‘n sinvolle lewe

kan lei.

Die Covid-19 pandemie het Geluksoord en die daaglikse roetine

ook ernstig beïnvloed. Spesiale en selfs meer intensiewe voorsorgmaatreëls

moes getref word om hierdie weerlose groep

mense te beskerm. Hulle sien egter baie daarna uit om in 2021

weer al die sosiale en fondswerwings-geleenthede te kan

aanbied en die tehuis se vriende en ondersteuners te kan

ontvang.

Vir alle navrae kan u (021) 887 3124 skakel.

Bo: Connie Lindoor, stafverpleegster, en Iréne van Wyk, bestuurder, sny Geluksoord se verjaarsdagkoek. Lindoor werk al vir 40 jaar

vir Geluksoord, dus vanaf dit gestig is. Foto: Francois Lombard. Artikel: www.stellenboschnews.com


SA Innovation Summit 2020: Trailblazers of female

entrepreneurship share what it takes to make it in business

In the lead up to the SA Innovation Summit 2020 – Africa’s largest

start-up event – attendees gathered for the first time online

for the launch of the Female Founder Takeover; a day dedicated

to the female entrepreneurs who are breaking barriers and staking

their claim in the world of innovation. Run in partnership

with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA), the aim

of the day was to empower South African women in tech and

tech-enabled start-ups with the entrepreneurial and leadership

skills they need to launch and grow their own businesses.

Proceedings began with an opening by Puleng Makhoalibe, the

Founder of Alchemy Inspiration, who spoke with Tervern Jaftha,

the Head of Incubation at SEDA and a Commissioner on the Presidential

Committee for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Together,

the pair unpacked the growth of female entrepreneurship in

South Africa and explored the role SEDA plays to enable womenowned

businesses.

“Females are key to developing the *South African+ economy into

the powerhouse that it can be,” said Jaftha. “Their caring nature

means they will spend more time nurturing their business to ensure

it grows properly. In addition, women are highly resilient in

that they are able to succeed while managing multiple tasks. This

is hugely attractive to investors, and as such, women will be the

ones to drive future growth. A higher percentage of support

must now go to female founders in terms of resources and guidance

– this means creating more programmes focused specifically

on them.”

The opening address was followed by a fireside chat hosted by

Carmelle Cadet, the Founder and CEO of Emtech, who explored

what it takes to run a business and what more needs to be done

to grow female entrepreneurship in Africa. She was joined by a

roundtable of African trailblazers of female entrepreneurship,

including Walda Nxange, the Founder and CEO of Ngovu Wanawake,

Titi Akinola, the Head of TEFConnect at the Tony Elumelu

Foundation, and Jihan Abass, the Founder and CEO of Lami Insurance.

Together, they discussed how entrepreneurship acts as

a catalyst for African socio-economic development. They also

addressed various issues facing women in business, such as their

questioned ability, as well as the mental fortitude required to

endure in male dominated environments.

In her response to this, Akinola emphasised the importance of a

robust network, saying that, “We often want to do things on our

own, but there is power in working together and having role

models to look up to. The confidence to ask for help is key to

growing successfully in your entrepreneurship journey.”


This was supported by Nxange, who added that having confidence

in one’s ability is an integral part of entrepreneurship:

“The foundation of any strong business is resilience. Building this

demands that you back yourself and that you create a normal for

you that is sustainable. If you are not feeling well, you cannot

drive your company forward.”

Abass concluded the session by saying that, “To be confident,

you’ve got to understand what it is that you are trying to do and

be sure of your capability to add value. Doing so will help you put

your best foot forward.”

Another highlight of the day was the official launch of the Breaking

Barriers publication, which details new research conducted

into the experiences of women driving technology start-ups in

Southern Africa. Hosted by the Southern Africa Innovation Support

programme, the document delves into the importance of

having female-driven entrepreneurship in the technology sector

as well as the challenges that many women encounter in local

tech ecosystems.

Auri Evokari, a research fellow at Loughborough University in

London who helped write the publication, explained that,

“Communities are catalytic for ecosystem development but issues

such as self-doubt and sexism often deter women from

entrepreneurship, or severely complicate their ability to excel. In

addition to aiding their businesses financially, we mentally support

and encourage female entrepreneurs to succeed by sharing

their story. This combination of support in turn spurs development

in Southern Africa.”The rest of the day saw 20 female-led

start-ups who participated in the Fem-in-Tech entrepreneurship

development programme pitching their businesses to potential

investors during four sessions of the Demo Day. During these

sessions, attendees were also given expert advice on pitching

from the likes of Lelemba Phiri, Principal at Africa Trust Group;

Abu Cassim, Founder of Jozi Angels; and Gavin Reardon, Managing

Partner at Kingson Capital.

To find out more about this years’ event, go to

https://innovationsummit.co.za/

“”

Several women said in the focus groups that

entrepreneurship is generally perceived as a male

activity and that they had been discouraged

to pursue it.


Stellenbosch Mountain Bike Sensation Ike Klaassen!

MTB Rider Ike Klaassen Back On The Podium In France


Images Suplied by Truth Collective

The 16-year-old, Ike Klaassen has been dominating the junior

MTB scene and won a number of titles in Europe over the past

few years, with the most recent being in the French Cup. He was

also recently signed to Monster Energy as a captain in the Monster

Army.

Klaassen is originally from Holland, but lived in South Africa practically

his whole life. He got into mountain biking (MTB) through

motocross. He says, “I have been racing basically my whole life.

Since I can remember I have been in go-karts and then moved on

to motocross.” Through motocross he met some people that

were doing MTB. “It was an easy transition, because the two

complement each other big-time,” he says. Starting with motocross

helped him a lot because it made him used to the intense

speeds and taught him how competing works.

Because of his intense travel schedule, he switched to online

learning during the middle of this year, so that he can attend as

many events and competitions as possible. He says, “Especially

from next year, doing the World Cups, it will be impossible to

attend a normal school.” So next year he will not be able to

attend Paul Roos Gymnasium anymore.

Klaassen signed with Monster Energy in June of 2019. He says it

has been an absolute dream come true, because he gets to ride

with some of the best in the world. It has also opened up boundless

opportunities for him in MTB. Through this he had the privilege

to attend events such as Audi Nines 2020 and DarkFEST

2020. “The whole team is awesome to be around and the entire


Monster family is so sick.”

He is the youngest to ever compete at a DarkFEST. He says he is

very grateful for this honour, because he got the chance to ride

with all the big names and learn so much from them. His biggest

accomplishment at this year’s DarkFEST was being able to finish

the whole course top to bottom, including landing the 90ft (27m)

jump, since he could only do the step up the year before. Having

the track for DarkFEST 2020, Hellsend Dirt Compound, in his back

yard was obviously a massive bonus. The experience also connected

him to a bunch of other events that has furthered his

MTB career a lot.

Since Klaassen has to travel a lot for his career, he has been to

places all across the globe. He says, so far his favourite has been

between Whistler and Morzine in France. He is especially fond of

the latter, since a great deal of South Africans go there, and the

endless amount of trails it has to offer. It is also a popular destination

for all MTB professionals to go train. The other advantage

of Morzine is that you can get to some of the best MTB trails in

Switzerland and Italy in no time. He said the best track he has

done thus far is in Whistler, called Dirt Merchant, because of it

being very long and steep. This trail is known as one of the best

jump trails in the world.

COVID-19 has affected him heavily, seeing as most races were

cancelled this year, especially all the iXS Downhill Cup races. But

it has not been all bad. Klaassen said he had an amazing lockdown

in South Africa after his travels in Europe. He stayed with

fellow rider, Theo Erlangsen, and they could still ride and train

while under lockdown. He was fortunate enough to travel to

Europe again from June and compete in a few more French

cups, and stayed on to train.

Klaassen owns two Santa Cruz V10 bikes which he primarily uses.

The first is a 29er (29” wheels) that he uses for racing, which

is full race mode with its softer suspension and better tire pressure.

The other is a 27.5 V10, which has everything on the shorter

setting, with the stem as close as possible. Because of its size,

this bike is perfect for jumps.

He doesn’t have too much free time these days, but when he

finds the time he loves to kitesurf, motocross, and even car rallying.

So even his hobbies compliment his trait, which makes him

a super successful rider.

For the future, he is planning on trying to get into a big team to

compete in World Cups, but still be able to do a fair share of

freeriding. Most importantly, he wants to keep enjoying himself.


e’Bosch Awards the Brave

Article by Elsabe Retief

Images by Francois Lombaard

e’Bosch Heritage Project honoured the following people who made a difference during the

Covid-19 lockdown in Stellenbosch

Asiphe Cosa, Anna en James Pietersen, Avril van der Rheede, Chalmane Kruger, Charmaine Anthony, Dinah Claassen,

Elwin September, Hajiera Arnolds en Warda Gezwint, Karin Viviers, Liesel Koen, Lynette Phillips, Magdalene Blankenberg,

Maria Fredericks, Marissa Truter, Mervan Heswick, Nicky du Toit, Nicolette Smith, Norah Tobo, Samuel Kruger, Shereleen

Layman, S A Polisie Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch Football Club, Thompson Kamanga, Vinton Morgan and Winston Zuze.

Help and hope. That is what the residents of Stellenbosch have

offered their fellowmen and women when the Covid-19 pandemic

turned the country and Stellenbosch into a health and financial

disaster. Almost overnight hundreds of people were left without

work, income and food.

However, at the same time an outreach action, Stellenbosch

Unite, coordinated by Jeaneret Momberg of Visit Stellenbosch,

was established to support residents in need in Stellenbosch and

its surrounding e’Bosch dorpies.

Stellenbosch Unite comprises the Stellenbosch Municipality, Stellenbosch

University, Visit Stellenbosch, SCAN (Stellenbosch Civil

Advocacy Network that represents the nonprofit organisations)

and the Greater Stellenbosch Development Trust, which acted

as administrators for the movement.

Stellenbosch Feeding Action also played a pivotal role in the

provision of food parcels which were then distributed by community

organisations such as Stellcare (previously known as

Child Welfare SA: Stellenbosch), Usiko, Imbali, Stellenbosch

Football Club and Stellenbosch Police. These organisations and

many individuals also bought food which they cooked and

served in their communities.


action in the history of Stellenbosch.

Neighbourhoods, townships, churches, businesses, supermarkets

and restaurants all demonstrated their support by providing,

distributing and cooking food. Bertus Basson, well-known

restauranteur, made soup for Jamestown, while George and

Louise Jardine of Jordan and Jardine restaurants and Genki restaurant

did their bit for the feeding action driven by the Stellenbosch

Football Club. With money donated to Stellenbosch Unite

and Stellenbosch Feeding Action, dry goods such as soup, flour

and rice and cleaning materials were bought and distributed

where the need was the greatest. Local farmers, too, were keen

to support the food drive and donated loads of fruit and thousands

of eggs.

As the lockdown settled in, volunteers became aware of more

empty bowls and longer queues of hungry people. Without their

bus transport the children on farms could not reach their

schools where teachers continued with the school feeding

scheme throughout the lockdown. The Stellenbosch Police, however,

came to their rescue and drove them to the schools and

back to collect their daily meals. Individuals such as Lynette Phillips

drove through Kylemore’s streets to share the food that she

and fellow residents had cooked, Chalmane Kruger in Klapmuts

and Norah Tobo in Kayamandi turned their homes into storage

spaces and soup kitchens, while Elwin September (60), did not

allow his age to prevent him from supporting a food drive.

These are just a few examples of the extraordinary lengths

which ordinary people were prepared to go to help others.

It is impossible to recognise the thousands of volunteers that

gave their time and energy to care for others. It is also difficult

to measure the extent of this extraordinary feeding drive. However,

it is certain that millions were donated, mountains of sandwiches

were made, thousands of bowls of soup were served,

and blankets and clothes were collected as true as blessings truly

rained down on those in need.

e’Bosch’s heritage projects planned for this year’s Heritage

Month such as the School Choir Festival had to be cancelled as

result of strict lockdown regulations. However, many e’Bosch

volunteers and members of the public that attended the e’Bosch

leadership courses, pitched in and supported the biggest relief

Humankind frequently seems to need a disaster for us to reveal

our innate compassion and selfless behaviour and Stellenbosch

was no exception the last six months. e’Bosch and all its dorpies

are astounded at the extent of all the donations, voluntary service

by hundreds of Stellenboschers and even more, the way

poor people reached out to those they deemed to be worse off

than themselves. And still they continue to give and give . . .

To single out people in these times is virtually impossible. However,

e’Bosch decided to ask the public to nominate organisers

or volunteers whom they considered to have made a contribution

and worked towards an e’Bosch goal, namely the creating

of a new shared heritage for Stellenbosch.


Chad Nolan signs with Chapter One Music!

Chad Nolan Bergstedt son of Nolan & Jenny Hector Bergstedt, previously from Stellenbosch,

is making a name for himself in the music world. The family currently lives in Kraaifontein,

Cape Town.


Chad Nolan Bergstedt is a Cape Town-based singer-songwriter,

making a name for himself in the local music scene. With a new

single on the way, we took the opportunity to get to know this

artist a bit better.

Nolan grew up in Kuils River, in a very music-driven family, with

his dad being the drummer in the church band and his mom playing

piano and singing. He chose his stage name in honour of his

father, Nolan, who played drums for his church when they struggled

to find a drummer. He considers his mom one of his biggest

role models, being a singer-songwriter herself. “The household I

grew up in definitely sparked that flame and the love I have for

music today,” he says.

He describes his sound as alternative pop, even though each

song has a slightly different feel to it. He says he listens to a wide


Images by Youtube & starnow https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=9xGOUrQCJ-s

variety of genres of music and it inevitably rubs off on his music’s

sound.

He started performing and making a name for himself doing cover

songs at shows around 2012. Even though he has always

written music he never felt he was quite ready to record original

music. He has had multiple offers from songwriters to sing their

songs, but he never felt connected to it, which made him realise

that the songs had to come from him. This lead to him releasing

his first single, Closer, in 2017, with producer, Ebrahim Mallum.

“I still perform covers on my YouTube channel but my main focus

is recording more original music,” he says.

He had his first solo performance in 2008 at a show in Stellenbosch.

After this show, he decided this is what he wants to do for

the rest of his life. Straight after high school, he formed a band

with some of his Kuils River friends. He says, “I've learned and

developed so much as an artist from working with them and I will

cherish it forever.”

He can’t reveal the exact date yet, but his new single "Forget"

will be released early in the month of October.

Nolan and his cousin, Johnny African have collaborated on some

covers, such as Say Something by Justin Timberlake and Heathens

by Twenty One Pilots. He said they’ve both had tough

years in the industry, but they took the leap about a year ago to

work together. “It's been a steep learning curve but it has been

an absolute pleasure to work with him,” he says. He says they

have a great understanding of how they operate in the studio

and it is a very productive and pleasant working environment.

There’s been some talk about Nolan making some Afrikaans music,

but he denies these rumours. “I don’t speak the language

very well so I have no plans on releasing an Afrikaans song. But

never say never,” he says. There are on the other hand, definitely,

some collaborations in the pipeline. He says, “I have met and

worked with some amazing artists over the past year.”

Nolan says he draws inspiration from a variety of artists, mostly

internationally. Some of these include Maroon 5, One Republic,

Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd, Zayn Malik, Adele, Taylor

Swift, Billie Eilish, and many more. “I mostly look up to these

artists’ incredible work ethic,” he says.

He doesn’t like to conform to one specific genre. He says, “I like

to perform songs that I like and that I can relate to. So the genre

is almost irrelevant.” Even though you might hear different genres

from him, whatever you hear, you know that it will be real

and mean something to him.

He is very excited about the future and says it holds “hard work

and more music!” He has received a lot of support from overseas.

Even though it is important to him to establish a name for

himself locally, he is excited to branch out to foreign markets.

He recently signed with Chapter One Media. “They have taken

me under their wing and I will be working hard on more future

releases. They share the same vision as I do and I'm curious to

see what develops from this,” he says.


„Prisoner 913‟ casts new light on Mandela‟s release

Review by Lia Snijman

Above: Prisoner 913: The Release of Nelson Mandela was written

by Jan-Ad Stemmet and Riaan de Villiers. Photo: Facebook.

Dr Jan-Ad Stemmet. Photo: Facebook.

Prisoner 913: The Release of Mandela is a brand-new nonfiction

book that sheds more light on the collaboration between

Nelson Mandela and the apartheid government for his

release, as well as other revelations that have been found in

former justice and prisons minister Kobie Coetsee’s archive.

This daunting task was undertaken by Jan-Ad Stemmet and

Riaan de Villiers.

Stemmet is a historian from the Free State University, but who

will next year be moving to the South African National Defence

Force Saldanha Bay Academy, which forms part of Stellenbosch

University (SU). De Villiers is a former journalist who is now an

editor and contract publisher. He has an honours degree in political

philosophy from SU.

Stemmet spoke to StellenboschNews.com about his and De Villiers’

book. “I am happily married but have a flaming affair with

South African history. Specifically, the 1980s,” admits Stemmet.


He has many interests within that field, such as state security,

national intelligence systems, sanctions and diplomacy, underground

diplomacy, and security management systems.

He first saw Coetsee’s archive in 2013 at the Archive for Contemporary

Affairs and set to work combing through the vast archive.

Among other things, he found many files on a prisoner 913 which

turned out to be Mandela whose Robben Island number, 466/64,

is much more well-known. However, they use the lesser known

number attached to Mandela for their book which touches on

lesser known parts of Mandela’s release, negotiations and more.

The archive contains all documents that Coetsee had regarding

Mandela, including internal government memos. It also contains

transcriptions of Mandela’s conversations within his cell, something

that he seemed to be aware of.

“We find new layers. The study of History is the discovery of new

layers, that is why and how History always changes. It is not set

in stone – rather, wet clay. I think *the book+ speaks towards a

finer understanding of the era and of Madiba,” says Stemmet of

his and De Villiers’ approach.

He mentions the importance of knowing more “nitty-gritty” details

and being able to see the process play out “in real time”. He

even calls the book “a time capsule”. “We get to be the fly-onthe-wall

and observe the past in front row seats.”

Having all of this extra information also emphasises the complexity

of the 80s, according to Stemmet. “It is necessary that we

realize how extremely complicated the decade was. That is also

the reason why folks are still unsure of what to make of the

1980’s and why research into it is so paramount,” he says.

He adds that South Africa has still not come to grips with everything

that happened in the 80s, and that he thinks some of it was

too dramatic for people to properly process. He says the book

“underlines how processes played itself out almost overnight;

eight years in historical terms is but a blink”.

He hopes for more questions and debates to happen due to the

information revealed in the book and that this will in turn lead to

“vigorous new research”. He reminds us that this is only a small

sliver of information that is available, as the archive still contains

a lot of information that could not be included in the book because

of practical reasons.

He says that he will not write another book on the remaining

material, but that he will most likely write articles on that material.

“Riaan *de Villiers+ and I have already started with a new project.

It will – undoubtedly so – be much bigger than [Prisoner] 913.

There has been a new discovery… If [Prisoner] 913 possibly influences

thoughts on South African history, the new project might

just actually change South African history. No bombast. Instead

– very overwhelming,” says Stemmet.

The book shows more nuances of Mandela, rather than the

more idolised version that many South Africans are used to,

such as how early he had started negotiating with the apartheid

government. Stemmet says that working with all of the material

in the archive has given him an intimate knowledge of Mandela,

for whom he has always had respect.

“There are quite intimate moments in some documents (that we

purposefully left out as it does not speak to the broader Historical

record) that made one weep or laugh or ponder so many

aspects of the ‘man,’” he says.

He explains that one sees many different sides of Mandela –

politician, strategist, husband, father, friend, and many more –

but also “the lonesome, lonely, person”. Stemmet describes him

as both “a hero” and “a human”.

An interesting aspect of Stemmet and De Villiers’ book is that

they compare the information of the archives with news reports

of the day, as well as Mandela and FW de Klerk’s own memoirs

and autobiographies. It is insightful to see what was not known

publicly, and what was left out or obscured.

“Any person writing a memoir or autobiography has the right to

write with subjective prerogative. It is not an affidavit. It is a

personal perspective. They might be heroes, but they aren’t

saints,” says Stemmet of the discrepancies between the two

former leaders’ accounts and the documents of the archive. “As

a researcher I respect that,” he adds.

Another layer of the book that immerses readers is the addition

of transcripts at times. These are verbatim accounts of Mandela’s

conversations with some of his visitors. Stemmet says that

he and De Villiers decided which transcripts to include via “never

-ending debate” and “long conversations”.

Prisoner 913: The Release of Nelson Mandela is published by NB

Publishers and is available at R325.


Showcasing entrepreneurs who are participating in the

Ranyaka Building Business programme, is Elani Plaatjies

from The Food Triangle.

Picture a custard biscuit cup filled with a little mixed-berry compote… Elani Plaatjies’

culinary lockdown creations were quite a hit with the family. And just like custard-meetscompote,

life is a mix of sweet and a touch of sour, ups and downs – and there is no way

for one to grow and for depth to exist without a mixture of both.

Elani’s life story started in Stellenbosch and today, she lives in

Cloetesville with her family.

This entrepreneur is a go-getter and thinks of herself as a jack in

the box: “A colourful being with many facets.” And this is also

the way she feels about her culinary offerings at The Food Triangle.

But things have not always been this rosy. After she had her

third baby, she suffered severely from postnatal depression.

Through therapy she could identify and deal with other triggers

and pain points she has experienced throughout her life. An unhappy

and abusive childhood, the fact that she had been in fourteen

different schools and having to deal with low self-esteem as

a teenager to name but a few, was definitely not easy. “Life has

never been easy for me – nothing was handed on a silver plate,”

she says. “But I am a fighter and I will put anything on the line to

go for what I want.”

In 2018, Elani had the opportunity to participate in an assistant

chef course with the Cape Winelands Academy. This really inspired

her and she would love to take on another formal course,

“but being a mother of three beautiful kids does not always give

you the time,” she says. “I’ll have to ‘recut’ their umbilical cords

– so hopefully in the future,” she laughs.

“At the moment I’m a one-woman show.” Every now and again

when a very large order comes in, her younger brother, Juan

Pietersen (23), who works at a local fast food kitchen, helps her


to prep some of the ingredients.

There are a few competitors around, but Elani believes that her

customers “are my compass” who show her the direction they

want her to go with their order. “I believe that I have to keep

innovating – making new and inspiring dishes really gives me so

much energy.”

At the moment, the “bite-size” movement is very relevant to her

and she would like to shift her focus to catering for corporate

events. “I love the challenge of bringing a fresh and innovative

twist to an old-school dish,” she says.

She believes that the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown “gave

us the opportunity to reflect on who we want to be, where we

want to be and how we want to make an impact on other people’s

lives”. Elani is thankful for her faith and wants to give back

to the community – and especially to children – and their mental

wellbeing. “I see myself in the children in my community,” she

says.

Get in touch with Elani on Facebook, via WhatsApp on 073 622

6476 or on email at thefoodtriangle951@gmail.com or

elaniplaatjies395@gmail.com.

Building Business is one of ten programmes that form part of

Ranyaka’s Collaborative Community Development framework,

currently being implemented through the Nedbank Proud of

my Town initiative in 9 towns in 7 provinces nationally. Read

more about our Building Business programme.

For more information, email marli@ranyaka.co.za.

Her advice for entrepreneurs? “It doesn’t matter how small you

start, just keep on working. Don’t stop until you are where you

want to be. Everyone’s timing in life is different – but keep your

chin up.”

Elani loves the fact that Ranyaka’s Building Business programme

is so personal. “You get to have a personal relationship

with their team and they are the stepping stone any entrepreneur

can dream of. They also helped to coordinate my very first

photoshoot, for which I’m so thankfull.

Elani always knew she would “end up doing something with

food.” At first, the dream was a coffee shop/internet café. “It’s

evolved quite a bit since then, but one day hopefully – my own

little pastry bar,” she says. “I’m thankful for my journey – it

brought me to where I am today.”

Got a gathering coming up? We know someone.

Article courtesy of Ranyaka Community Transformation

Images: Lizelle Lӧtter Photography


FROM DAY ZERO TO HERO

by Ros Koch | Building Business, Kayamandi, Stellenbosch, Tell Your Story

How Day Zero inspired a Hero: The story of Asiphe ‘Sips’ Makhumalo – a young black woman, not only

building a name for herself in a traditionally male-dominated water sector – but also a firecracker with a

burning desire to see a greater representation of youth, in particular women, in the growth of the South

African economy.

Day Zero looms

It all started in 2016 when, locals will no doubt recall, the City of

Cape Town experienced the onset of an unusually challenging

and long-lasting drought. It played out as three consecutive years

of low and unpredictable rainfall, eventually causing severe water

shortage in the entire region. As the situation got worse, the

local government made urgent calls to residents and businesses

to reduce their water usage. It seemed like Cape Town could

become the first large metropolitan area (with over four million

inhabitants) to completely run out of water on what was locally

dubbed as: Day Zero!

At the time, Asiphe ‘Sips’ Makhumalo was living in a student residence

in Cape Town, where she was completing a National Diploma

in Entrepreneurship at Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

Living in the heart of the city, she was acutely conscious of

the water restrictions. She recalls how “Save water” awareness

posters had been put up “all over our rez (residence) walls and

corridors. Bathrooms were plugged with warnings. I mean it was

all over the news”.

Crisis? What crisis?

However, when Asiphe went home to visit her family in Kayamandi,

Stellenbosch, she was stunned to see life was continuing

pretty much as normal. Not only were there no visible campaigns

to reduce water usage, but worse: leaks in the communal taps

and toilets continued to be ignored; water-hungry businesses

such as car washes continued to operate without hindrance;

families and friends continued to remain ignorant of the variety

of ways in which to reduce their water consumption. When Sips

tried to encourage people to value water better, some teased

her that she was a “snob”, bringing home her ‘big city’ ideas that

they felt had no relevance to them.

Walking the talk

Whilst she did her best to share the urgency of the need to

change their behaviour, she knew that, as just one individual,

she would hardly achieve any lasting change during these limited

short visits to home. The general lack of understanding of

the value of water – combined with the limited awareness of the

crisis – were so widespread and so entrenched, that she began

to brainstorm ways to ‘walk the talk’, marrying her passion for

water conservation with her entrepreneurial spirit.

Diving deep

So how did she get so far, so quickly? To begin with, she did her

research, on several levels. She looked deep into the water

shortage crisis, focusing in particular on water wastage, finding

that South Africa loses billions of litres of water annually

through leaks and bursts. She researched possible solutions,

namely how to fix all these leaks, settling on the idea of establish

her own plumbing business.

Researching some more, she chose to do an internship


for Mobile Plumbing – a company established decades earlier,

one that has continued to go from strength to strength. She

asked herself the question: “How have they survived for so long?

They must be doing something right”. They took her on board

and, in just two short months, she learnt as much as she could

from them.

In Sips’ own words, she could see that “they are so ‘on point’.

Their focus is primarily on quality client service, which leads to

repeat business. Their operational system is short and easy”. The

company also has high standards for quality, reliability, durability

and value for money. They taught her the value and importance

of continual improvement. In turn, she taught them that – even

though she may have been the only woman on their task force –

she too could also add value.

Pursuing purpose

After her internship ended, Sips felt ready to leave them to set

up on her own. She had learned so much by way of hard skills

and solid business principles, but she also knew she wanted her

business to have, at its core, a social purpose. Sips does not just

want to save water by fixing things, but she also to prevent water

loss in the first place – essentially, to educate – so her target

market leans more to the disadvantaged communities.

And she’s not limiting the social purpose of her business to water

conservation either. Her mission is also to be a skills developer,

building both self-confidence as well as self-consciousness.

She recognises not only the untapped potential of the youth of

South Africa but especially that of young women, and especially

in traditionally male-dominated environments, such as the

plumbing industry.

Building skills, growing the economy

At the time of writing, Just Sip Mo employs five people, including

herself, but Sips is hoping to train and employ more women as

plumbers in the near future, equipping them with both the artisan

skills needed for her business, but also to one day be able to

work for themselves. With this in mind, she is registering as a

Skills Development Provider through SETA (Sector Education

Training Authority) an agency of social economic development.

With SETA accreditation, Sips can then access more support for

her skills development plans, as well as funding for PPE, office

space, equipment, such as reliable vehicles, all of which her business

so urgently needs to grow itself, and to grow the economy.

The power of positivity

However, Sips is the first to acknowledge that one cannot empower

anyone to become an entrepreneur through skills development

alone. She herself has been through tough times and

cites other major obstacles that she has experienced, such as:

financial constraints; access to resources and support; red tape;

and, the ingrained prejudices that hold back women in a maledominated

industry.

Ultimately though, Sips thinks, “most young entrepreneurs fail

not because they lack the ability nor the resources but because

they lack a positive mind set”. She strongly believes that, to

achieve this we need to train our minds to think positively. It

takes practice; it takes energy; and it needs to be continual. Every

moment of every day, we need to seek out positivity and

affirmative sources of energy.

Driving change

It will come as no surprise that Sips does not limit her positive

energy and burning ambitions to the scope of her own business,

her team and her target market. Sips is a natural networker and

motivational speaker. She has been on TV and radio, winning

competitions and awards for her entrepreneurship; hosting discussion

panels on the subject. Ultimately, she is driving change

in people’s hearts and minds, not just in the skill sets they have

in their hands.

She advocates for more “sustainable participatory programmes

that elevate the mind sets for our children and young people”

while at the same time acknowledges that “leveraging with skills

is an underlying fundamental issue”. She dreams of being part

of a centre for entrepreneurship, a collaborative place where

both business skills and positive energy can be shared and nurtured,

developed across all sectors of various industries.

A word of advice

Her advice to any young people – especially women – out there,

dreaming big dreams, just starting out or struggling to get going

is simple: “Believe in your vision!” Sips echoes the wise words of

fellow motivational speaker, Tony Gaskins: “you can’t win in life

if you are losing in your mind. Change your thoughts and it’ll

change your life”.

Contact details

Tel: 0681965014

Email: sipsconsultings@gmail.com

Facebook: Just Sip Mo

Article courtesy of Ranyaka Community Transformation.

https://ranyaka.co.za/2020/08/14/from-day-zero-to-hero/


Ranked as producing some of the

world’s most luxurious wines, De

Toren Private Cellar, is now certified

organic

An advocate of extreme care when it comes to producing

the finest of wines, De Toren Private Cellar has

always maintained an organic approach to its worldclass

viticulture. Since the get-go, the estate’s vineyards

have been managed with the utmost respect for

the soil and the vines, and this dedicated approach

has defined the estate’s farming methods for over 20

years. De Toren is ranked as producing some of the

world’s most luxurious Bordeaux style blends and utilizes

only the best methods available in order to

achieve this status.

While De Toren’s grapes are organically farmed, the

wine itself has not been officially certified as an organic

product – until now. Three years ago, the estate applied

for its official certification, and its dedicated

efforts in this regard were rewarded in July 2020. This

means that farming at De Toren is now recognized as

completely organic. It is important to note that De

Toren is organic by design, because its winemakers

understand that organic farming, coupled with handcrafted,

organic winemaking, yields optimal results

for wine lovers.

The De Toren vision is to produce some of the world’s

greatest wines, and employing organic methods is

just one of the means by which the estate achieves its

consistently superlative quality. This quality is

affirmed by the long string of international and local

awards that have been achieved by the estate. Previ-


ABOUT DE TOREN

De Toren Private Cellar is a boutique winery

specialising in luxurious, world-class Bordeauxstyle

wines and is situated on the Polkadraai

Hills, overlooking the picturesque Stellenbosch

in the Cape, South Africa. De Toren was one of

the first-ever South African wineries to produce

Bordeaux-style wines and the very first to ever

make use of a gravity-fed cellar. The farm is renowned

for meticulous attention to detail when

it comes to nurturing its vineyards to grow the

perfect berries, and for making wine through

the softest and gentlest of processes.

ously, the luxury estate was awarded The Highest Ever

Rated Wines by the reputable USA publisher Wine Enthusiast

and this magazine has also twice nominated

De Toren as New World Winery of the Year.

These international accolades confirm De Toren as not

only South Africa’s most highly rated Bordeaux styled

red wines, but indeed amongst the world’s finest red

wines. In South Africa, De Toren is ranked as one of

the Top 10 Red Wine Producers in the country.

To participate in a virtual tasting experience, or to order

wines, please send an e-mail to info@detoren.com.

For more information on the estate, visit

https://de-toren.com/.

The result of this labour of love is a range of

spectacular wines, which have over the years

been awarded the honorary titles of South Africa’s

Best Bordeaux Blend, South Africa’s Most

Luxurious Wine, and The Highest Ever Rated

Wines by the reputable USA publisher, Wine

Enthusiast Magazine, to name but a few.

In recent years, De Toren was ranked as one of

the Top 10 Red Wine Producers in South Africa

by the South African Wine Index and was once

again nominated as New World Winery of the

Year by the reputable USA publisher, Wine Enthusiast

Magazine. These international accolades

confirm De Toren as not only South Africa’s

most highly rated Bordeaux-style wines but

indeed amongst the world’s finest red wines.



5-18 October 2020

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