A very succinct comment from a highly regarded local film critic! We participated in the Semi-Soet Johannesburg Premier at Monte Casino (2nd of Feb) and last night’s Cape Town Premier at the Atholl Fugard Theatre. “The best South African movie yet” was the typical response heard from most of the premiere guests. Both events were packed and the guests were in high spirits, mixing with many local entertainment celebrities. The main actors – Anel Alexander, Nico Panagio, Sandra Vaughn, Louw Venter, Diaan Lawrenson, Paul du Toit and Corine du Toit - were at both the premieres where they stayed till the last guests went home.

When we were first approached about Vrede en Lust being the wine farm in the movie we had a few concerns. Not least being that one’s brand could suffer collateral damage in the event of a poor movie. We watched the DVD of Anel and James’s movie Discreet, which convinced us that the risks on the downside were less than the benefits on the upside. We had high hopes for Semi-Soet, but I suspect the movie will do much better than our wildest expectations. Semi-Soet will launch at 70 movie theaters across South Africa on the 17th of February 2012.

Everyone agreed that it was very funny, classy, gripping, professionally produced and shows that Afrikaans movies can be successful without being slapstick and musician centric. Anel and James Alexander from Scramble Productions put their heart and soul into this project and made a great movie on a $ budget that would any producer in Hollywood’s mind! They put together a strong cast backed by a professional production team. Most importantly, they got everyone to believe in what was possible and that the movie would change the direction of local movies going forward.

A big thanks on our side to the cast and crew of Semi-Soet for the great job done and for allowing Vrede en Lust to participate to the extent we do! Thanks also to Janina Otto for all her work with Semi-Soet and the premieres, and to my wife Anneke and her team who worked so hard to ensure everyone had enough wine to taste and enjoy at the premieres. The photo above was taken at the Cape Town event with the cast and some of the Vrede en Lust team.

There is an interesting connection that goes back to 2003, with Corine du Toit, one of the stars of Semi-Soet. Corine was the model we had selected for the very first Vrede en Lust advertisement! We used the ad for about a year, by which time Corine had moved on from modeling to a role in the TV series Egoli. She had done numerous other TV series and movies over the last 9 years. Great to do something together again Corine!

Our wines and marketing have also moved forward a long way since then! To celebrate the release of Semi-Soet, we are launching a very limited release wine – the ‘Vryersvoetpad 2008‘, as featured in the movie. It is a smooth, sophisticated, Merlot dominant, Bordeaux blend. Only 1,450 bottles were produced. Each bottle is numbered and the Vryersvoetpad will be available exclusively from Makro fine wine departments country wide, as well as from our cellardoor and eStore.

You can also visit Semi-Soet on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

Article source: http://www.vnl.co.za/2012/02/09/semi-soet-movie-premieres-done-and-dusted/

adidas –in conjunction with Supersport –is inviting all African football fans to participate in choosing the appropriate name for the official match ball for 2013 AFCON tournament. To streamline the process, adidas has shortlisted 3 names from which the public can choose.

The names were taken from local South African languages as the host nation. A similar approach had been used in choosing the name for 2010 FIFA World Cup™ -Jabulani.
• adidas does not sponsor AFCON –we are a partner of CAF and official ball supplier since 2008
• we have produced 3 balls for the AFCON tournament since 2008:
-wawa aba –for the AFCON in Ghana -2008
-jabulani –for the AFCON in Angola -2010
-comoequa – for the AFCON in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea-2012

Now we are asking the African football fans in SA and the rest of Africa to participate in a competition to choose the appropriate name for the AFCON ball in 2013 –which will be hosted by South Africa.

• To streamline the competition –adidas has shortlisted three names for the fans to choose from
• The names are:
-khanya (shine/light)
-katlego (success)
-motswako (mixture)

The voting process;
• To stand a chance of winning a double ticket to the final game of AFCON in 2013 –viewers will have to go to http://www.supersport.com/competitions/afconadidas   and vote for one of the 3 names.

The prize;
The ultimate prize is winning a double ticket to the final of the AFCON 2013 tournament. The winner will be drawn on the 20th of February 2012 as per competition rules and conditions.
 

Go to: Name 2013 AFCON ball

He said, “Playing Amazulu in the first round is not an entirely bad draw, because we know how they play their football unlike PSL teams who have drawn minnows and have no information about their opponents.

We want to go one stage better than we did in the MTN8 competition where we reached the semi-final, we aiming for a final spot.

Playing against Amazulu is a challenging prospect and we are looking forward to playing them, especially after our last encounter when they beat us, now its payback time. The players are still smarting from the loss and they want to succeed in this competition.

There is a spot in next season’s CAF Confederations Cup up for grabs and we would like to showcase our football at a higher level.”

Go to: Its payback time in Nedbank Cup

Go to: We sympathize with Egyptians

Go to: Athlone games update

A number of PSL teams were drawn against minnows setting up potential giant-killing matches, however for Ajax Cape Town the test will be to overcome Amazulu FC in the first round.

Shooz Mekuto the Ajax PRO said, “Games between Usuthu and Ajax have always been closely contested affairs and the attraction of the Nedbank Cup is sure to fire-up both teams.

No matter who we would have been drawn against in order to reach the final,  one must be prepared to take on and beat any team irrespective of their league status.

Ajax have won four of the last seven games against Amazulu, with a loss and two drawn results of the remaining three games.

We are looking forward to this game.”

Current Nedbank Cup holders Orlando Pirates kick off their title defence with an away fixture against a Vodacom League side, Ethekwini Coastal FC.

Other PSL clashes to come out of the draw are; Maritzburg United v Bloemfontein Celtic and Moroka Swallows v Bidvest Wits.

The full draw: (teams mentioned first will play at home)
Golden Arrows v North West Shining Stars
EThekwini Coastal FC v Orlando Pirates
Free State Stars v Sivutsa Stars
Santos v University of Pretoria
Maritzburg United v Bloemfontein Celtic
Roses United v Bay United
SAFA play-off winner v United FC
Batau FC v SuperSport United
African Warriors v Jomo Cosmos
Moroka Swallows v Bidvest Wits
MP Black Aces v Witbank Spurs
Kaizer Chiefs v Cape Town All Stars
Platinum Stars v The Dolphins
Black Leopards v Blackburn Rovers
Amazulu v Ajax Cape Town
Powerlines FC v Mamelodi Sundowns

The PSL will announce the venues and dates at a later stage.

Go to: Ajax draw Usuthu in Nedbank Cup

Go to: NEW MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE

The roads have been closed to accommodate President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation Address and the Opening of Parliament at 7pm this evening.

“There will be road closures in the surrounding area, particularly the CBD. The road closures will affect the normal flow of traffic in and around the City Bowl and road users are asked to plan their routes accordingly,” said the city in a statement.

Traffic law enforcement officers will be deployed, and directional signage will also be erected.

The following roads will be closed from 5:45pm to 7pm:

• Klipper Road, Newlands: from Main Road (M4) to Newlands Avenue
• Princess Anne Avenue, Newlands: from Newlands Avenue to Union Avenue
• Newlands Avenue, Newlands: from Dean Street to Princess Anne Avenue
• Dean Street, Newlands, westbound: from Main Road (M4) to Newlands Avenue
• M3, Union Avenue, Rhodes Drive, De Waal Drive, city-bound carriageway: from Newlands Avenue to city centre
• Woolsack Drive, Rondebosch, westbound: between Main Road (M4) and Rhodes Drive (M3)
• Anzio Road, Observatory: from Main Road (M4) to De Waal Drive (M3)
• N2, Settlers Way city-bound carriageway: from Main Road (M4) to city centre
• N2, Settlers Way city-bound carriageway at M5: (traffic will be diverted along Black River Parkway to the city).
• Nelson Mandela Boulevard (N2) city-bound: from Hospital Bend to Christiaan Barnard Street (including the Melbourne Road, Roodebloem Road and Searle Street onramps)

The following roads will be closed from 4pm to 8pm:

• Nelson Mandela Boulevard: Strand Street off-ramp
• Hertzog Boulevard in-bound: from Nelson Mandela Boulevard to Heerengracht
• Strand Street: from Russel Street to Adderley Street
• Strand Street between Long and Adderley Streets
• Adderley Street: from Hans Strijdom Avenue to Wale Street
• Heerengracht: between Coen Steytler and Hans Strijdom Avenues
• Wale Street in-bound: between Queen Victoria and Adderley Streets
• Bureau Street: between Adderley and Parliament Streets
• Spin Street: between Plein Street and Parliament Streets
• Parliament Street from the gates of Parliament to approximately 35m before Longmarket Street (excluding the parking garage situated in Parliament Street)
• Plein Street between Roeland and Spin Streets
• Closure of the Company’s Garden
• Commercial Street from Buitenkant to Plein Streets.

The following roads are already closed and will remain so until tomorrow:

• Plein Street: between Roeland and Spin Streets
• Roeland Street: between Plein and Buitenkant Streets – deliveries to businesses or access to private dwellings will not be affected as provision will be made.
• Government Avenue
• Gallery Lane
• St John’s Road: between Plein and Vrede Streets
• Commercial Street: to be closed at Plein Street and to become bi-directional from 6am until midnight
• Bouquet Street
• Buitenkant Street between Roeland and Mill Streets: Traffic will be diverted at Mill Street and access control will be in place (New location for Remote Search Park – Buitenkant Street between Roeland Street and Glynn Street)

The public are also warned of the security fencing which will line the route in the CBD. There will be guarded pedestrian crossing points during peak time on Adderley Street at Hans Strijdom, Waterkant and Castle Streets.

The Company’s Garden will be closed on Thursday 10 February from 16:00 to 20:00.

The city has arranged that the MyCiti bus service will continue to run throughout the day.

At the Civic Centre station, buses will arrive at and depart from the north side of the station (Hertzog Boulevard out-bound). Passengers and pedestrians will not be permitted to use Hertzog Boulevard in-bound sidewalks on Thursday between 4pm and 8pm. – BuaNews

Zuma: A Biography

The first edition of Zuma, published in late 2008, concluded with Jacob Zuma’s future balancing on a knife’s edge. National elections loomed, but so did corruption charges and endless court battles. Since then Zuma’s star has spectacularly risen – the corruption charges were dropped, he led the ANC to election victory and duly became President of South Africa, and his new cabinet and government appointments were generally well received. But he has also recently suffered a huge blow with revelations of another love-child, this time with the daughter of soccer supremo Irvine Khoza. Many of his supporters have distanced themselves from him, and Zuma is looking isolated. Pundits are once again wondering how long he’ll survive as President. In this revised and updated edition, Jeremy Gordin takes the reader right up to present. He covers in detail the highs and lows of Zuma’s past 18 months, including the final salvoes of his legal battles, as well as his first year as President. New material in this edition alsoThe first edition of Zuma, published in late 2008, concluded with Jacob Zuma’s future balancing on a knife’s edge. National elections loomed, but so did corruption charges and endless court battles. Since then Zuma’s star has spectacularly risen – the corruption charges were dropped, he led the ANC to election victory and duly became President of South Africa, and his new cabinet and government appointments were generally well received. But he has also recently suffered a huge blow with revelations of another love-child, this time with the daughter of soccer supremo Irvine Khoza. Many of his supporters have distanced themselves from him, and Zuma is looking isolated. Pundits are once again wondering how long he’ll survive as President. In this revised and updated edition, Jeremy Gordin takes the reader right up to present. He covers in detail the highs and lows of Zuma’s past 18 months, including the final salvoes of his legal battles, as well as his first year as President. New material in this edition also

Price:

GeoModel Solar, a leading international provider of solar resource data, online site assessment tools, and expert consultancy, today released a new set of solar maps for South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. The abundant global and direct solar radiation is now mapped in the best possible quality, which will support the development of photovoltaic and concentrated solar energy in the country.

“Uniqueness of these maps is reflected in their very high spatial resolution of 250 metres. As regards temporal resolution, the underlying solar database represents more than 18 years of historical data (1994 – to present) with a time step of up to 15 minutes,” said Marcel Suri, Managing Director of GeoModel Solar.

“The solar radiation received in some regions can vary by up to 20% within a distance of 10 kilometres. Hence, it is very important to have access to data with high accuracy and spatial resolution, making it possible to predict a solar plant’s output with greater confidence,” he added.

High reliability of maps was achieved thanks to the use of data from SolarGIS(R), the most accurate solar resource database available for Southern Africa. SolarGIS(R), developed by GeoModel Solar, has been extensively validated by a number of local ground measurements in partnership with Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies, Stellenbosch University. “These maps are a very useful source of solar resource information. Utilization of such information can have a significant impact on profitability and efficiency of projects,” said Prof. Wikus van Niekerk, Director of the Centre.

The maps and data can be accessed through the SolarGIS web-based platform – see Cape Town here: http://solargis.info.

The SolarGIS platform also provides access to the online site assessment tools: iMaps and pvPlanner. iMaps, a state-of-the-art interactive mapping tool, enables identification of the best locations for solar energy projects. Once a site is selected, photovoltaic electricity yield can be interactively estimated with the help of pvPlanner.

Pack 12: Little Wigwam Solar System & World Map Placemat

• Learn all about our Solar System with this stunning placemat! Includes all the dwarf planets -Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake and Eris. Planets and Asteroid Belt shown in order from Sun. Relative Size chart
• From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, Antarctica to North America, and the Amazon to the Nile, everything you need from our fantastic World Map Placemat!
• Placemat Size: 420mm x 297mm (A3)
• Material: Polypropylene
• Suggested Age: 6 – 11 years

Our range of reusable placemats have been designed by teachers to help kids learn at the dinner table. The mats are made from 100% recyclable polypropylene, are printed with child-safe inks in compliance with EN71, and have rounded corners and smoothed edges to make them extra safe!

List Price: £8.75

Price: £8.75

A group of 100 doctors from 30 nationalities has been specially selected from the 500-strong member WDO, due to their exceptional musical abilities, to perform in two benefit concerts in Cape Town and Johannesburg in February. Through the medium of classical music, the doctors will bring their special brand of attention to a global emergency – the spread of HIV/AIDS.

MBSA Divisional Corporate Affairs Manager, Nobuzwe Mangcu, explains why the automotive company has become involved in the initiative: “In 2000 Mercedes-Benz South Africa first heeded the call to act against HIV and Aids. For over 10 years we have raised awareness for, and actively spoken about the prevention of the disease – first amongst our staff, then expanding our successful model to small businesses around our manufacturing plant, and then into communities. The work done in the community of Elandsdoorn by the Hugo Tempelman Foundation has a direct correlation to the aims of our own corporate social investment focus on HIV/AIDS.”

The work of the Foundation at the Ndlovu Care Group in Elandsdoorn supports the holistic approach of Dutch doctor, Hugo Tempelman, in the fight against HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. The approach focuses on education and advocacy about the disease and providing essential healthcare services. “This is exactly the sustainability model that MBSA ascribes to in the work we have done with employees in our Workplace HIV/AIDS programme, the small businesses on our Siyakhana project and the Trucking Wellness network of clinics that we support.”

The WDO is a non-profit organisation based in Germany that attracts membership from all corners of the world, with the common goal of focussing the world’s attention on curable infectious diseases that still plague many undeveloped countries. This includes illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, leprosy and malaria. In the process, they also raise money for beneficiaries in the countries where they perform. According to the WDO: “healthcare is a human right, and the precondition for human development”. Doctor-musicians participating in the WDO concerts cover their own travel costs.

The South African programme is the ninth of this nature, following on similar expeditions to Berlin, Cleveland, Taipei, Yerevan, Washington, Beijing and Shanghai. The WDO tour of South Africa kicks off in Cape Town with a concert on 9 February, followed by a concert in Johannesburg on Sunday, 12 February 2012. Concerts will be conducted by founder of the WDO, Prof. Dr. Stefan N. Willich – an accomplished doctor and musician.

Famous South African composers contribute to the program: Allan Stephenson’s Pastorale for Clarinet is interpreted by Maria du Toit, who is one of the foremost clarinettist in South Africa. South African composer Peter Klatzow, teacher of contemporary classical music at University of Cape Town, contributes with the commissioned work “Healing Melody”.

The World Doctors Orchestra

Daimler and Benz: The Complete History – The Birth and Evolution of the Mercedes-Benz

• New
• Mint Condition
• Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon
• Guaranteed packaging
• No quibbles returns

Presents the official history of two of the world’s pioneering automotive firms, illustrated with over 400 color photographs. This title presents a decade-by-decade look at the evolution of one of the world’s leading car companies. It opens in early days of three pioneers, Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, and the birth of Mercedes.

List Price: £19.99

Price: £10.94

Concert goers can expect a stellar line-up of male and female singers performing well-loved local and international duets spanning a number of genres.

The show starts at 20h00 and tickets are available from Computicket from R100 to R180. Tickets cost between R60 and R100 for children between five and 16 years of age.

One of the Top 10 topics trending today is the news that Sasha Martinengo is leaving 5FM at the end of March:

The official word from 5FM reads:

5FM is sad to announce that, after 17 years on air, Sasha Martinengo will be leaving the station at the end of March 2012. The decision comes as part of the station’s annual line-up change, which takes place from 1 April 2012. Explains 5FM’s station manager Aisha Mohamed, “Line-up changes are an unfortunate part of the radio landscape. Every year 5FM, along with the SABC’s 17 other radio properties, evaluate their on-air line-up for the year ahead. Sasha will unfortunately not be with us from April onwards. The change comes as part of a long-term strategic plan to revise our on air offering. We are enormously appreciative of Sasha’s incredible work ethic, his dedication to the listeners and his support of the 5FM brand. The station however needs to evolve and change as our listeners do.”

Says Sasha, “Working at 5FM hasn’t just been a job, it’s been my life. I’d like to think I have entertained my listeners over the years. I have had a brilliant time and will miss my 5FM family. Thank you for all the years of fun and support.”

Adds 5FM’s Aisha, “It has been absolutely wonderful working with Sasha. He’s been a huge asset to the 5FM team and we will miss him as an on-air personality and as a team player.”

Don’t you just hate that smarmy corporate speak? And, what is all this emphasis on being a team player?

Here are some of the Twitteractions:

RT @Anatinus: Interesting that the dooses who comment anonymously on my blogs don't have the balls to do it to my face on Twittter. touche

8 February, 2012 11:33 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@F1sasha

sasha martinengo

Sasha Martinengo leaves 5fm *YAWN*

8 February, 2012 2:29 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@SiphoCindi

Sipho

Popular national radio Dj Sasha Martinengo leaves 5FM after 17 Years (full story) - http://t.co/hGSht1QQ @f1sasha

8 February, 2012 1:48 pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®ReplyRetweetFavorite

@BrandonLorenzo

Brandon Lorenzo

Sasha to leave @5fm. The unofficial press release: http://t.co/X98rPU4r

8 February, 2012 2:50 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@KayliVee

Kayli Vee Levitan

But are keeping Grant/Anele & KB? Terrible decision! RT Sasha Martinengo Leaves 5FM After 17 Years http://t.co/HSWIYJh3 via @2oceansvibe

8 February, 2012 1:38 pm via Tweet ButtonReplyRetweetFavorite

@concierge_ryan

Ryan van Zyl

RT @SindyLP: Sadly, this parody rings true. Gonna miss @F1sasha! RT @6000: Sasha Martinengo to leave 5fm http://t.co/Fbw00l0t lol

8 February, 2012 10:46 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@F1sasha

sasha martinengo

We at MyCapetown will miss you you old fart.

adidas –in conjunction with Supersport –is inviting all African football fans to participate in choosing the appropriate name for the official match ball for 2013 AFCON tournament. To streamline the process, adidas has shortlisted 3 names from which the public can choose.

The names were taken from local South African languages as the host nation. A similar approach had been used in choosing the name for 2010 FIFA World Cup™ -Jabulani.
• adidas does not sponsor AFCON –we are a partner of CAF and official ball supplier since 2008
• we have produced 3 balls for the AFCON tournament since 2008:
-wawa aba –for the AFCON in Ghana -2008
-jabulani –for the AFCON in Angola -2010
-comoequa – for the AFCON in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea-2012

Now we are asking the African football fans in SA and the rest of Africa to participate in a competition to choose the appropriate name for the AFCON ball in 2013 –which will be hosted by South Africa.

• To streamline the competition –adidas has shortlisted three names for the fans to choose from
• The names are:
-khanya (shine/light)
-katlego (success)
-motswako (mixture)

The voting process;
• To stand a chance of winning a double ticket to the final game of AFCON in 2013 –viewers will have to go to http://www.supersport.com/competitions/afconadidas   and vote for one of the 3 names.

The prize;
The ultimate prize is winning a double ticket to the final of the AFCON 2013 tournament. The winner will be drawn on the 20th of February 2012 as per competition rules and conditions.
 

Go to: Name 2013 AFCON ball