Lest we forget: Banyana Banyana star Eudy Simelane 
By Devan Moonsamy, CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

It has been 10 years since our Banyana Banyana soccer star Eudy Simelane was found gang raped, robbed and murdered. She was stabbed over 25 times. It is unfathomable that such brutality could ever be justified.
The reason for this heinous crime? Eudy was lesbian. In the decade since, it feels like we are no closer to overcoming this terrible persecution. Violence and abuse the world over against people of differing sexualities and gender identities is a reality. Our hearts go out to Simelane’s family who no doubt still feel the weight of her loss at the age of 31. Mally Simelane, Eudy’s mother, has said that she has finally found a way to forgive her daughter’s murderers.

What strength and humanity Eudy’s mother shows in the face of such devastation. Still, hate crimes such as this are destroying South African lives. And, what is more, it means that others like Simelane continue to live in fear, continue to hide who they are, simply because of some people’s complete intolerance for what is really none of their business at all.

The neighbourhood in which Simelane lived, KwaThemba on the East Rand in Gauteng, is said to be largely LGBTQ-friendly. Simelane may have felt safe, her family may have had a measure of confidence that she was accepted. As a result, the attack came as a massive shock to the community.
A long time has passed since Simelane’s death, but we mustn’t forget her. We mustn’t forget her bravery in living life as who she was, her advocacy for LGBTQ people, and as a soccer player in a male-dominated sport.

There have been many more recent cases, but this case is notable in that Eudy’s murderers were the first in South Africa to be convicted of so-called “corrective” rape. However, this characterisation doesn’t seem to apply, and LGBTQ organisations are guarded about the term as well.
Correction implies an attempt at discipline. This was extreme homophobic violence and a hate crime through and through that showed complete disregard for human life and dignity. Many South Africans will agree that such crimes are an offense against all of us, not only against people who are gay.
One such person is Bongi, a middle-aged woman from Mpumalanga. I feel that Bongi’s reaction to the issues gives considerable insight into the views of most South Africans. Her feelings on the issue, as an older member of a township community, should be taken very seriously, especially by those who purport to speak and act for communities, even believing they have a right to take justice into the own hands by attacking and somehow “correcting” homosexual people.

“You are killing the thing you think you are protecting”
What sparked an intense discussion was that Bongi recently heard those terrible words: “She deserved it”. This was not in reference to Eudy in this case, but another lesbian woman who was raped for so-called “corrective” purposes. Bongi seems shattered as she talks about it, she tries not to cry, but she can’t help it. She says she does not know the woman who was raped, but this person’s reaction continues to echo cruelly in her mind.

While Bongi can’t speak for everyone, I think her views on rape, and on homosexuality, will ring true for many South Africans: “I know there are murderers and rapists anywhere. It’s a fact of life. But when I hear them say ‘She deserved it,’ in front of me then I feel anger, and my bones feel like they are on fire. I know if I don’t get away I am going to spit on this man.”

“I also feel scared. It makes me scared of men. I can get scared just seeing some guys coming this way.”
When Bongi was asked if she would feel the same if a straight woman were raped compared to a lesbian, she said, “It’s the same... I don’t agree with people being lesbian or gays, but that is my feeling. It’s not for me to be playing God and deciding who is punished. It is not for anyone to take hate, or even thinking it is justice, as their excuse to do such things.

“It doesn’t matter if she sleeps in the bed with a man or a woman. She is doing her life, I am doing mine. If Eudy or this girl who was raped recently was my daughter, I would still say I love her. I would still say ‘Come to the house and let me meet the woman you are with.’… God is not going to punish me for that. Murderers will be punished and rapists and men who rape even small girls, they are going to be seriously punished.

“My awareness is heightened because I am a South African woman. I have to be prepared for a possibility. We tell each other, you must be strong now. Don’t wait until it happens to try make yourself strong. Even the 12-year-old girl must know she has to be very strong, she must know the township has dangers.”
“We tell the girls to always watch the men, and make sure they are not alone with any man. Even her uncle or brother can be dangerous. You think you can trust him. But then his friends get him drunk or get evil in his head.”

“If there is a man around the place, she must rather go to the neighbour’s house and wait for her mother to come home. If some guy is giving her mother or sister trouble, she must scream. She must scream loud. And she must use the locks, and keep the house locked.”
“Don’t these guys know how they destroy people’s trust? They destroy men’s dignity in addition. They destroy our dignity. They make themselves devils. They identifying themselves as devils…

“If a person is gay, it can be wrong, but I don’t know any gay people causing hate and violence… If you are violent and raping people, how can you say you are fixing a problem? What are you doing to help the community? You are not helping us. You are destroying us. You are killing the thing you think you are protecting, because we are one group of people, one group that is God’s children. It’s not gays outside and the rest of us under God. We are one people.”

Bongi was asked, “Why do you think these men did it? Was it only because the women are lesbian?” She replied, “It’s because their hearts are dead. Lesbian and gay people are just their excuse to be devils, their excuse to act out this kind of evil in them.”

For more information on Devan Moonsamy and The ICHAF Training Institute please visit:
Website - http://www.ichaftraining.co.za/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheICHAFTrainingInstitute/?ref=br_rs
Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheIchaf

-- ENDS -- 

For further comment from Devan Moonsamy you can email him on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or contact him on 083 303 9159

 

Johannesburg, Gauteng – 9 July 2018 - American Founder of Pursue Your Purpose LLC and Forbes Coach, Tamiko Cuellar, will be launching a 4-city "Own Your Brilliance! Tour throughout South Africa and Namibia for aspiring and emerging women entrepreneurs from 11-20 August 2018 in honor of National Women's Month. The first-of-its-kind tour will be a series of Master Class workshops taught by Cuellar and are based on her 3rd book release, "Own Your Brilliance! - A Woman's Guide to Hiring Herself." Aspiring and emerging women are strongly encouraged to attend this event.

The tour will commence in Johannesburg on August 11th, then to Windhoek, Namibia on August 14th, to East London on August 18th, and end in Cape Town on August 20th. "South Africa and Namibia have some of the most talented and capable professional women who are seeking to be empowered to start or run their own businesses successfully. As an International Business Strategist, I am coming to help them get to their next level," says Cuellar. Attendees will leave inspired and equipped to own their brilliance and with ways they can prosper by using their gifts, talents, skills, and abilities on their own terms as entrepreneurs.

Notable sponsors including the University of South Africa (UNISA) and the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) have joined forces with this powerful event. East London-based firm Epitomely PRM, has also partnered with the event to market it in Eastern Cape and has brought on Cape Town based NGO Womandla as the official Corporate Social Initiative client so that a portion of the ticket proceeds can benefit the Womandla Foundation for women in Africa. Mamoyo Media House in Johannesburg is an official media partner of the event.

Details of the Master Class and registration can be found on the registration page.   A special opportunity for discounted coaching with Cuellar will be made available to a select number of women who register early. Spaces are limited.  During the Master Class, Cuellar will share her personal journey that inspired her to write the "Own Your Brilliance!" book and teach practical lessons and strategies from the book to equip women to run successful businesses.  A free copy of the e-book will be provided to every woman who registers for the event. Tamiko Cuellar is the CEO and Founder of Pursue Your Purpose LLC, a global coaching firm based in the U.S. for aspiring and emerging women entrepreneurs internationally. She is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, a regular contributor to Forbes.com and a former Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship. A proven leader in the global marketplace,

Tamiko has been invited to speak at corporations, conferences, churches, on several radio and TV programs, and more. Cuellar coaches high performing, purpose driven women globally with strategies to transition into entrepreneurship and to grow their businesses. For more information on Cuellar and her company, visit the company website.

Johannesburg, South Africa ( January 27, 2015) - Women with severely, matted and tangled hair can breathe a sigh of relief, following Hair Detangler School’s revelation of a new product they have been using to effectively treat hairs of this nature.

Hair Detangler School SA offers professional detangling service, unique to Africa, for those who want to get rid of tangles and mats in their hair without cutting their mane. 

The Take Down Remover cream is and American product and the only one that the professional’s at Hair Detangler School SA  use.  They do not use conditioner, glycerin, or water based products-as it makes severely matted/tangled hair worse.

Apart from effectively treating tangled, matted hair, the Take Down Remover Cream can be used in the detangling of dreadlocks, braids, sew-in weaves, twists and extensions.  It is also excellent option for the removal of bonding glue and keratin heat fusion bonds.

Senior Detangle Tech Trainers at Hair Detangler School SA state that "Most hairdressers just want to cut very matted tangled hair. They do not know about the Take Down Remover or the techniques needed to successfully detangle. Furthermore, they just can't be bothered with devoting a day or two days to detangling hair." Also they emphasize that "We do, however, train hairdressers who want to learn." 

To get hair professionally detangled or for expert training in detangling tangled matted hair visit, http://www.hairdetanglerschoolsa.com                                                                                                                       

Contact:

Nomsa Beauty Ltd
Tel: (+27) 0791275325
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

23, January 2015 –Dreadlock Removal Process Now Made Easy with the Take Down® Remover 

The Take Down® Removers is the #1 Best Braid, Weave, Extension and Dreadlock Remover. This is a dry hair detangler which works fast in softening the hair.

The cream prevents any type of breakage during the process of detangling. It offers wonderful results on hair that has not been combed or brushed for a long period. Hair that has become extremely dry and matted can now be softened with the help of this excellent cream. The gentle cream penetrates through the hair and softens each and every strand as and when it is being combed.

Imagine the amount of time and effort it would take to remove the knots and clumps out of that matted and tangled hair. Take Down® Remover is definitely a great relief from pain as well as a feasible solution that offers excellent results.

The cream should be used directly on the matted hair before shampooing. Shampooing the matted hair would lead to more stubborn knots and clumps. It would also create masses of tangled matted hair. All that the users need here is this Detangler Cream, a wide tooth comb, a rat tail comb and of course lots of patience.

Users have to massage and soak the hair with the cream without wetting the hair. The knots, balls or clumps can be picked using the rat tail comb. The strands of hair can be slowly pulled out using the pin tip of the comb. If the hair to too tangled, users may wish to use extra cream – the more the better. This would weaken the matted knots and clumps.

The hair can be shampooed once it is completely detangled. A wide tooth comb can be used to remove all the knots and mats now. The hair can be conditioned with an excellent conditioner at the end.

Even the worst dreadlocks, twists, hair extensions and dread extensions can be detangled easily with the help of this dreadlock remover. Hair restoration is now easy and simple with this excellent product. It is time to say no to painful processes and those time taking sessions to detangle the extremely impossible tangled hair.   

To know more about this dreadlock remover visit www.hairdetanglerschoolsa.com

Contact Details

Nomsa Beauty Ltd, Johannesburg. 
Tel:(+27) 0791275325
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

They are in South African companies and industries right now, although they may not be part of traditional networks and are unlikely to be present at the higher levels of management in the same numbers as men.  It is for this reason that BPW SA and the Department of Trade & Industry (the dti) have partnered in an unrivalled “Women on Boards” director development programme to create a pool of female leaders in SA who are excellently trained and are therefore highly sought after by Boards.  

Most people today have no knowledge about the makeup of corporate boards, even in the companies they work for. These people would be surprised to learn how little diversity of thought and experience exists in the corporate boardrooms and executive suites of South African businesses. Why should you care about board composition? Boards of directors make decisions that can impact you, your community, and the country.  That’s why it’s important that membership on corporate boards be representative of a company's constituents.

Boards of directors choose CEOs. They make decisions about executive compensation, whether to buy, sell, or merge with other companies, where corporate offices close and relocate, and how much priority a company gives to issues other than profits, such as social responsibility.  

Our Women on Boards programme will give you the expertise and exposure needed to be part of the right networks.  It is an eight-part program — strategically placed over the course of 8 months, due to the complexity of the material — equips women with the knowledge and tools needed to elevate themselves to the C-suite and beyond.  In a supportive and highly interactive atmosphere, an impressive roster of top government and corporate experts will guide skilled female executives through a rigorous program of intensive classroom instruction, case studies and simulations. Every element of the program is focused on strengthening and broadening the leadership talents of the participants and delivering positive results for their companies and organizations.  They will improve their understanding of the responsibilities of board membership and develop the skills and strategic insight needed to become a more effective director.     They will improve their understanding of board governance while heightening their financial literacy and increasing their understanding of relevant legislation.  Amongst others, specialist training is also provided by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) with regard to corporate governance and understanding of JSE terminology and the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) (London) who will impart their expertise on personal and reputational risk.  The dti will convey their expectations of board members and corporate experts will present, and execute simulations, on media and presentation skills to enhance leadership effectiveness. The programme is certified by the dti.  

For more information, please visit our website at www.bpw-jhbsa.co.za  .or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 011 794-4991.

Business & Professional Women (BPW SA), and the Department of Trade & Industry (the dti) are hosting a business breakfast on 7th August 2014 to launch a unique 3-day Women’s Empowerment Programme in South Africa to provide registered SME’s with the legislative knowledge required to effectively run their business within the parameters of South African law.  

The breakfast is hosted by DDG Mr Mojalefa Mohoto and DDG Mrs Pumla Ncapayi from the DTI and BPW South Africa as well as senior representatives from the JSE and UN-Women and the Commonwealth Business Council.  Various international Ambassadors and High Commissioners will host tables at the event.  A sponsorship fund will be launched at the breakfast for qualifying enterprises.  

Organisations of all sizes in South Africa need to develop and apply sound governance, risk and compliance principles and institute high ethical values. Failure to do so will have devastating consequences for the organisation, including penalties.   For SMEs, the biggest challenge is a lack of understanding around the difficulties associated with becoming compliant.   Understanding the ever-changing regulations makes the difference between a small business thriving – growing the economy and creating jobs – or closing its doors, and thus closing the door on job creation.  

Simply put, you need to know your laws. Know your rights and obligations. In this way you mitigate risk to yourself, your business, your employees and your customers. If done well, it helps to improve business performance and ensure financial success.   If you would like to be part of this Women’s Empowerment Programme, we invite you to join us at this Business Breakfast – tickets are R500 per person or R5000 per table of 10.   

For more information, or to attend the Business Breakfast,
please visit our website at http://www.bpw-jhbsa.co.za/index.php/events/30-future-events/98-business-training-courses.
Website: www.bpw-jhbsa.co.za

{pp}With spring in the air, you can almost feel the excitement of everything just waiting to blossom. As the year ends Sinzinani Spa have finalized all packages and specials.