Western Cape Entrepreneurs launch Waist change Initiative “10 cm to better health”  

Neels Stander and Hansie Louw launched their Western Cape “10 cm to better health” in Cape Town on Wednesday 1 October 1014.

The two entrepreneurs challenge one million people from Western Cape to change their Waist to height ratio. Just start with 10 cm first, is what they say.

Riaan Moll is the first competitor who has signed up for this challenge. He has a waistline of 114 cm and his height is 187 cm. His waist to height ratio is almost 61%. He will attempt to reduce his waist by 13 cm in the days to 29 October.  If he is successful in his effort the ratio will be 54% which is still not the desired 50% or below, but he would have made a huge change.

What prompted Stander and Louw to launch this project? Louw has been working (and living for a period of 18 months) in Khayelitsha for a period of about 8 years already. He said, ”I  have met people with many different health problems, ranging from inability to walk with ease to  high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems. They all could drastically improve their quality of life by losing (in most cases) or gaining a few centimeters around the waist. In Khayelitsha you could easily talk to someone about losing some fat around the belly as opposed to talking about weight loss. We challenge everybody in the Western Cape to calculate their waist to height ratio (Wthr) and make an effort to adjust it by 10 cm or more where required.”

Stander is the owner of Cape Town Ozone Health at Tygervalley. He sees people on a regular basis coming for ozone treatment to improve their health and quality of life. Many of the customers here are overwaist. Stander recommends, “Measure your waist relative to height. If this measurement is over 50% you need to make adjustments.  Good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle with exercise is what will assist you to achieve this”.

South Africa was indicated as number three on the obesity list according to research by the WHO based on BMI (body mass index).  According to further research an amount of 72% of people from Cape Town is overweight.  Although BMI  is a measure to use, Dr Margaret Ashwell, OBE, Phd started to use the measurement of waist to height as a better indicator of health risks. She devised the Ashwell® Shape Chart, which shows how waist-to-height ratio (a proxy for abdominal obesity) can predict health risk. According to the chart that she developed we could plot an individual.

Louw said, “It is easier to motivate and teach a person how to reduce the waist line than it is to lose weight in the first instance. That is why we are launching the ‘10 cm to better health campaign’. Often when you exercise and eat more protein your weight will go up although your waist may in fact reduce. If we focus on the scale, we will not appreciate the significant change. We want to motivate 1 million people in the Western Cape to adjust their waist by 10 cm. Plot yourself on the graph. If you need to reduce, do that. If you need to increase your measurement change your habits to do that.”

 Riaan Moll is the first contestant for his project. Members of the public is welcome to register for this challenge. Stander and Louw have a friendly bet to see if their first participant will reach his goal to lose 13 cm in 28 days

Contact:

Hansie Louw 021 946 3717 / 082 776 5462 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Neels Stander 021 914 6109 / 083 667 3977 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Cape Town Ozone Health,
Shop 145,
Tygervalley,
Banking Mall.

[SEPTEMBER 2014, Cape Town] Recent news reports revealed that according to Minister of Basic Education, Ms. Angie Motshekga’s response to parliamentary questions, over half a million learners are registered to write the Grade 12 final exams across South Africa this year.  

Whilst many look at this statistic with encouragement that such a large number of learners are seeing it through to Grade 12, other experts and opinion leaders are a little bit concerned because this is an indication of the volume of learners that will need to enter the job market in the coming year.  

The most recent youth unemployment statistics recorded South Africa’s youth unemployment at a staggering high of 36%. At the opening of the Youth Employment Conference in September, Deputy President, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa mentioned in a video-taped message that government is looking at employment tax incentives to encourage employers to employ first time employees - in other words school leavers and university graduates. This is one of the ways that government is looking at addressing the youth unemployment issue.  

The vision of SA Teen Entrepreneur Foundation which was formed in 2011 is to cultivate and promote the entrepreneurial spirit in all South African teenagers, whilst still at school. One of the richest teens in the world with a net worth of over U$30 million is 18 year old Nick D'Aloisio a self-made millionaire. He invented an app and sold it to Yahoo, a move which catapulted him into business. There are others like Nick across the world who with their enquiring minds have the ability to come up with innovative ideas that could be life-changing for individuals and business alike.  

Under the leadership of Lydia Zingoni, the SA Teen Entrepreneur Foundation has been running a number of workshops, seminars and competitions with high schoolers to encourage entrepreneurial thinking and nurture their ideas. The newest initiative that will launch on 28 October 2014 at Bishops Diocesan College in Rondebosch is the launch of the High School Entrepreneur Societies. The underpinning body for all these societies will be the Association of South African High School Entrepreneur Societies, a Teen Entrepreneur Foundation initiative. The vision is to grow entrepreneurs and business leaders at all high schools in South Africa through planting entrepreneur clubs and societies in each high school in the country.  

There are 27 000 high schools across South Africa.  If each high school across the country embraces this vision, it means that 27 000 entrepreneurial hotspots can be formed across the country. Each entrepreneurial society will be encouraged to come up with business concepts that improve their communities. As such, the ripple effect is that through encouraging entrepreneurial teens to explore their ideas at a young age, a generation of employers will graduate from school and each community around the school will benefit from the impact of the business activities of these societies.    

“Whilst this is a lofty vision, it is something we feel is desperately needed and can be achieved,” said Lydia Zingoni, Founder & Director of The SA Teen Entrepreneur Foundation.  “The staggering youth unemployment statistics are a stark reminder that we need to implement programmes that will make youth employable when they leave school and possibly even make them employers from a young age already,” she continued.  

The launch event is open to parents, teachers, business & political leaders and learners who are interested to join forces with SA Teen Entrepreneur Foundation and play an active part in supporting South African youth to playing an active role in the economy. There is no cost to attend but bookings are essential as space is limited.   For more information about the launch or to book your seat please contact Nadia Snyders on 021 447 6183 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Darren August takes us through a few of the experiences and relationships with his own teachers, growing up, which changed his life. He retells the stories of others too, and will surely awaken your school memories. As an experienced motivator, the book leaves not only teachers encouraged to inspire others, but everyone else will feel inspired to reach their potential and live their calling too. 

This book offers a few giggles as we see things from the perspective of a child, but is mostly introspective of the role we play in the way in which children perceive themselves. Teachers and parents will find it particularly motivating – with practical ways you could change young lives, for good. 

This book is a great resource. It’s a celebration of teachers, as instrumental parts of society – it will definitely have you thinking of the teachers that have impacted your life. Scheduled for release in October 2014 – this book is set to motivate every South African reader to once again restore the dignity of ‘The Noblest Profession”. 

About the Author 

Darren August is the Founder and CEO of Dazz Consulting – A dynamic training organisation committed to seeing people thrive and succeed.He is a Corporate Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Life Coach, Entrepreneur, Radio Host & former Lecturer.He is passionate about Life; People and Education and together with his wife – Arlene, they believe in maximizing every opportunity to impact the lives of others. 

To order, for interview requests and other queries, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We are thrilled to announce that both the public and private sectors appear to recognize the value of board diversity as BPW SA has been approached in the last month alone, to assist with eleven board vacancies for women on our Register.  Women and men have different interests and perspectives in important areas, and boards are starting to see the importance of utilising these varying experiences to tackle the tremendous challenges. 

BPW SA and the Department of Trade & Industry (the dti) want boards of directors to widen the search for talent by looking beyond the traditional pool of executives and bring new potential to light.  It is for this reason that we have joined forces to provide a Women on Boards programme to create a Register of female leaders in South Africa who are excellently trained and, as a result, are highly sought after by Boards.  After all, why on earth would you voluntarily exclude half the smart people?

Our first group of 19 senior women, all thoroughly trained through our 9-month Women on Boards director development programme and certified by the dti, are now available on our register of Board Potential Women Directors and we urge companies to contact us for potential female directors.

Seven of our graduates are in line for board interviews , many have been interviewed by the media – both radio and magazines – and all will be profiled in the KZN Chamber of Commerce Power Book (2015). As an ongoing service to the graduates, BPW SA continues to raise their profile in an effort to access suitable board placements.  We have proven that board diversity is not a supply problem, but rather a demand problem.

BPW SA is proud to announce that we have incorporated an international module into the Women on Boards programme.  Business acumen - incorporating business finance and strategy - a must in today’s complex landscape. Business acumen is a keen understanding of what it takes for an organization to make money.  It combines financial literacy – the ability to interpret numbers on financial statements – with business literacy – recognizing how strategies and decisions impact these numbers.  Call it a sophisticated business simulation. Call it an exercise in experiential learning. Or call it a board game. Whatever you label it, the simple fact is that the training is fun and will gives participants a true competitive edge.

A recent Women on Board graduate, Tebogo Maziya, who holds a Masters degree in Science, a postgraduate diploma in finance and a B Comm degree says the nine-month journey has been fulfilling. “I learnt there’s a risk and that that risk is manageable. So it’s important for the board to be transparent and accountable and for a board member to be aware of decisions made because they will be held accountable.”  Another graduate, Amantha Maharaj, a BSc electrical engineering graduate with an MBA, who works a top management level at an engineering consultancy says of the programme: “It teaches one to know how a board is structured, what to do, and questions one needs to ask when sitting on a board. It also teaches business risk and how one should view business from a higher level. It was certainly value for money.”

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

You have been on the edge for a while, now it’s time to take a leap and fly at this year’s Unleashed Woman “Born to Fly” Conference on Saturday the 4th October 2014 at the Oak Leaf, Sandton. Now in its fourth year, the conference brings together woman, leaders in their respective industries, to network, share their experiences and look towards making a difference in the broader society.

Bringing a vital mix of insight and inspiration to this year’s conference is the dynamic Nonkululeko Gobodo, Executive Chairman of the accounting firm SizweNtsalubaGobodo and Standard Bank Business Woman of the Year 2014. Joining her will be Annie McWalter, CEO of The Hope Factory, a non-profit company that specialises in enterprise and supplier development and growing South African entrepreneurs.

“This conference is aimed at those who've been contemplating stepping out into bigger and better things in their lives, vocations and careers, but excuses or the busyness of life has gotten the better of them that they are unwarily settling for a life less than what they could potentially live,” says Lerato Thekiso, founding member of Unleashed Woman.

Unleashed Woman, a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO), was established in 2011 by a group of professional black women looking to inspire other women to realise their own personal potential. Through regular conferencing, mentorship and educational initiatives they continually aim to create thought provoking conversations.

Since inception Unleashed Woman has used their collective expertise to partner with, and support other non-profit organisations, offering a turn-key service that ensures sustainability and functionality. While the nonprofit sector in South Africa is active, vibrant and determined to make a difference, it also faces many challenges including the global recession, reduced government funding and support and increased competition. Despite willing, many initiatives dwindle and disappear due to funding issues, capacity challenges and the lack of sustainability models.

Through the working, supportive partnerships Unleashed Woman have been able to share a number of success stories with life-changing initiatives across the country, including the Shine Like A Diamond Girl Child Foundation (based in Limpopo) and the Awakening Conference initiative (based in North West).

The Unleashed Woman Born To Fly Conference 2014 takes place on Saturday 4 October at the Oak Leaf, Sandton from 09h00 to 12h00. Registration costs R220 and seats are limited. For more information or to RSVP contact Unleashed Woman at 084 926 8481 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For media queries,interview requests, access to high res pictures etc please contact Dee’s from JT Comms on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (011) 788 7631/2  

Issued by JT Communication Solutions on behalf of The Unleashed Woman – www.theunleashedwoman.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --- 17/09/2014

Verifying the identity of an individual has never been easier with the new real time ID verification with photograph checks from V-Report.

No matter if you are opening accounts within the retail or banking sectors or assisting the job market in finding alternative employment, this verification can reduce your risk as well as the occurrence of potential fraud. Have you ever wondered how many times you have had a fraudulent identity document in front of you, but been none the wiser. Now V-Report can take care of the guesswork for you.

When using our new ID verification with photograph checks, you will receive real time confirmation to your inbox confirming the validity of an individual's personal information as well as the photograph on file associated with that individual at the South African Home Affairs Department. V-Report has two ID Verification with photograph checks on offer, the first option will verify the name and surname to the identity number provided and supply the associated photograph. The second option has more demographical information supplied, such as age, gender, citizenship and death status with the associated photograph being supplied.

Shane Meintjes, MD of V-Report said "V-Report has been on a drive to supply and source quality services and checks for our clients to help reduce fraud and the risks involved, we believe that our new real time ID verification checks are a big step in the right direction."

Once again, trying to assist clients as speedily as possible in making decisions, V-Report will soon be bringing the big four credit bureau's Transunion, Experian, Xpert Decision Systems (XDS) and Compuscan with real time credit checks to your inbox. Another positive step in the right direction we believe.

V-Report for your perusal can be found at www.v-report.co.za, 

We can be contact on (011) - 432-4416 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. anytime.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Aldes Business Brokers, the largest business brokerage in South Africa with more than forty franchises around the country, has held their annual conference in March to honor their most successful franchisees. Aldes Atlantic, a Cape Town based Aldes franchise, has walked away with the top franchisee honors for the second year running.

“We’ve had another great year in 2013” said Andrew Hubbard, the franchise principal. “When it comes to the sale of a business, we make extensive use of the internet to drive our marketing and it has really worked well for us.” Spending heavily on Google Adwords, Aldes Atlantic is in a league of their own when it comes to marketing businesses for sale on the internet.

Aldes Atlantic has developed a proprietary web-based software system to handle the thousands of inquiries they receive during the year. This enables them to match buyers and sellers in a well-structured way with no-one falling through the cracks of forgotten tasks. Their software caters for automated email responses with matched links to various businesses for sale.

Recently Aldes Atlantic employed the services of digital marketing specialists’ puzhr.com to increase their generic search results. Having experienced the power of Google through their Adwords campaign, the next milestone is to drive even more buyers and sellers to their website via generic search results. “We are really happy engaging with puzhr.com as they fully understand the place of digital marketing in the sales process. They are a top class digital marketing agency who has taken time to understand the intricacies business brokers deal with daily.”

Having recently moved to new upmarket offices in Century City, Aldes Atlantic is poised for another good year in 2014. “We believe that credit constraints will ease in 2014 making it easier for buyers to fund purchases and to grow acquired businesses. This in turn will drive employment growth, something very necessary for South Africa.

” To find out how Aldes Atlantic can help you buy or sell a business visit their website at www.aldesatlantic.co.za 

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Aldes Business Brokers, the largest business brokerage in South Africa with more than forty franchises around the country, has held their annual conference in March to honor their most successful franchisees. Aldes Atlantic, a Cape Town based Aldes franchise, has walked away with the top franchisee honors for the second year running.

“We've had another great year in 2013” said Andrew Hubbard, the franchise principal. “When it comes to the sale of a business, we make extensive use of the internet to drive our marketing and it has really worked well for us.” Spending heavily on Google Ad words, Aldes Atlantic is in a league of their own when it comes to marketing businesses for sale on the internet.

Aldes Atlantic has developed a proprietary web-based software system to handle the thousands of inquiries they receive during the year. This enables them to match buyers and sellers in a well-structured way with no-one falling through the cracks of forgotten tasks. Their software caters for automated email responses with matched links to various businesses for sale.

Recently Aldes Atlantic employed the services of digital marketing specialists’ puzhr.com to increase their generic search results. Having experienced the power of Google through their Ad words campaign, the next milestone is to drive even more buyers and sellers to their website via generic search results. “We are really happy engaging with puzhr.com as they fully understand the place of digital marketing in the sales process. They are a top class digital marketing agency who has taken time to understand the intricacies business brokers deal with daily.

” Having recently moved to new upmarket offices in Century City, Aldes Atlantic is poised for another good year in 2014. “We believe that credit constraints will ease in 2014 making it easier for buyers to fund purchases and to grow acquired businesses. This in turn will drive employment growth, something very necessary for South Africa.

” To find out how Aldes Atlantic can help you buy or sell a business visit their website at www.aldesatlantic.co.za

The transport sector has been highlighted by the government as a key contributor to South Africa's competitiveness in global markets and government has unveiled plans to tremendously increase its spend on improving the country's roads, railways and ports. As part of the solution it’s important to promote collaboration and coalition building among women entrepreneurs as a way to develop women in the industry as well as to advocate policy actions that support this.

As transport month draws closer, Mercatique Consulting in association with Women Economic Forum will be hosting The Women in Transport Forum, a one day medium where ideas and views on creating opportunities and addressing skills gap for woman in Transport sector will be addressed.

“Wits Centre for Entrepreneurship (CfE) has partnered with Mercatique Consulting on this event. CfE welcomes this opportunity and looks forward to its full development and successful implementation.” Chimene Chetty, Director, Wits Centre for Entrepreneurship

The Women in Transport Forum is a platform for all leading organizations and government to discuss possible implementation strategies and provide solutions to the challenges currently faced by women in the sector. If you’d like to RSVP or find out about the forum, Please contact Calvin Ncube on 011 027 5842 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Forum Details:

Date: Thursday 16 October 2014
Time: 08:00 - 17:00
Venue: Donald Gordon Auditorium, 2 St. David’s Place, Parktown, Gauteng

Contact Person

Calvin Ncube
Tel: 011 027 5842
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Laura Reynolds - CEO of Recruitgroup, last night was announced as Winner of the Standard Bank Top Women Awards in the Top Young Female Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 category. Laura has implemented exemplary vision, innovation, leadership and direction in the past eight years to create a business that has flourished to become an award-winning leader in the industry both as a service provider and as an employer. Laura's dedicated service and passion for her business has created a unique, positive and dynamic working environment that not only continuously grows its own people but fosters a culture that is respected and admired by clients, candidates and employees. Last night this dedication was recognised at a lavish gala event held at Emperors Palace.

Says Laura: "It is an absolute privilege not only to win but just to be nominated in a category with such incredible business women. These women are leaders in their industry and it is most humbling to be announced as the winner. I am so proud of my team at Recruitgroup on what we have achieved together and I thank them for their hard work and dedication as well as all at Topco Media for hosting such a fantastic event." 

In collaboration with the Top Women publication, the Top Women Awards is a prestigious event in which inspirational female leaders are celebrated for outstanding performance in the world of business and government. 

This year, over 160 companies from a range of different sectors, including agriculture, science and technology, transport, and retail, have entered the awards. In order to be shortlisted, as a finalist companies must meet certain criteria, like have an annual turnover of R35 million, 30 percent female staff, 10 percent and above female senior management, and one to 1.5 percent of per capita is spent on skills development for women in the industry. 

"Judging the entrants to the Top Women Awards is such an eye-opening experience because it gives a window into just how much is being done to help uplift women in South Africa," says Topco Media's Managing Editor, Nick Krige. 

Recruitgroup is one of the largest privately owned recruitment organisations in South Africa in finding and placing top talent.