Johannesburg, South Africa, 9 June 2017. The aftermath of devastating fires continues to affect the lives of thousands of people in the Southern Cape. The areas most affected are Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Sedgefield and surrounding towns, villages and informal settlements. The fires have been described as the most destructive spread of fire in a built-up area in the province in at least 30 years. 

They have caused loss of lives, the destruction of homes, and the evacuation of thousands of people. Given the extent of the tragedy, Vuma Reputation Management is calling on all South Africans to stand together and play their part in helping the communities whose lives have been devastated.  “This is a national emergency,” says Janine Hills, CEO of Vuma Reputation Management and a member of the board of Brand South Africa. “Fire is a tragic, unexpected and traumatic experience that can leave you without your home, your valuable or sentimental possessions, and even your pets. 

“Having grown up in the area, I know some of the families and communities affected, and to witness the extent of the destruction is truly heart-breaking,” she says. “It’s at times like these that we have to roll up our sleeves and get involved. We encourage all South Africans to gather together and help the affected communities in whatever way they can.” 

The Southern Cape fire services and disaster management teams are doing incredible work, but others need to get involved, as displaced fire victims start to rebuild their lives, Hills added. By donating basic necessities such as clothing and household items, everyone can do their bit to help a family get back on their feet.  

Here are some of the simple ways Hills suggests that ordinary citizens can assist: 

Take a family in if their home has been destroyed Feed a family Provide people with sandwiches, tea and coffee Offer basics like toothbrushes, facecloths and bottled water

Hand out blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothes Provide support and food for emergency teams who are working hard Be kind and gentle with people – they are in a state of trauma Donate loyalty points from eBucks, Pick ‘n Pay, Woolworths, and Spar, for example.

Donate supplies like tinned food at supermarket collection points Offer your service through community initiatives Donate to legitimate local disaster-relief organisations.

The Knysna Lions have set up the Knysna Lions Fire Fund, for example. Contact Gift of the Givers, or your nearest Makro store to make a donation.    

The Vuma Reputation Management team is donating essential items like nappies, baby formula, wet wipes, tinned food, blankets, and pet food, and urges other companies to follow suit. Hills stresses that people from all walks of life – from the poorest to the wealthiest communities – have been affected. “Recovering from a fire takes a long time, and continued support will be needed to help affected families transition back to a normal life,” says Hills. “This disaster provides us with an opportunity to stand together and show our humanity towards others.” #play-your-part. 

About Vuma Reputation Management

Vuma Reputation Management are experts in reputation management within South Africa and Africa. We specialise in building an organisation’s reputation from the inside out. Our focus areas are crisis communication, media relationship management, government protocol, public relations, media training, and stakeholder relationship management. We have an extensive track record and have implemented work for at least 50 JSE listed companies and operated in10 African countries. We live by the approach of Africans working for Africa. 

For any further information kindly contact: 

Roshnee Pillay

Business DirectorVuma Reputation Management

Tel: +27 82 654 1531Email: 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.

How to Survive a Heart attack - Step 1: Just Breathe!

How to Have a Heart AttackStep 1: Just Breathe!

by Hendrik Baird

Having a heart attack is no joke. Ask me. I've just had one.

Not a light heart attack, not a heart murmur, but a full on, massive Myocardial Infarction.

The type of heart attack where you start saying goodbye to the people around you, because you realise that you are about to die. The kind where you can't breathe, where your chest is about to explode, where your reality suddenly spins out of control.

We all have to die at some point. We both accept and ignore this inevitable fact. We all know that everybody will die; we just conveniently forget to remember that this will happen to me, too.So what do you do when you suddenly find yourself in a "this is it" situation? How do you react?

I felt both determined to stay alive and at the same time resigned to the fact that I was, in fact, in the process of dying. I had the clarity of mind to have my son, who was with me at the time, call a friend of mine for help. I wanted to stay alive!

Yet as the minutes ticked by and I could no longer breathe, during those long agonising moments when there was no more breath, I had to make peace with my own mortality, and quickly too! Even though we were speeding through traffic to get to the hospital, I resigned myself to the fact that I would not make it. This was the end.At the same time remembering something I read on Facebook once, about coughing when you are having a heart attack, as it stimulates the heart muscle to contract and helps with breathing. (Easier said on Facebook than actually done in the throes of a full-scale cardiac episode! Yet I think this saved my life, because after doing it a few times the tension eased up a little as we approached the hospital and I could breathe again.)

It literally was a delicate balancing act between life and death. For that one crisis-filled hour I tottered from one to the other. In the end it was time that saved me. I will forever be thankful to my dear friend who rushed through afternoon traffic to the hospital. If it had taken any longer to reach help, the damage might have been much more severe and indeed could have led to my early expiry due to lack of oxygen.So here is the first lesson in surviving a heart attack: Just breathe! (Even if it means coughing to keep the breath going!)

I have been asked if I view my own mortality differently now because of what happened. Strangely I don't think the severity of what has happened has fully made itself known yet, it being revealed slowly, incrementally, through small daily realisations.I have been told it will take at least a year for it to fully sink in.

So how does one survive such an event and its consequences? Are there ways to ease some aspects of surgery and manage the pain? Can you speed up the healing process? How do you survive the tedium of waiting at a state hospital? And how do you survive the food?

As a way to deal with what has happened, and at the same time as an insight to someone else who might have had a similar experience, or perhaps even for someone who sometime in the future might need this information: There is to follow a few weekly articles about various aspects of surviving a heart attack.I will share the techniques I used from time to time to deal with various issues, for instance in dealing with daily injections or to manage post-operative pain and infection. I will share my own thoughts and feelings and the insights of those who supported me and carried me through these past few months.

At various times during the weeks that I spent in hospital, several of my friends commented that they knew somebody who had gone through the same thing as I and that they were doing so well after successful surgery similar to mine. This reassured me. I have a similar intention in writing this. To reassure you that everything will be all right. I have been there. I have survived, for now. Use what you can from my experience.

A heart attack changes your life. As a survivor you have to face the consequences. You have to make changes. I am facing the consequences head-on, taking it one day at a time. For the moment, I am here, in this moment.

Soon we will all die. Me too. But for the moment I will just breathe. While I breathe, I am still alive.

So just breathe!

© www.hypnosis-works.co.za 25/05/2014