The Forum 4 Service Delivery launches its 2021 local government manifesto

The Forum 4 Service Delivery says it intends to win an outright majority in several municipalities in the North West. When speaking during the party’s election manifesto launch in Lichtenburg in the North West, party president Mbahare Kekana said his party will be contesting in 52 wards across seven provinces, excluding the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape.

The Forum 4 Service Delivery was founded in the North West in 2015 and contested the 2016 local government elections. The party managed to obtain 33 seats making it the fourth-biggest party in the North West.

Kekana says, his party is more than ready to dominate several municipalities in its stronghold.

“Since the inception of local government in 1996, in the North West there has never been any political party that has taken over the municipality. Come the 1st of November, we want to be the first political organisation in the North West, to own the municipality so that we can show what kind of government our people must live under. Our first target will be Ratlou municipality, our second target is Ramotshere Moiloa.”

The party’s manifesto outlined key priority areas, including job creation, service delivery, and combating corruption.

“When we take over as F4SD we will make sure that there are no water tanks, because 120 million is spent on water tanks. We will make sure that one house, one tap under F4SD, and not just a tap, but a tap with running water. On the issue of housing, we won’t build people houses, but we will give them housing vouchers so that they can build the houses of their choices. We gonna give them a voucher of 200 thousand.”

Some community members seem to have confidence in the party.

“I believe in F4SD because as you hear their name, that it is emphasising on provision of services which is at this stage is what we are running short of across the country. Mafikeng is worse if you look at the conditions of roads nothing actually in Mafikeng is indicating you that it is a capital town…I see F4SD as an organisation that will be able to govern with integrity, respect for the community.”

The party also welcomed new members, including the sitting speaker of the Zeerust-based Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality, Alfred Nyamane, who was deployed by the ruling party. Nyamane explains why he decided to join F4SD.

“I realised that within F4SD their mission is 80% to deal with service delivery matters and 20% it’s for politics. So I resolved to go to F4SD the aim is services to the people of Ramotshere Moiloa, hence you know that I love and believe in serving our people.”

Meanwhile, the party has appealed to all independent candidates contesting elections to work with them, so that they could make bigger strides come to Election Day.

VIDEO: LGE 2021 – Forum for Service Delivery elections manifesto launch – live proceedings

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UN urges Ethiopia to allow unhindered aid as hunger kills

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Ethiopia’s government on Wednesday to allow the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to millions in the country’s north “without hindrance” as UN officials report deaths from hunger.

During a UN Security Council meeting, Guterres urged Ethiopia’s government to allow “unrestricted movement of desperately needed fuel, cash, communications equipment and humanitarian supplies” into Tigray, Amhara and Afar.

“Our colleagues on the ground are sharing increasingly alarming eye-witness testimony of the suffering – including growing accounts of hunger-related deaths,” Guterres said.

“In locations where screening has been possible, we are seeing acute malnutrition rates that remind us of the onset of the 2011 Somalia famine,” he said.

The 15-member Security Council met after the Ethiopian government last week expelled seven senior UN officials for meddling in internal affairs.

The United Nations has rejected the move and said there was no proof to back up the accusations.

Guterres it was “particularly disturbing” given the looming famine, while US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield described it as “reckless,” adding: “There’s no justification for the government of Ethiopia’s action, none at all.”

War broke out 11 months ago between Ethiopia’s federal troops and forces loyal to the TPLF, which controls Tigray.

Thousands have died, millions have fled their homes and the conflict has spilled into neighboring Amhara and Afar.

Guterres said up to 7 million people in Tigray, Amhara and Afar need help, including 5 million in Tigray where some 400 000 people are estimated to be living in famine-like conditions.

“Ethiopian children are starving. People are dying because they cannot access food, water and basic health care. This is not a situation caused by natural disaster. It is caused by those who continue to choose the path of war,” Ireland’s UN Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason told the council.

Guterres urged the Security Council to back UN aid efforts. However, any strong action by the body – such as sanctions – is unlikely as Russia and China have made clear they believe the Tigray conflict is an internal affair for Ethiopia.

China’s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun on Wednesday called for “quiet diplomacy in order to prevent a deadlock” over the expulsion of the UN officials.

 

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Algeria tells France to ‘decolonise its history’ in new spat

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra has told France to “decolonise” its history, in the latest verbal broadside between Paris and a former colony in Africa.

On a trip to Mali, whose ruling junta has been fiercely criticised by France, Lamamra said French President Emmanuel Macron suffered from “forgetfulness of history,” Malian TV reported late Tuesday.

“Our foreign partners need to decolonise their own history,” said Lamamra.

“They need to free themselves of certain attitudes, certain behaviours, certain visions which are intrinsically linked to the incoherent logic driven by the West’s claimed mission to bring civilisation,” he said.

This mission, he claimed, “was the ideological cover used to try to gain acceptance for the crime against humanity which was (France’s) colonisation of Algeria, colonisation of Mali and the colonisation of so many African peoples.”

TRUTH OR DISCOURSE OF HATRED 

Lamamra’s barb appeared to be aimed at comments by Macron last week in which he said Algeria’s post-independence “political-military system” had “totally re-written” the country’s history.

Macron told descendants of Algeria’s war of independence that the version of history transmitted to Algerians was “not based on truths” but “on a discourse of hatred towards France,” according to remarks reported by Le Monde. 

READ: Sixteen soldiers killed in central Mali attack

CALMING TENSIONS

Algeria over the weekend recalled its ambassador from Paris and banned French military planes from its airspace, which France regularly uses to reach its forces battling jihadists in the Sahel region to the south.

On Tuesday, Macron said he hoped for a “calming down” of tensions with Algeria and that his relations with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune were “truly cordial”.

Macron is also at loggerheads with Mali’s junta, which ousted the country’s elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, in August 2020.

PARIS TROOPS DEPLOYED 

France intervened after jihadists seized control of Mali’s north in 2012, and Paris has since deployed thousands of troops across the Sahel to combat the insurgency.

In June, France announced a major scaleback of its Sahel deployment – a move that caused Mali last month to publicly declare its ally had decided to “abandon” it.

On Tuesday Macron urged the junta to restore state authority over territory that had been relinquished to the jihadists and then recovered.

“It’s not the role of the French army to fill in for the ‘non-work,’ if I may describe it, of the Malian state,” he told French media. 

Mali’s foreign ministry summoned the French ambassador in Bamako to register its “indignation” at the remarks.

© Agence France-Presse

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Apple strudel – An Austrian dessert loved by South Africans

If you enjoy apple tart, you will certainly fall in love with this apple strudel recipe. This traditional Austrian recipe is a winner every single time.

Basically, a delicious combination of apple, raisins and other ingredients are combined and enveloped in pastry. Brush the dough with an egg-milk mixture and pop it into the oven to bake to a seductive deliciousness.

After about 35 to 40 minutes the apple strudel will be ready to come out of the oven. You can serve it warm or at room temperature. If you want to add something extra to this mouth-watering baked dessert, serve it with ice cream and fresh berries. It is simply delightful!

If you have never tried to bake your own apple strudel, this recipe is the perfect one to try out. You may just find that this recipe will become one of your favourite dessert recipes to whip together.

Let us know in the comments section of this recipe if you have tried our recipe.

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Apple strudel recipe

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Dirnise Britz Course: DessertCuisine: GlobalDifficulty: Easy

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Ingredients

• 
  

  3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick

  
  


• 
  

  1 teaspoon lemon juice

  
  


• 
  

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  
  


• 
  

  1 cup light brown sugar

  
  


• 
  

  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  
  


• 
  

  3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  
  


• 
  

  ½ cup golden raisins

  
  


• 
  

  1 sheet thawed puff pastry

  
  


• 
  

  1 egg

  
  


• 
  

  ¼ cup milk

  
  


• 
  

  ¼ cup coarse sugar (optional)

  
  

Method

• Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.


• In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, flour and raisins. Stir to coat evenly.


• Place the pastry onto the baking sheet and roll it out slightly, using a rolling pin to make it even.


• Spread the apple mixture evenly down the centre of the pastry lengthwise.


• Fold the sides of the pastry around the apples. Seal the dough together by lightly wetting the pastry and pressing it together. Alternately, you can cut the sides of the pastry into strips and fold it decoratively, crossing the strips over each other, sealing them lightly with water.


• Whisk together the egg and the milk. Lightly brush the top of the pastry with the egg wash.


• Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.


• Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, until golden brown.


• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

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Looking for more tasty recipes to prepare for your family and friends? Just have a look at our recipe page, we have excellent suggestions for you to try.

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‘Wait, what?!’: Netizens in disbelief after hospital charges woman for crying

A young woman has gone viral after revealing that a hospital actually charged her for crying during what is definitely considered a painful procedure. Heading online, she shared a copy of her medical bill that left the internet either laughing out loud or arguing how bizarre the entire thing is.

Woman goes viral after revealing bizarre hospital charge

Having a painful procedure done can leave one with a variety of reactions. While many people do their best to stop themselves from screaming or causing a scene, a lot struggle to withhold a couple of tears as they endure the agony that comes with the procedure.

A US citizen named Midge is one of those people who just could not contain her tears while she was getting her mole removed. What she didn’t expect, however, is to get charged for what the hospital she visited referred to as a “brief show of emotion”.

Taking to her Twitter page, Midge shared a copy of her hospital bill and there it was, a charge of $11 (just over R130) for crying during the procedure. She captioned her post:

“Mole removal: $223. Crying: extra”

Mole removal: $223

Crying: extra pic.twitter.com/4FpC3w0cXu

— Midge (@mxmclain) September 28, 2021

Netizens can’t deal

The post left many people howling from laughter as they imagined how she must be feeling after getting charged for crying. A lot of people resorted to criticising the healthcare system for trying to capitalise on every little thing. Here are some of their comments about the bizarre hospital charge:

@granola_lesbian said:

“Ohhhhhh this makes me feel a lot of rage emotion right now Face with symbols over mouth.”

@ghobubo said:

“If I’d known there’d be a charge, I would’ve thrown a tantrum! Get my money’s worth!”

@RavenApollo2 said:

“Oh hell, no. If this happened to me, the billing department and/or insurance company would get a lot more emotion out if me, and it’s definitely not going to be brief!”

ALSO READ: Fury as R500m ‘ghost hospital’ in Gauteng only has six patients

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Mynah miracle: rescued Afghan bird learns to say ‘bonjour’

A mynah bird that was brought from Afghanistan by a girl fleeing the Taliban has learnt to say “bonjour” after finding a new home with France’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.

Ambassador Xavier Chatel said he was moved by the little girl, who arrived “exhausted” and carrying the bird, named Juji, at the Al-Dhafra airbase in the UAE during the chaotic evacuations from Kabul.

TREASURED BIRD 

The girl was left in tears after being told she could not take her pet on the onward journey to France for “sanitary reasons”, Chatel said in a series of tweets.

“She had fought all the way at Kabul airport, to bring the treasured little thing with her,” he wrote.

“She cried silently. I was moved. I promised to take care of the bird at the residence, feed him. She could visit him anytime and take him back. I won’t forget her look of desperate gratefulness.”

READ: Oh yes! Internet speeds in SA will TREBLE – thanks to a new underwater cable

STRAIGHT TO HEART 

Juji now has a “girlfriend”, a dove that visits him daily, and after much coaxing finally said “bonjour” – a moment that “went straight to my heart”, Chatel said.

“Today, from Paris, the bird’s owner, ‘Alia’, found me on Twitter. She was so happy to see her bird thus cared for,” he wrote, using a pseudonym for the girl. 

“She wanted me to teach him French. Alia, your bird has become the embassy’s mascot, but he is here for you, and if I can, I’ll take him personally to you one day.”

© Agence France-Presse

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Proteas T20 World Cup preparations revealed following safe arrival in the UAE

The Proteas have arrived safely in the United Arab Emirates and will now set their sights on their preparations for the T20 Cricket World Cup. 

READ | PICTURES | BON VOYAGE! PROTEAS DEPART FOR T20 WORLD CUP, GOOD LUCK LADS!

CSA confirmed that the Proteas will soon get themselves into tournament mode in Abu Dhabi, where they will play their group fixtures. 

Proteas will need to quarantine

The Proteas however, will not be able to hit the ground running immediately with their preparations for the T20 World Cup. As is a sign of the times, Mark Boucher’s boys will be subjected to a mandatory quarantine period of six-days lasting until the 11th of October.

READ | IMRAN TAHIR OPENS UP ABOUT PROTEAS T20 WORLD CUP SNUB

Following the conclusion of the mandatory quarantine period, the Proteas will then be given the permission to finally get onto the field as well as the nets, where the real preparation for the T20 World Cup will commence. CSA have also confirmed that, they have scheduled warm up fixtures to ensure that the team get the chance to dust off any possible cobwebs ahead of the showpiece event. 

T20 World Cup warm up fixtures

The Proteas’ opponents for the warm up fixtures have been confirmed to be Afghanistan as well as Pakistan. The fixture against Afghanistan is scheduled to take place at 14h00 local time on the 18th of October, while their match against their Pakistani counterparts is set for the 20th of October at 18h00.

READ | CSA ANNOUNCE CASTORE AS NEW APPAREL SPONSOR FOR THE PROTEAS

Here is a reminder of the full Proteas T20 World Cup squad: 

Temba Bavuma (captain, Imperial Lions), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper, Momentum Multiply Titans), Bjorn Fortuin (Imperial Lions), Reeza Hendricks (ImperialLions), Heinrich Klaasen (Momentum Multiply Titans), Aiden Markram (Momentum Multiply Titans),David Miller (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Wiaan Mulder (Imperial Lions), Lungi Ngidi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Anrich Nortje (Warriors), Dwaine Pretorius (North West Dragons), Kagiso Rabada(Imperial Lions), Tabraiz Shamsi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Rassie van der Dussen (Imperial Lions).

Traveling Reserves

Andile Phehlukwayo (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), George Linde (Six Gun Grill Western Province), Lizaad Williams (Momentum Multiply Titans).

The Proteas fixtures for the T20 World Cup are as follows: 

23 Oct: Australia v South Africa, Abu Dhabi (14h00)

26 Oct: South Africa v West Indies, Dubai (14h00)

30 Oct: South Africa v A1, Sharjah (14h00)

2 Nov: South Africa v B2, Abu Dhabi (14h00)

6 Nov: England v South Africa, Sharjah (18h00)

10 Nov: Semi-final 1 (A1 v B2), Abu Dhabi (18h00)

11 Nov: Semi-final 2 (B1 v A2), Dubai (18h00)

14 Nov: Final, Dubai (18h00)

*All times are local (GMT+4)

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