Cape Times 2024-01-04

It’s a financially challenging time for most households. With interest rates rising, many are spending even more money on debt repayments or taking out loans to help make ends meet. A report released recently, compiled by one of the country’s biggest banks, found that 42% of South Africans across various income levels cannot manage their debt. This indebtedness has caused 67% of the respondents to worry about their debt to the point that it negatively affects their mental health. As the festive season draws to a close, it may be tempting to let your financial guard down and enjoy what’s left of your disposable income. But it is also a good time to reflect on your financial portfolio so you don’t find yourself sinking deeper into the debt hole. My…

The local food and wine industry is mourning the death of Michael Olivier, one of South Africa’s greatest wine and food commentators, who died last Friday evening. Olivier was also a well-known South African restaurateur and author. “It is with great sadness that we announce the gentle passing of our beloved Michael Olivier on the evening of Friday, 29th December. We thank you all for your support during this impossible time. May his soul rest in peace,” the family said in an Instagram post. His website reads: “As a young aspiring chef, Michael laid a solid foundation for his career at the Cordon Bleu Cooking School in London. “Over the next 30 years, he had a series of high-profile hospitality management posts, was the public relations manager for Boschendal, and…

Creamy, crunchy, cheesy rice balls, arancini are the ultimate Italian street food that will be one of the first appetisers to disappear at any gathering. This fancy-sounding dish gets its name from the Sicilian word for “oranges”, but instead of zest or juice, these little golden spheres are stuffed with perfectly cooked rice and melted cheese and are coated with breadcrumbs and deep fried. They are the best snack, meal idea, or buffet addition. Biting into them is a dreamy combo of a crispy outside shell and soft rice inside, plus that melting centre of Mozzarella cheese. Arancini balls with fun flavoured custard Yield: 20 portions Ingredients 1 cup arborio rice 1 litre Parmalat full cream milk 350g castor sugar 1 cinnamon quill 1 tsp vanilla essence 2 eggs, separated,…

from page 1 by his two friends). “Weer met die wit fortuner my gestamp dat sy grill breek, omdat hy nie vir die polisie wou wag nie (Again I was knocked with the Fortuner that the grill broke because he refused to wait for the police)… Die langarm van die gereg moet een of ander tyd sy hande uit sy sakke haal (the long arm of justice must some or other time remove its hands from its pockets),” Hayes said. When contacted yesterday, Hayes declined to comment further and said he was busy reporting the incident to the police. Richards said Hayes acted within his rights and performed his duty without fear, favour or prejudice, when he carried out his oversight function as a ward councillor. “It remains the right…

MALAYSIA and Türkiye have become among the first countries to rally behind South Africa’s application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel. This comes after South Africa applied to the ICJ to get the court in The Hague to hear its case against the State of Israel. In its application to the ICJ, South Africa says Israel’s war on Palestine has become “genocidal” and turned into “crimes against humanity”. The SA Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) said the case would be heard on January 11, by the International Criminal Court (ICC), with the State of Israel confirming that it would oppose the application. SA became the first country to file such an application amid the global condemnation and widespread calls for a ceasefire. In a…

THE uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party has vowed to end load shedding and reduce fuel costs when it takes over the government from the ANC after the elections. This emerged at a meeting between former president Jacob Zuma and the leader of African Democratic Change (ADeC), Visvin Reddy. The long meeting at Zuma’s homestead in Nkandla ran from Tuesday night until yesterday morning. In a series of videos shared by Reddy, the two leaders discussed key issues which included crippling load shedding and high fuel costs which have threatened to collapse the country’s economy. Zuma said the MK party would prioritise ending load shedding, adding that there would never be load shedding. The country was not supposed to be having load shedding since he stopped it by bringing in people who…