Weekend Argus Saturday 2022-04-16

On Sunday night, a few hours after he’d taken to the ring and lost to Naak- MusiQ in their exhibition bout at Sun City’s Superbowl, Cassper Nyovest was pictured smiling from to ear to ear as he danced by his table at the official Celeb City after-party. In the video, he was sporting a pair of his signature Root of Fame 990 sneakers, a self-branded T-shirt with his face on it and drinking out of a bottle of his own liquor brand, Don Billiato. It was an outrageous flex that showcased his unparalleled level of business smarts and ownership. Despite having just taken a bruising loss in front of the entire country, the 31-year-old is winning big. The control he exerts over his own career – he owns his music,…

I doubt that even Netflix expected Is It Cake? to be such a hit. The premise, if you haven’t binged the TV series, involves professional bakers trying to fool judges by creating cakes that don’t look like dessert but instead appear to be everyday commodities – purses, toys, fast food and so on. But while most critics see this as just another iteration of mindless TV, I see Is It Cake? as deeply tied to a cultural moment in which deception – and learning how to recognise it – has become a part of everyday life. A show like Is It Cake? offers a safe way for viewers to test their capacity to spot a fake. This may seem like a stretch; cake and conspiracy are hardly the same thing.…

TRACEE Ellis Ross found the end of Black-ish “very emotional”. The former Girlfriends star – who has played Rainbow Johnson for eight seasons – says it was very teary as she filmed the end of the sitcom while appearing on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Monday. The 49-year-old actress told host Ellen: “I had a lot of tears,” before adding: “There’s no ritual around ending a TV show. It’s a hard thing to end when it becomes your world and your family and your life.” Tracee shared with Ellen that through the filming of the eighth and final season of Black-ish she was “aware” it was coming to an end throughout production. She admitted: “The whole season I knew it was the end, so I was very…

KwaZulu-Natal has declared a Provincial State of Disaster to try to cope with the devastating floods of the past week. But in KZN’s case, they might as well make it permanent. This is a province that has been on its knees for some time and it ain’t getting up any time soon. After all, KZN hasn’t even staunched the bloodied nose it suffered nine months ago. That’s when one wing of the ANC government – the Radical Economic Transformation followers of former president Jacob Zuma – tried to bury the other – the so-called reformists led by President Cyril Ramaphosa. KZN hasn’t even properly tallied the body blows it suffered then. The official estimates for the insurrection were 45 000 businesses affected, R50 billion in economic damage, 129 000…

A TRAGEDY of unimaginable proportions is playing out in KwaZulu-Natal as the death toll rises exponentially following weeks of rain and now devastating floods. Entire homes have been washed away, and more than 300 killed. President Cyril Ramaphosa has described this as a “catastrophe of enormous proportions” and he is absolutely correct. He’s also promised that his government will act “with haste to assist affected citizens”. That’s great. The truth though is that it’s really an empty platitude. What can the government help with? In 2000, the South African Air Force responded heroically to the floods in neighbouring Mozambique, literally plucking expectant mothers out of trees. Now, much of our helicopter squadrons are grounded through lack of funds to maintain them and flying hours to keep the pilots current. Our…

The tourism industry has taken another blow, with visitors cancelling Easter weekend holidays in KwaZulu-Natal after the devastating floods this week left many areas without water or power. The death toll has increased to 395 – eThekwini reported 355 deaths, Ugu 6, uMzinyathi 2, King Cetshwayo 4 and Ilembe 28 – according to Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Sipho Hlomuka. But the hit was not as bad as expected, said the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa). National Fedhasa chair Rosemary Anderson said on Thursday that cancelled accommodation was rapidly being filled with new bookings for “Easter specials”’. “KwaZulu-Natal hotels, lodges and guest houses are still expecting a reasonable Easter weekend despite the deadly flood that swept parts of the province earlier this week. The flooding has not…