ALIWAL NORTH ADVERTISER 15 DECEMBER 2022

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KRY ‘N VOLLEDIGE GELOFTEFEESKALENDER 2022 IN DIE SPESIALE UITGAWE DEUR:

Wat is die Gelofte?

Hierdié maand is dit Geloftedag en herdenk Afrikaners wêreldwyd weer eens die Gelofte van 1838 Hierdie Gelofte is die eerste keer op 16 Desember 1838 op die slagveld van Bloedrivier herdenk toe dieVoortrekkers daar’n dankdiens na afloop van die veldslag gehou het. Daarna is dit jaarliks informeel gevier In 1864 het twee predikante,di PietHuetenJanLionCachet, besluit dat die “dankdag” (soos hulle dit genoem het) jaarliks amptelik kerklik herdenk moet word In 1866 het is ’n groot fees op die slagveldterrein gereël. Op die oggend van 16 Desember 1866 het Cachet oor Exodus 17 vers 15 gepreek (waar beskryf word hoe ’n altaar tot eer van die Here gebou word), waarna ’n ete gevolg het Die middag het die aanwesige mans en seuns ’n klipstapel as gedenkteken aan die Slag van Bloedrivier opgerig Dit is gedoen op die plek waar die middel van die laer van 1838 na bewering was. ’n Groep Zoeloes hethandbygesitdeurklippenaderterol Nadietyd het die kinders wat die fees bygewoon het, gesing en Cachet het ’n herdenkingstoespraak gehou waarin hy weer die noodsaak om die dag te herdenk en om sendingwerk te doen, bepleit het

Na afloop van die toespraak het oud-stryders hulle herinneringe aan die slag vertel Intussen het Cachet deur middel van ’n tolk vir die swart werkerswatsaamnadiefeesgekomhet,asookdie Zoeloeswatindieomgewingwoonenkomkykhet wat daar gebeur, gepreek. Hy het vertel dat hy die oggend ’n boodskap van die Zoeloekoning, Cetshwayo, gekry het waarin die koning verklaar hetdathyblywasdat’npredikantopdieplekkom kerkhouhet CachethetCetshwayolaatweetdat’n gedenkteken met die naam “Vrede” op die terrein opgerig sou word. Hy het die hoop uitgespreek dat harmonie voortaan tussen die Zoeloes en ander Natallers sou heers Die dag se verrigtinge is met gebedensangafgesluit Hierdiebuitelugfeeshetdie grondslag vir die formaat van duisende toekomstige Gelofteherdenkings gelê Die laertrekproses, dienste en toesprake deur oudstryders het jare lank ’n integrale deel van feeste uitgemaak In die Transvaalse Republiek is 16 Desember van 1865 af as vakansiedag erken en in die Oranje-Vrystaat van 1894 af Met die totstandkomingvandieUnievanSuid-Afrikahetdit ’nnasionalevakansiedaggeword

LOADSHEDDING

- How to survive the “dark” Festive Season in South Africa

Asload shedding continues,more and more South Africans are looking to go "off the grid" or become less reliant on the power utility.Being lessreliantor‘going off the grid means you will have toinvestinanapplianceordevice to get you through the load sheddingtroubles Whattobuyto keep your lights and power on during load shedding: Generator; Generators are expensive but they are worth getting if you are abletoaffordthem Investingina generator is a great way to make power outages less of a pain A small generator can cost you about R2 000 and, depending on the size and the wattage value, they can go up to about R10 000 in price Gas stove; For the most part, we try to prepare food before the power goes off but sometimes load shedding comes unannounced and we make do with what we have. In terms of gas stoves, there are many options available. You can opt for a portable table-top one or twoplate gas cooker or if you can afford it, a large gas hob. A big advantageofgoingfromelectrical togaspoweristhatitwillhelpto reduce the electricity bill Gas geyser; while gas stoves are all the rage, it might be worth considering a gas geyser Loadshedding periods are currently notlongenoughtocoolthewater of your geyser, but this could change if load-shedding stages are upgraded You might want to consider a long-term solution such as a gas geyser, which is cheaper to run than an electric oneandoffersinstantheat.Power bank; A power bank is one of the cheapest and most convenient ways to stay connected and have your devices last longer during load shedding. Hours of load shedding just seem so much longer without your favourite devices. Surge protector; another useful thing to have is a surge

protector This will protect equipment against power surges and voltage spikes that can be causedbythemuch-dreaded load shedding. Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS); an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) provides emergencypowerandisatypeof continual power system A UPS differs from a generator because it provides near-instantaneous protection from power interruptionsbysupplyingenergy stored in batteries If the loadshedding forecast is anything to go by, it is worth investing, if possible, in alternative sources of power to get you through loadshedding Solar lighting; There is a wide variety of solar-powered lightingonthemarketnow These range from spotlights/security lights to solar lanterns, garden lighting and even pool lights Thereisnocosttorechargethem; many are “set and forget”, meaningthatallyouhavetodois set it and it will come on automatically after sundown Is there more load shedding to come? Eskom announced the implementation of Stage 6 load sheddingearlierthisweek.Itsaid this was due to breakdowns of two generating units at the Grootvlei power station, as well as one unit each at the Arnot, Duvha, Kendal, Kriel and Tutuka power stations In addition, two units at Arnot and a unit each at Camden, Kendal and Kriel power stations have been delayed in returning to service Energy experts have warned South Africans to brace for higher stages of load shedding being implemented According to energy expert Ted Blom, Stage 8 is very possible “Stage 8 is very possible, given (the) Koeberg (situation) will lead to Stage 7 automatically unless a miracle happens There is no diesel cushion to break the free fall. OnlyGodcansaveus,”hesaid

Despite a significant drop in diesel prices this week, this is unlikely to translate to lower food prices on store shelves in South Africa, says Niel Roets, CEO of Debt Rescue The Department of Mineral Resources andEnergy announced a steep drop in the price of diesel between R152 and R157 a litre for December, on thebackofglobaloilpricesplunging to their lowest levels since 2021 in November and a strengthening of therandagainsttheUSdollar While the drop is certainly welcome after months of sharp hikes, Roets said that there is very little to celebrate as the drop is tempered by yet another hike in the price of both 93 and95unleadedpetrolof59calitre. Asthecountryheadsintothefestive season,questionsarebeingraisedas to whether consumers will see a correspondingdropinfoodpricesto provide some relief over the Christmas period However, this is “not likely,” Roets said, as previous drops in fuel prices during the year did not see a subsequent drop in foodpriceseither Infact,foodprice inflation went the opposite direction, climbing to 12% in October “It is distressing that the price of staple foods and drinks like milk, bread and maize just keep on climbing, despite the relief at the pumps for diesel-driven vehicles,” Roets said This is substantiated bythelatestHouseholdAffordability Index by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity group (PMBEJD), which shows that the price of staple foods in South Africa continued to rise in November According to the PMBEJD, times are going to get tougherforconsumers ThePMBEJD basketcomprises44corefooditems most frequently purchased by lower-income households, who make up most households in the country. The group’s basket of nutritionalfoodscametoR4,83596 upbyR4813(1%),fromR4,78783 in October 2022, and up R56352 (13.2%), from R4, 272.44 in

Bad news for South Africa with the 2023 food prices…

November 2021 The year-on-year increase outstrips headline inflation by quite a considerable margin, and even food inflation tracked by Statistics South Africa Headline inflation was recorded at 76% in October 2022, up marginally from 75% in September 2022 According to Stats SA, bread & cereals, meat and dairy are currently driving food prices higher in South Africa. This also reflects within the PMBEJD’s data, which shows milk prices up 12%, bread prices up a staggering 20% and meat prices up between 6% and 16% “These are all foods that families need most to ensure nutritional needs are met,” said Roets. The PMBEJD noted that although petrol prices dropped in previous months, no corresponding drop in food priceswasmadeatthe retail level “We are sitting on a ticking time bomb, with over 20 million people across the country currently going tobedhungry every night We simply cannot let this trajectory continue into 2023 The right decisions need to be made –and soon – by our major food retailers andother parties who play a role in determining food prices,” Roetssaid Ontopofescalatingfood prices, Roets noted that the petrol pricehikewillalsoinevitablyleadto anincreaseinpublictransportcosts for millions of working-class citizens “This means their once-ayear trip to visit their families is no longer on the cards The reality is thatfuelpricehikeshaveaknock-on effectonfoodprices,andtheseprice increases come at a time when families are battling to put three nutritional meals on the table, let alone a little extra to celebrate the holidays,”hesaid.TheCEOsaidthat the latest petrol price hike will almost certainly lead to South Africans leaning even more heavily ontheir creditandstorecardstobe able to celebrate the festive season insomekindofway “Formany,this will simply mean putting enough foodonthetable,”hesaid.

What did SA mostly Google in 2022?

Google has released its Year in Search results for 2022 Every year the global search engine releases data showing all the information and questions that users were looking to be answered So, what were South Africans’ top searches this year? Westartwiththecategory"Loss", where Mzani’s top three searches were for music mogul, Riky Rick, who died in February, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth, who died in September at the age of 96, and local actor/director, Patrick Shai, who died in January The top trending search term in Mzansi for this year was SDR (Social Relief of Distress Grant) Status Check, followed by the web-based word

guessing game, Wordle, and coming up in third place was Climate Change For entertainment lovers, the top searched TV show was Big Brother Mzansi, with Wednesday and Stranger Things, taking second and third placerespectively Inthecategory of the top searched people, American rapper/actor Jaden Smith, his father Will Smith together with Chris Rock for that Oscars slap, and Johnny Depp for winning a defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard took the top three places For a complete list of all the top searches visit: https://trendsgooglecom/trends /yis/2022/ZA/

Boston’s Bachelor of Accounting achieves SAICA accreditation

Boston City Campus (Boston) is pleased to announce that our Bachelor of Accounting degree is now SAICA-accredited (South African Institute of Chartered Accountants) The achievement of this accreditation means that studentswhocompletetheBostonBachelorofAccountingdegreeandwho meet the entry requirements set by institutions offering the SAICAaccredited postgraduate qualifications in accounting can seamlessly continue their journey toward the attainment of the CA(SA) designation “CAs(SA) are seen as responsible leaders who create sustainable value for the organisations that they work in and there are a wide range of employment opportunities open to these professionals Becoming a chartered accountant requires grit and determination, and students who enter our Bachelor of Accounting degree can be assured that our programme provides a solid foundation from which to embark on the challenging journey toward ultimately earning the sought-after CA(SA) designation. SAICA’s strategic intention is to contribute to sustainable economies through developing responsible and ethical leaders. As such, it aims to ensure continued relevance and the growth and transformation of the accountancy profession Through our Bachelor of Accounting qualification, we are proud to be associated with SAICA and the high standardsofprofessionalismrequiredbythisgloballyrecognisedInstitute” emphasizes Dr Hendrik Botha, the Head of Institution at Boston City Campus Says Robert Zwane, SAICA Executive: Learning, Development and National Imperatives: ‘In its role in promoting quality assurance in accounting education,and in termsof itscurrent recognitionand standing withtheIndependentRegulatoryBoardforAuditors(IRBA),oneofSAICA’s key roles is to accredit programmes which allows students access to SAICA’sfirstprofessionalexamination,theInitialTestofCompetence(ITC)

‘For programmes to be accredited by SAICA, higher education providers undergo arigorous and extensive process to ensure that their programme has the necessary resources in place to deliver a high quality programme leading to a CA(SA) qualification These quality assurance processes are undertaken over and above the formal regulatory accreditation

requirementsoftheDHET,CHEandSAQAwhichneedtobeinplacebefore getting the SAICA stamp of approval Having undergone the formal accreditationprocess,weareconfidentthattheBostondegreeisbackedby thenecessaryresources tomeetthe standards setbySAICA’Boston is the first private provider of distance education to receive SAICA accreditation fortheundergraduatedegree Additionally,Bostonisaccreditedlocallyand internationally for our higher education programmes, and have a longstanding reputation of excellence as a private higher education institution specialising in online and distance education At Boston, we understand what is needed to put the student front and centre in the learning process We appreciate the additional support that an online learner may require, and we have invested in human capital and technological infrastructure to ensure that no candidate is left behind Offering the SAICA-accredited Bachelor of Accounting qualification in the distance mode means that we’ve eliminated many obstacles preventing access to higher education like the cost of travel and relocation to a physical campus or having to forego the opportunity cost of full- or parttime employment Additionally, Boston offers a competitive fee structure and payment plans that include all required textbooks for the duration of thedegree Boston’s commitment to widening access toa diverse group of studentswhodonotqualifyfordirectentryintotheBachelorofAccounting is seen in its alternative entry routes Alternative routes include entry through recognition of prior learning and various relevant higher certificates, diplomas,andoccupationalqualifications Theaccreditationby SAICAdemonstratesourcommitmenttobackourstudentsinachallenging and competitive world where success is hard-earned and aligns with our quality approach to higher education That approach focuses on transformative learning and emphasises the potential of each student, ensuring we support work-ready employable graduates Boston is able to extend access to its Bachelor of Accounting in a number of ways Each applicationwillbeconsideredonitsownmerit Visitwwwbostonacza for moreinformationandtoapplyonline.