My dream summer body that never came through

Nothing frustrates me more than New Year’s. Don’t get me wrong I love new beginnings, but nothing frustrate me more than going back to the new year’s resolution list  in December and find out that none of the things was completed. Most of all I hate to see that I am silently rebuking myself for failing to complete one thing that I desired most, my body weight. One of my new year’s resolutions last year was to begin my year with a slim body. I tried the 'get skinny quick' skims that left me almost broke because they never work and at the end I still looked roughly the same.

Now it is another new year. Other resolutions have been made. And my body weight is still on top of my ‘to do’ list.

I took my bike in hope that the cravings won’t tempt me to the core this time. My elusive summer body will be real this time because I have accountability partners who are my friends.

You would think that resolutions are just writing things that we are hoping for, not its not just that, resolutions are supposed to be a constant reminder of our wishes who may or may not come true. The future of our resolutions really depends on us. I don’t know what you are hoping for this year, you may want to lose weight like I do, or you want to get your driver’s license, whatever it is, it all depends on you.

Sometimes we write our new years eve while we are under pressure, while we feel so insecure about ourselves. Those will never work; you need to be realistic when you set your goals. When do you want to see the difference if you want to lose weight? When are you planning to go and apply for learner’s license if your goal is to have your license by the end of this year?

I cannot assure you that I have achieved my goals but I can tell you that I have shaken the thoughts and mind what I eat. And I can see the difference from the person I was at the beginning of the year. I have more energy, my skin look better, but I haven’t lost as much as i was hoping for, but I am very close to achieving my goals. So what are you hoping for this year’s? There is still time, there is hope.

YOUTH VOICES

The youth Against Crime march that happened over the weekend was well received by the officials.

Stellenbosch police station manager Brigadier Mdladla said he was impressed by the way the march was conducted. He said most people who usually march always take their frustrations at the police station even if it is not police related.

“This march was well planned and the idea of taking this in a public place like Die Braak was a sign that these young people were not there to fight,” said Mdladla.He also clarified that Kayamandi is not a police station.

We appreciate how they conducted themselves and the way they worked together, I'm committed to working with you, we acknowledge the complaint. We must understand that Kayamandi is not a police station, Kayamandi is a contact point, and the contact point is just to bring the services to the community.” Said Mdladla.

He continues saying the national office will take a decision if Kayamandi will be the satellite or a police station. And if it is independent then it will have more resources.

The gathering was attended by fewer young people, less than what the movement was expecting, but the chairperson of the movement Simphiwe Ntsabo said they are happy about the number that attended and most of the people who attended were young people which was the targeted market.

“We are happy that it has finally happened, there were a lot of fears around the group at the time came. The process was not easy, but the dedication from the team made everything possible” said Ntsabo.

Mayor’s office Quinton Smit, who also received the petition said it was the first march that he was invited into and also wanted to be on

He said he was happy to see the youth of Kruis Kerk supports their fellow men and woman. He said they have heard the grievances they will sit down during the week and get back to the movement within 14 days.

One of the organizers to support the movement Jaco Botha said Him and the church are deeply thankful by the leadership showed by the Kayamandi guys.

“The church’s purpose is to walk alongside with people who are suffering, not to speak on their behalf but walk with them. What happened that day is just the beginning” Said Botha

They attended gatherings hosted by different officials where they learn that

A Movement to combat crime has been launched in Kayamandi.

Young people from all four Non-profit organisations in Kayamandi have come up with strategies to fight crime in the area.

Crime has increased over the years. Others have come up with a plan in the past years where Kayamandi they created a group call Bambanani which means holding hands but it hasn’t been successful.

Kayamandi Police captain Nomvuyo Miti said the program failed because some of the volunteers find jobs and others stop volunteering because they were not getting any money and most of them have families to feed.
Captain was invited by the Stellenbosch Forum to talk about the crime and why crime is spreading rapidly and what are they doing to combat crime. She said the main problem is that they have fewer police officers per shift.
“We have one police van and four police officers per shift. Two of them needs to stay at the police station and two of them to patrol, we do struggle to attend everyone at the same time” said Miti.

She recalls a day when there was a body of a young man who was found dead next to Kayamandi High, she said they got a call to attend a robbery to a family owned wine shop in Kloehnof.

After that gathering young people decide to form the youth organisation called Kaymandi Youth against Crime. They attended gathers hosted by different officials, including Brigadier Mdladla of Stellenbosch Police Service.
KYAC secretary Msimelelo Mpindwana said he learned that Kayamandi Police Station was not meant to be a police it was created to be a contact point while waiting for the Stellenbosch police officers.

The group will embark on their first journey to find answers tomorrow morning. They will have their first protest at the Die Braak in Stellenbosch where Quinton Smit of Stellenbosch municipality community safety will accept the petition.

Chairman of the movement Simphiwe Ntsabo said if it wasn’t for the young people’s dedication, support from churches including NG Kerk in Stellenbosch and the community as a whole this march would be possible.

“Most of our innocent young people have died because of crime, because someone wanted their wallet or cell phone, I think that is why a lot of young people are really keen to supporting the movement.” Said Ntsabo

They are at least six young people who died became of robbery dozens of young people who were stabbed since the beginning of the year.

Fire wipes 250 homes in Kayamandi

Hundreds of displaced Kayamandi residents have started rebuilding after their homes were burnt down on Monday afternoon in Kayamandi Township in Stellenbosch.

Eyewitness Mvuyisi Ntantala said the fire started in a locked house while its owners were at work at the time.

“I thought that someone was burning some papers, since it’s a regular thing in this area, so I went back to my house, but [then] I noticed that the smoke was getting stronger … That’s when I started calling others,” said Ntantala.

Ntantala lost all his belongings in the fire including his identity document and his matric certificate.

“The fire spread rapidly in different areas while we were still trying to fight it,” explained Ntantala.

Most residents were at work when the fire broke in their homes.

Residents from both Snake Valley and Zone O helped to fight the fire using buckets, but most residents were watching the fire carefully to avoid the repeat of 2013 when people thought that the fire was too small to spread but it ended up destroying hundreds of home and leaving thousands homeless at Zone O.

This time residents took their frustration out on the firefighters, throwing stones at them for arriving late. Residents say they phoned for help before the fire had spread.

The fire, which started around 3pm, was extinguished at 7pm.

Portia Jansen, Community Development Coordinator at Stellenbosch Municipality, “There are at least 250 people who gave their names as heads of the houses [that were destroyed], but we will still need to verify it.”

Since February, at least two people have died in fires around Kayamandi. Fires are common in Enkanini, an informal settlement in Kayamandi that does not have electricity.

10 Things Every Career Woman Must Know

We all know how hard it is for women to make sure that both work and home are balancing especially in today's world where they are holding powerful positions in a cooperate . At times it becomes overwhelming for some women to balance their work, home and social life. So here are some of the important things that every career woman must know.

1. We all know that the corporate world is competitive and is run by man, so do your part, don't give it all to the fight.

2.Almost everything can be recycled but time and reputation cannot be, so use your time wisely.

3.Family comes first and time travel fast, so whatever you do remember that you'll never go back and redo things.

4 Its a busy world, it is always great to take time off and unwind. Take time off your busy work and home life and go out with friends. The difference you will feel after wards would be really refreshing. A glass of wine can change everything.

5.You don't have to fight every war that comes your way.

6.At home, you are a mother, sister, aunt or a daughter, at work you the boss or employee, so make sure you separate those. Transparency is not always an option when it comes to work and home. Be transparent on work related issues only.

7.This is the real world, trust yourself. Remember that everything that is not for you is against you so if you don't trust yourself who will.

8. Know what is your first priority in life, your health matters too. So its important to take care of your body and also give yourself time to de-stress. Go to the gym and sweat a little, meet with friends, gossip about the latest stories or the housewives series. You are a woman you were born to socialise.

9.We are created differently and our backgrounds are not the same, people will dislike you for no reason, especially if you are leading a large number of employees, so don't force yourself in,others will let you in their lives, others will not. Its life.

10 stretch yourself to the limit, then you will be the best at what you do. Weather you the employer or employee, you need to grow.

NOTE: all the illustrations and pictures were taken from the web