Handing over indebtedness

Recent statistics have shown that the vast majority of people in the country are substantially over indebted (in other words, their expenses exceed their income).

The spiraling effect of this is that people find themselves growing more into debt each year and thereby jeopardizing their lifestyle and decreasing their quality of life. The recent National Credit Act has made huge changes in the manner in which credit may now be given as well as the procedures that have to be complied with prior to debt collection . However this Act is only applicable to Credit agreements that commenced after June 2006. People who find themselves in financial difficulties and who are unable to keep up to their financial obligations, need to be aware that provision is made for them to renegotiate their payment plan to prevent legal action. This is done in conjunction with a debt counselor or with the relevant Creditor directly.

Often and previously, debtors used to be burdened with unnecessary cost and interest amounts, over and above the actual capital payment due.

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Newcastle Entrepreneur Is IFA Legend

Nathi Mbatha of Newcastle has won the IFA Legend award for Top Earner in KwaZulu-Natal for his persistence and commitment to his business during an awards ceremony in which top-notch South African big band Mango Groove put the gloss on the Independent Field Advertisers’ first major awards ceremony rally in Durban at the weekend.

Dynamic front singer Claire Johnston, her talented back-up vocalists and the brilliant brass trio and the rest of the ensemble rocked Durban’s new auditorium at the International Convention Centre on Saturday.

Approximately 2500 IFAs celebrated their top regional performers amidst much song and dance, as Mango Groove and later Jub Jub turned on the musical heat and raised the spirits of the audiences who packed the indoor oval to the roof. "IFA is all about people and we are thrilled that our classic combination of a big-band blast and the colourful and festive aura turned IFA’s major rally in KwaZulu-Natal into a resounding success.

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‘Fix it’ fixes local Creche

With the help of local soccer player, Siyabonga Nkosi, children from the Celukuhle Creche in the Mndozo community, faces were lit up when they were suprised beyond belief.

After Nkosi achieved success as a soccer player, he decided that he wanted to help people from the community he came from. Celukuhle Creche has no access to basic facilities, this included water and electricity. Nkosi approached popular TV Programme "Lets Fix It" in an attempt to help the community. Producers accepted and were on their way to Newcastle in no time.

While the team was busy getting the creche back on track, Century Casino took the children and teachers from the creche to Amcor Dam for a small party. Teachers were not even aware of what was happening.

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An Audi eye for VI GTi

With details of the upcoming Golf VI already doing the rounds on the net, the inevitable questions as to what the next-generation GTi will entail have come to the fore.

A number of sources have come forth with details that suggest the next brace of performance Golfs will borrow many mechanical bits and bobs from Audi when they emerge in Europe in the first half of 2009. This should mean that the GTi will probably emerge on our market in either late 2009 or early 2010, but if the wait is too much to bear, you can take some solace in the strong likelihood that a production-viable concept could be unveiled as soon as October.

The new GTI will get a tuned version of the companys 2,0-litre FSI engine that will develop 158 kW and 350 N.m of torque, roughly 10 kW and 70 N.m up on the current car. One of the modifications to the EA88 engine is said to be a modified version of Audi s recently unveiled variable valve-lift system.

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Prime circle to play Acoustic Set At White Mountain

Leading South African rock outfit Prime Circle will perform a special acoustic set at this year’s White Mountain Folk Festival running from 24-28 September. Currently riding high after the release of their third album ’All or Nothing’, Prime Circle had just seven years, from a rehearsal room in Witbank to become a major force on the local music scene.

Also included in the line-up are John Ellis, frontman of internationally acclaimed local group Tree63, Syd Kitchen, Van der Hoven featuring Henry Steel, Dave McMillan & Roly Struckmeyer, Cabins in the Forest and a host of other great artists. The full programme is still being finalised and will be announced shortly.

Now in its third year, the festival is held at White Mountain Lodge in the foothills of the Giant's Castle Nature Reserve in KZN, just 34km from Estcourt on tarred roads and 200km from Durban.

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Local Beauty Queen In Our Midst

"As a baby, mum always told me I would make her proud one day because I was very photogenic." These were the words of local model, Samira Kunhee.

Today Samira’s parents speak of her as their beauty queen with pride. Her modelling career started at the age of six, and she has never looked back.

She received her first award in 1994 where she won the ’Best Talent’ category at a pre-school talent show.

A year later Samira took another title at a fancy dress parade and the following year another title in the ’Best dressed’ category at a Child Welfare show.

Although two years passed before she won her next title, Samira proved that she still had it in her when she won Miss Tinkerbell in 1998.

In 2000 she was chosen as second princess at the Dundee Winter Show and in 2001 at a Variety Show another second princess title came in. Samira was still going strong. In 2002 she secured the first princess title at the Pick ’n Pay Winter Show and in 2004 again at another Variety Show.

Samira even made heads turn when she walked away with the best dressed award as well as the best couple award at her matric farewell in 2006.

As most models leave school, they leave their modelling career behind, but not Samira.

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