‘A bold voice who brought courage' — tributes pour in for comedian Thato Mabelane
Industry colleagues, friends and fans have taken to social media to pay tribute to comedian Thato Mabelane.
Thato succumbed to cancer in the early hours on Monday. Thato's friend Dr Estelle Wiid confirmed the news to TshisaLIVE, revealing the comedian was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago but it metastasised to the brain.
Ahead of the memorial ceremony set to take place on June 1 at Chapmans Peak second viewing point in Cape Town from 2pm, industry colleagues reflected on the impact she made as a comedian, HR specialist and champion rower.
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Mail & Guardian
11 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
The GAC GS3 Emzoom is a refreshing and a different offering in a flooded SUV market
Sporty and stylish: The GAC Emzoom is a refreshing addition to the compact SUV market. It might come to the point where we lose track of how many Chinese brands there are in South Africa. We might even begin to lose track of how many compact SUVs are in the market because it has become congested with them. Chinese brand GAC Motor entered two SUV models into the South African market in the middle of 2024: the Emzoom and the Emkoo. In typical fashion, both cars looked good and came with all the fancy technology that we have become accustomed to getting in Chinese cars. The Mail & Guardian got behind the wheel of the Emzoom, which is available in three variants: Comfort, Executive and R-Style. We were lucky enough to get the top-of-the-range R-Style model and I was pleasantly surprised. I knew that the exterior and interior were going to be appealing, because Chinese manufacturers always put a lot of emphasis on bringing out a neat product. However, I did find some styling similarities with BMWs. For starters, on the R-Line trim, the black grille gets three gold panels, much like some BMWs, which have M-specific colours on their grilles. The colour coding on the inside also provided some similarities. The same blue plastics you see around the aircon vents in BMWs are present in the Emzoom R-Style. This is probably because Thomas Schemera, who has held key roles at both BMW M and Hyundai, is now the chief operating officer and senior vice president of GAC International. Alongside the ambient lighting inside the Emzoom, the air conditioning and volume dials also get a rainbow light around them. These style features give the car a fun and sporty atmosphere. Manufacturers sometimes try too hard to make compact SUVs feel luxurious with fancy screens, decked out interiors and the absence of buttons. While the Emzoom still has the fancy screens and is decked out, it doesn't aim for a luxurious interior, but rather something that boosts adrenaline. The Emzoom comes with the standard 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine that we are accustomed to getting in Chinese compact SUVs. Paired with a dual-clutch transmission gearbox, it will deliver 130kW of power and 270Nm of torque. The coolest feature of the car is the exhaust system which is designed to produce sound through 'active exhaust valves'. These can be toggled between open and closed, allowing for a louder and more sporty sound when open, especially in the sport mode. It adds to the fun feel the Emzoom was meant to have. You could actually fool people into thinking you were driving a sports car. But this feature also has a downside. I became obsessed with the exhaust sound, continually putting the car into sport mode. This exposed the sensitivity of the accelerator, making the car move too quickly. This is not ideal when navigating into tight parking spots or even pulling into your garage. Besides that, the Emzoom provides excellent handling and effortlessly picks up speed when you need it to. I experienced some turbo-lag, but it was not bad at all. It didn't make the vehicle feel unresponsive. The other downside is the fuel consumption. This is a pretty compact vehicle and, while GAC claims a consumption figure of 6.2 litres/100km, I averaged 8.1 litres/100km. Overall, I really enjoyed the GAC GS3 Emzoom. It felt different and refreshing. I loved the fact that GAC went all out in making it a fun and sporty experience without producing a performance monster. You get everything you need — and the lovely exhaust sound as a bonus but, in a flooded SUV market, it is difficult to say whether the Emzoom will make a splash. Pricing GS3 EMZOOM 1.5L T Comfort — from: R419 900 GS3 EMZOOM 1.5L T Executive — from: R439 900 GS3 EMZOOM 1.5L T R-Style — from: R489 900


Mail & Guardian
13 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
New law: Protecting South Africans from tobacco is no foreign agenda
Vaping among young people has reached an all-time high, The passage of the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill is a decisive moment for public health in South Africa. Yet, as we edge closer to enacting life-saving legislation, a familiar narrative has emerged, one that is designed to sow confusion and delay progress. Accusations suggesting that the drafting of this legislation is influenced by foreign NGOs are not only baseless but strategically designed to detract from the real issue at hand: protecting our people, especially youth, from the harmful effects of tobacco. South Africa ratified the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2005. The treaty obliges its signatories to adopt stringent public health measures and safeguard them from interference by the tobacco industry. These obligations include consulting technical experts, researchers and civil society organisations to develop sound, evidence-based policies. This is not foreign meddling; it is the global standard for formulating robust tobacco control legislation. The department of health led the drafting of the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, working through established channels. Stakeholders across sectors as well as the broader public have weighed in, and parliament will review every aspect of the bill before its passage. The narrative that South Africa is ceding its policymaking to external agendas is nothing more than an industry-led distraction. It is designed to confuse, politicise and derail a procedurally sound process that aligns with our constitutional and international commitments. For decades, the tobacco industry has relied on diversion tactics, questioning the integrity of organisations and individuals who are advocating for public health reforms. South Africa is merely the latest chapter in this global playbook. But make no mistake, this bill is neither a foreign imposition nor the product of external pressure. It is the culmination of years of evidence-based recommendations and domestic public input, aligned with South Africa's sovereign obligations under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The tobacco industry thrives not only on selling products that harm health but also on derailing policies that could save lives. Around the world, the industry has wielded its significant resources to manufacture doubt, discredit public health advocates and shift attention away from the substance of legislation — all to pave the way to profit from deadly tobacco and nicotine products, which include cigarettes, heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes. Whether in Pakistan, the Philippines or South Africa, the playbook remains the same: scatter unfounded accusations of foreign interference, ignite nationalist sentiments and bury meaningful discourse on protecting lives beneath conspiracy theories. The industry will use any tactic, including mischaracterising the policy process, to try to stop legislation that has an impact on its business. South Africa is witnessing this tactic up close. Shifting the conversation away from the bill's purpose, the industry claims that the government's policymaking is compromised by external influence, even threatening litigation to challenge the legislation. Specifically, it is targeting the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids which, together with other experts, provided technical guidance during discussions on the bill. But this is what's not being said. The campaign consultant involved is a South African citizen, a former director in the department of health, and someone with decades of experience in public health at both national and global levels. She is not a 'foreign operative' but a lifelong servant to the health of this country. The real purpose of the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill is to curb the harm caused by tobacco and nicotine products, particularly among the youth. Young people in South Africa are under siege; they're targeted by an industry that relies on addiction to sustain its multibillion-dollar business model. Emerging nicotine products like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco are marketed with flavours, slick designs and celebrity endorsements that glamourise use while increasing dependence. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey of 2021, 29.4% of adults in South Africa use tobacco products, smoked and non-smoked. A new national survey conducted for the African Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research, based at the University of Pretoria, shows that this had increased significantly, to 36.8% in 2024. Tobacco smoking, specifically, has hit a high of 33.9% or 14.9 million, a prevalence level last seen in 1993. Use of novel tobacco products like e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and oral nicotine pouches among young people aged 16 to 34 has risen to 13.5% or 2.6 million young people. This burden translates to thousands of preventable deaths and a strained healthcare system. The new bill takes critical steps forward by proposing a comprehensive ban on smoking in public spaces, mandating standardised packaging, curbing advertising and prohibiting sales to children, as well as regulating unregulated novel products that didn't exist when the legislation was passed. Ironically, while lobbyists accuse public health advocates of being controlled by foreign entities, the tobacco industry itself is dominated by multinational corporations like British American Tobacco, Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco. These profit-driven conglomerates, which operate in South Africa, are the real foreign entities that are prioritising shareholder returns over the health of the general population. Their financial interests lie in keeping South Africa addicted, not free from tobacco harm. Time is critical when it comes to public health policymaking. Any delay in passing the bill equates to more lives being lost and more young South Africans becoming hooked on harmful products. By politicising public health discussions, the tobacco industry and its allies aim to manipulate timelines and erode momentum. Since the first publication of the bill in 2018 up to 2024, the total number of smokers has increased from 9.5 million to 14.9 million and vaping among young people has reached an all-time high. At its core, this issue is simple — as South Africans, do we want to prioritise the profits of multinational tobacco companies or the health of our people? The delay tactics and conspiracy theories detract from the real questions we must ask our policymakers and ourselves as a nation. How do we safeguard future generations from the harm caused by tobacco? How do we align our policies with science and evidence? How do we ensure that multinational corporations cannot exploit our youth for profit? The bill before parliament reflects a long-standing public health mandate, shaped by years of domestic input and aligned with our international obligations. Smoking-related illnesses claim about 40 000 South African lives annually. This bill offers a way forward and is a chance to break cycles of addiction, disease and suffering. The time for decisive action has arrived. It is incumbent upon all of us to reject tactics that perpetuate harm and support measures that secure the well-being of our nation. The science is settled. The need is urgent. The delay is political. Choosing health is not only the right thing to do; it is the only thing to do. Professor Lekan Ayo-Yusuf is the head of the School of Health Systems and Public Health at the University of Pretoria, director of the National Council Against Smoking and director of the Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research.

The Herald
14 hours ago
- The Herald
Pinotage celebrates a century of its place among SA's home-grown essentials
How apt that two distinctive home-grown essentials of South African culture both celebrate 100th anniversaries this year — Afrikaans marking its centennial as an official language and our signature wine grape pinotage celebrating 100 years since its first experimental seeds were planted. Pioneering Stellenbosch University viticulturist Prof Abraham Izak Perold crossed the French varietals of pinot noir and cinsaut (then known locally as hermitage, hence the name pinotage), seeking to combine pinot's elegance with the hardy, robust growth properties of cinsaut. He planted the first seeds in 1925, mainly as an academic project, at the university's Welgevallen experimental farm, those first four seedlings kick-starting a fascinating history for a once-maligned grape that now holds its own on the global wine stage. (Read more at In this year of celebrating innovation in SA wine, a winemaker known for his innovation in winemaking and marketing celebrates two global accolades for none other than pinotage. Bruce Jack scored a place in the 2025 Drinks Business Master Winemaker 100 as one of just three South Africans named in the list of the world's top 100 winemakers. The wine that secured him the spot was his flagship Heritage Flag of Truce Pinotage 2022. Pinotage is known for its versatility, producing wines that can be full-bodied, rich and bold, dark-fruited, with savoury-umami, sweet and smoky flavours, through to softer-bodied styles that lean more to bright red fruits and floral notes wrapped around the savouriness. Some of the lighter, fresher styles of pinotage can be almost pinot noir-like, a nod to its roots, while pinotage also makes some lovely dry rosés with distinctive spiciness. Intensely toasting the insides of barrels (rather than illegally adding coffee grounds or chocolate chips as some assumed) produced another innovation in the popular coffee-chocolate style pinotage. I'm not a fan of these, so the Daily Brew Pinotage in the Bruce Jack Lifestyle range (around R80, Tops at SPAR) came as a pleasant surprise, with subtle coffee and chocolate complementing abundant juicy red cherries, ripe plums and a soft creaminess to the mouthfeel. Definitely one for a braai with lamb ribbetjies (the wine will cut through the fat) and anything with a tangy-spicy marinade. Also in the great value Lifestyle range, the Pinotage Malbec is a regular in my shopping basket, an unusual red blend that Jack describes as 'black cherry pie with a pinch of thyme' — an apt description for a deliciously plush wine with fresh cherries, dark chocolate, vanilla and oak spice. The Bruce Jack Reserve Collection Pinotage 2023 (about R150) is next-level, showing that versatility of pinotage — this one dark, brooding, velvety. Black cherries, plums, dark chocolate and warm spice move from nose to palate with a frame of toasty oak. There's a creamy richness to the wine, bringing to mind roasted fruit served with crème fraiche. Pinotage is a volatile character that can be tricky to work with in the cellar, to avoid the unwanted pungency of nail polish remover or burnt tar that gave the wine a bad rap in the 1970s. Which is probably why Jack describes his journey of pinotage-making as 'a tightrope between ambition and humility, between resilience and empathy' and perhaps inspired the name of Heritage Flag of Truce Pinotage 2022 (R570), which nails pinotage as it should be. From a single vineyard in the Breedekloof, considered SA's best pinotage-growing terroir, the wine is smooth and silky, fruit purity in dark ripe berries, a distinctive but subtle garam masala spice, a background layer of vanilla and chocolate in a complex, finely balanced wine. An elegant, eminently drinkable pinotage, but with a backbone that reminds you it could take a bit of lying down to fully develop. Appropriately on the proudly SA theme, pinotage is great with a braai, especially things with spicy-tangy marinade or Asian flavours like hoisin and barbecue pork. Jack also suggests it as an unusual and delicious partner to sushi — definitely one to try! All the wines can be ordered at The Reserve Pinotage is at Makro and selected Tops at SPAR, while the Lifestyle Range is exclusive to Tops. The Herald