KZN#22

KZN 

Arts - Entertainment - Health - Beauty - Movies - Gossip - Fitness - Food 

LifeStyle 

Volume 2 Issue 22 

Bianca 

MAGAZINE 

Haw 

PG 

50 

Bianca Haw was 

peerless in the women's 

race at the 2017 Sappi 

Howick MTB Classic on 

Sunday 5 March. 

Surfski 

Series 

Tech 

PG 

PG 

48 

41-46 

Gaming 

Property 

news 

PG 

8-21 

PG 

36-40 

Easy 

Readers 

Rides 

PG 

32-35 

Weekday 

Meals 

PG 

4-6

Contents 

FROM 

26 

Travel 

The beach ventures in the side of the CBD 

of Durban city to Durban beach's west. 

Durban beach is an entertainment lala land 

notwithstanding one of the major vacationer 

magnetisms in Durban city. 

PAGE 

8 

21 

PROPERTY 

PAGE 

PAGE 

RC CARS 

READERS RIDES 

Car news, articles and information 

3235 

There’s been a 

rumour around 

the motoring 

world 

for decades 

that says when Mazda was 

designing the MX5, they 

recorded the noise made 

36 

by a Triumph TR5 gearbox 

when changing cogs, and 

then engineered theirs to 

sound the same. Not to 

mention the fact that the 

entire MX5 concept was 

loosely based on a 1960’’s 

Lotus Elan. 

40 

GAMING NEWS 

4 

6 

EASY 

WEEKDAY 

MEALS 

I 

think I may have 

just set a personal 

record for the most 

amount of time I’ve 

spent with a new 

video game console during 

its launch week. I have put 

over 50 hours into Zelda: 

Breath of the Wild, more 

than a full time job, and the 

only reason I’m going to be 

slowing down is to play my 

review copy of Mass Effect: 

Andromeda this week. But 

after that? Back to Zelda 

full time. 

Spending so much time 

with the system, I’ve gotten 

familiar with it in almost 

every configuration, especially 

since my Pro controller 

arrived in the mail a few 

days back.

Goals 

Join the Celebratation - 100 Years of Making Life Delicious 

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Wiltshire Cured Bacon and now delicious new Gourmet American Hot Dogs. 

American Hot Dogs 

Smoked Gourmet Regular 380 g or Smoked Gourmet Chilli Cheese 380 g 

Now available at Eskort Butcheries and soon at a store near you. 

Visit eskort.com - Your 1-Stop Inspiration Station, Facebook.com/EskortLifesDelicious or Instagram.com/EskortFood

Food 

THE BEST 

THING I EVER 

MADE RECIPES 

4 

Kzn Lifestyle Magazine • Issue 22 

"

Food 

Easy Weekday 

Meals 

Zucchini and 

sundried 

tomato 

couscous 

salad 

Spicy beef stir fry 

with sweet peppers 

and mango 

SERVING 4 

INGREDIENTS 

FOR THE MARINADE: 3 Tbs low sodium soy sauce 1/2 tsp chilli 

powder 1/4 tsp dried red chilli flakes 2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder 

1 clove garlic, minced 1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar 2 tsp sesame 

seed oil FOR THE STIR FRY: 400 g grass-fed beef fillet, sliced into 

strips 1 Tbs vegetable oil 2-3 carrots, julienned 1 of each, red and 

orange sweet peppers, deseeded and finely sliced several stems kale, 

centre rib removed and roughly chopped 3 scallions, sliced egg or rice 

noodles, cooked as per pack instructions 1 small fresh mango, peeled 

and cut into bite size pieces fresh basil and mint, to finish fresh chilli, 

optional SAUCE: 2 Tbs oyster sauce 2-3 Tbs lime or lemon juice 1 Tbs 

freshly grated ginger 1 cup chicken stock 2 tsp corn flour mixed with 3 

tablespoons cold water 

METHOD 35 MIN 

Place all the ingredients for the marinade in a non-metallic bowl and 

stir to combine. Add the beef and toss until the meat is well coated. 

SERVING 2 

INGREDIENTS 

1 cup water 1 Tbs olive oil 1 tsp salt 1 cup uncooked couscous 3 tsp butter 

3 - 4 medium-size zucchini - blanched and shaved into ribbons 1/2 

- 1 cup sundried tomatoes in brine 1 handful chopped coriander Salt 

and black pepper to taste 

METHOD 00:10 

Bring the water to boil, add the olive oil and salt. When the water is 

boiling, remove from heat and stir in the uncooked couscous. Leave to 

steep for two minutes, add the butter and put it back on low heat to 

cook for three minutes while stirring with a fork to separate the grains. 

When the couscous is ready, transfer it to your choice of serving dish 

then add the ribbons of zucchini, the sundried tomatoes and chopped 

coriander. 

Give the ingredients a good mix, season with salt and pepper. Serve 

warm or cold. 

Set aside for at least 30 minutes or preferably overnight. 

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet and stir fry the carrots and peppers 

for several minutes. 

Add the kale and scallions to the pan and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. 

Remove from the pan and set aside while you cook the beef. 

Heat another drop of oil in the same pan and fry the meat on a very 

high heat for about 3-4 minutes until caramelised and nearly done. 

Season lightly with salt before adding the vegetables back in with the 

beef. 

Whisk the sauce ingredients together in small jug and pour over the 

beef and vegetables. 

Simmer for around 2 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Now tip 

the cooked noodles in and toss to coat in the sauce. 

Add the fresh mango pieces and finish with mint leaves, basil and extra 

chilli if you like it hot. Serve with lime wedges. 


5

Food 

Easy Weekday 

Meals 

Teriyaki 

pork 

sosaties 

SERVING 4 

INGREDIENTS 

500 g pork cubes 100 ml teriyaki sauce* (or your favourite marinade) 

250 ml couscous 250 ml chicken stock, hot lemon rind and juice to taste 

100 g almonds, roasted and chopped 1/2 red onion, finely chopped 1 

large tomato, cut in wedges baby salad leaves 

METHOD 00:20 

Marinade the pork in the sauce for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add 

the boiling hot stock to the couscous in a bowl with a tight lid. Cover 

and allow it to steam for about 2-3 minutes, using a fork to loosen the 

grains. Add the lemon juice, a dash of olive oil, almonds, onion and 

tomato and stir through. 

6 

Skewer the pork and arrange on a baking tray. Grill in a preheated 

oven until cooked and golden brown. 

To serve: 

In a serving dish, mix the salad leaves with the couscous and serve 

with the sosaties. 

Teriyaki sauce is a Japanese marinade consisting of soya sauce, rice 

vinegar, ginger and garlic. 


Curried 

coconut 

mince and 

rice 

SERVING 4 

INGREDIENTS 

15 ml oil 1 onion, chopped 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated 1 clove 

garlic, finely chopped 350 g mince 15 ml hot curry powder 15 ml tomato 

paste 200 ml stock 200 ml peas 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved 200 ml 

coconut milk 100 ml fresh coriander, chopped 200 ml peanuts, chopped 

Basmati rice to serve 

METHOD 00:10 

Fry the onion in oil until glossy. Add the ginger and garlic, and fry for 

another minute; then add the mince, browning it and breaking it up 

with a spatula. Then add the curry powder and tomato paste and fry 

for another minute. Stir in the stock and vegetables, and cook until 

reduced – about 15 minutes. 

Stir in the coconut milk, herbs and peanuts and heat through. Serve 

with rice. 

Words and image:Home magazine

Food 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

076 1582 455 

Chris.strover@gmail.com 


7

Health 

Property 

8 

Kzn Lifestyle Magazine • Issue 22

Highway 

James McMillan 

Cell: 082 5744 222 

Email:james@highwayproperties.co.za 

Thisledown 

12 Springside Rd 

3 2 2 

R2.195.000.00 

House +- 205m2 

Rates R 800pm 

3 bedrooms 

2 baths (Mes) 

Open plan large lounge dining 

room Sun room or family room 

Large undercover tile patio 

Modern Kitchen with gas hob 

and double eye level oven 

Ducted air con throughout Air 

conditioner in main bedroom 

so as not to use the ducted 

air con Double garage with 

automated doors Laundry 

room Staff loo and basin Pay 

as you go electricity Stunning 

manicured garden Slate roof 

House totally tiled inside 

besides the main bedroom and 

the second bedroom which are 

carpeted. Levy R 1 700 Includes 

maintenance on the outside 

including the Roof, water, 

insurance and maintenance of 

the common property

Highway 


Cell: 082 5744 222 


Thisledown 


3 2 2 

R2.195.000.00 


Rates R 800pm 

3 bedrooms 

2 baths (Mes) 





















the common property

Highway 


Cell: 082 5744 222 


Thisledown 


3 2 2 

R2.195.000.00 


Rates R 800pm 

3 bedrooms 

2 baths (Mes) 





















the common property

Highway 


Cell: 082 5744 222 


Thisledown 


3 2 2 

R2.195.000.00 


Rates R 800pm 

3 bedrooms 

2 baths (Mes) 





















the common property

Highway 


Cell: 082 5744 222 


hisledown 


3 2 2 

R2.195.000.00 


Rates R 800pm 

3 bedrooms 

2 baths (Mes) 





















the common property

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Home 

Innovative Ways 

to Use Wall 

Claddings to Give 

your Home 

a Makeover 

Laminates are 

those external 

surfacing 

products that 

are used to 

transform the overall look 

and feel of the exteriors and 

interiors of a house. While 

exterior and interior grade 

laminates are conventionally 

used on walls to transform 

the look of these basic 

concrete structures, they 

can also be used in different 

other settings and living 

areas to add a dash of colour 

and glamour. 

Here are a few areas 

where you can artistically 

use the laminate claddings 

to give a new look to a space: 

1. The Puja Room: The 

idea of decorating a Puja 

room varies from person 

to person. While some prefer 

the pristine whites, others 

like the dazzling metallic 

shades and you can get 

them all in the compact 

laminate sheets. 

2. The Stair Steps: You can 

give your stairway a grand 

look by covering the steps 

with shining laminates. 

The stairway can actually 

become the centre of attraction 

in your living room if 

you design it well with decorative 

laminates. 

3. The Aisle: Mostly people 

ignore the aisle assuming 

that no one will really 

pay attention to this space 

but the aisle can also be 

given a makeover if you 

can select the right laminate 

designs to clad the aisle 

walls. You can simply clad 

the walls of the aisle with 

laminates having geometric 

patterns and turn the same 

into your personal photo 

gallery where you can hang 

photo frames of your loved 

ones. 

4. The Porch: The porch 

of your house is another 

important space that you 

must not ignore. Cladding 

the walls of the porch can 

give your house a classy feel. 

You should ideally use laminates 

made with the GLE 

technology for this space as 

they are resistant to water, 

heat, and fire and are ideal 

for the exteriors. 

5. The Balcony: People 

ideally do not use wall claddings 

in the balcony but 

doing that can completely 

transform the look of the 

only open space of your 

house, especially if you live 

in an apartment. The interior 

wall of the balcony can 

be clad with hard wood coloured 

laminates and the 

floor carpeted with artificial 

grass and lined with white 

stones to give the open 

space a wonderful close to 

nature look. 

6. The Study: This little 

place where you like to 

spend your most productive 

hours working and ideating 

must be decorated 

with utmost care. You can 

use good quality interior 

grade laminates to cover the 

walls of the study from ceiling 

to floor and install ceiling 

lights to give the place a 

wonderful feel that is warm 

yet uncluttered. 


24 


House Windows- To 

Fix or To Replace 

Prior to replacing 

old or broken 

windows or 

even obtaining 

windows 

for your new residence, 

it is practically needed to 

evaluate the readily available 

kinds of window, the materials 

made use of as well 

as the energy effectiveness 

involved with the various 

windows. Some individuals 

could take adequate time to 

make a decision the substitute 

service they are going 

to make use of. For example, 

as hi-tech windows play a 

vital role in practically every 

house, somebody that is 

stuck with the wood window 

concept will not take rate 

of interest to recognize the 

relevance of the brand-new 

windows. The brand-new 

windows offer all the possible 

advantages like power 

efficiency, style and high 

quality. 

Different products are 

used for making windows. 

One of the most common 

materials is plastic, which is 

made from polyvinyl chloride 

or PVC. This material 

has areas inside which assistance 

in stopping warmth 

loss. High quality vinyl is 

reasonably a lot more costly, 

because it is scratch-resistant 

and does not quickly get 

bended or deformed when 

subjected to extreme climate 

condition. 

You can additionally find 

house windows made of 

wood. These are often made 

from wood on the within 

and also covered with strong 

lightweight aluminum or 

vinyl outside. Also, these 

kinds are really resilient and 

also do not call for heavy 

maintenance. The lightweight 

aluminum cladding is 

much easier to repaint compared 

to plastic, and lasts 

longer. They include beauty 

and also develop an extra 

natural atmosphere in any 

kind of space. If you wish 

to create a homey, warm 

appearance inside your residence, 

wood is the best 

material for you. 

If you have never dealt 

with replacement home windows 

previously, you probably 

do not know all the 

intricacies of picking and 

mounting them. You could 

think that a replacement 

is a replacement, and not 

understand where you need 

to measure, exactly what 

you need to acquire, or how 

to install it. There are three 

major sorts of configurations 

you can purchase to 

replace your windows. 

Weather can be a significant 

trouble when you 

are installing your personal 

replacement house windows. 

Even if the weather readies, 

dust can enter your house if 

you leave it open too long. 

That is why you will only 

intend to take the old window 

out when you prepare 

to place the brand-new one 

in. If you are changing several 

or all your windows, you 

may find yourself getting the 

job done a little each time to 

prevent being captured with 

an open hole in the side of 

your residence throughout 

negative weather. 

By working with an expert 

home remodeling business, 

you could prevent this 

issue. The expert installers 

will function swiftly. Typically 

there will be more than 

one employee placing in 

your windows; so that the 

procedure can be achieved 

much faster compared to 

you can possibly do it yourself. 

What is even more, the 

installers will certainly be 

so experienced with putting 

in replacement home windows 

that they will recognize 

for how long it takes, and 

will certainly not start the 

window if there is not time 

to put it in before the poor 

weather strikes. 

Occasionally you get 

ready to set up replacement 

house windows as well 

as locate that the framework 

or wall surrounding 

the window is too harmed 

to be left the way it is. You 

will need to do repair services 

prior to the windows 

can be installed. A specialist 

remodeling business 

could make the required fixings, 

saving you the stress of 

doing it yourself. Putting in 

replacement house windows 

can be extremely difficult, 

however with the appropriate 

help you could have them 

installed promptly as well as 

quickly. 

Next, you'll wish to consider 

the sort of glass used. 

Most of the times, dual pain 

windows are picked due to 

their ability to maintain the 

home well shielded yearround. 

Here, a particular 

type of gas can be placed in 

between both panes to prevent 

cool from filtering in 

during the wintertime and 

also heat from entering during 

the summertime. Low E 

glass is likewise made use 

of. This is where the glass is 

covered with a slim film of 

metal so about give additional 

insulation. 

Know the family member 

costs. Prior to you 

even begin looking around, 

understand what an affordable 

cost is and also what 

is not. This will certainly 

stop you from being over 

charged. Call others that 

have actually just recently 

had their windows replaced 

as well as discover what does 

it cost? It cost them altogether. 

Always select a reputable 

business. Choosing one that 

is not could lead to inadequate 

craftsmanship as well 

as using less than ample 

products. You can avoid this 

by doing your study. Request 

for references and also call 

them. Inquire about the 

job that was completed as 

well as ask if the references 

enjoyed with the ended up 

item. This will provide you 

an idea of exactly what you 

can expect from the various 

businesses you consider. 

Adding window tinting 

to your residential windows 

will render them last 

longer and will add beauty to 

them. Sunsational Solutions 

(http://sunsationalsolutions.com), 

located in Austin 

and San Antonio, Texas and 

assists the entire Central 

Texas area including Round 

Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, 

Leander, Buda, Kyle, 

San Marcos, Fredericksburg, 

Boerne, Helotes, New 

Braunfels and San Antonio. 

We are a fully accredited 

energy specialist in window 

film, solar powered attic 

fans, and tubular skylights. 

We are a participating contractor 

with Austin Energy, 

CPS Energy, OncorScience 

Articles, City of New Braunfels 

and Guadalupe Valley 

Electric. We present high 

quality energy efficiency 

solutions for your home or 

business. Find more information 

here. 


25

Travel

Travel 

Shiny Beach 

Of Durban 

Durban Beach, 

moreover 

named "The 

Golden 

Mile," scopes 

starting from UShaka 

Marine Globe to the just 

advanced Sun coast Casino 

notwithstanding Amusement 

Planet to the north. 

The beach ventures in the 

side of the CBD of Durban 

city to Durban beach's 

west. Durban beach is an 

entertainment lala land 

notwithstanding one of the 

major vacationer magnetisms 

in Durban city. The 

coast involves a substantial 

breadth of golden beach 

sand, split by incalculable 

wharfs. Unequivocally let go 

in the temperate sunshine 

as you suntan while you 

fulfill you’re swimming 

goals in the cool waters of 

the Indian Sea. Lifeguards 

and shark nets are for the 

most part of the larger part 

of Durban city's ocean shore 

beach. Surfing is exceedingly 

esteemed and Durban 

beach is a universe partied 

about Surfing spot. Explicitly, 

The South Beach finish 

is partied about right around 

South Africans as a not risky 

position for amateur surfing. 

The mind blowing room 

structures that speck the 

shoreline are a rash of tourist 

inns, private residences, 

shoreline front lands, incalculable 

esteemed restaurants 

notwithstanding clubs. 

There are even reminders 

of some of Durban cities 

more advanced in year’s 

craftsmanship-Deco style 

structural planning which 

is still found from the project 

blast of the 1960s notwithstanding 

1970s. Durban 

Beach has constantly been 

an esteemed siesta spot for 

locals from onto every part 

of the nation, but explicitly 

from Gauteng territory specifically 

in the midst of the 

Christmas vacation time of 

year. Locals run to appreciate 

Durban city's ocean 

shore notwithstanding a significant 

number of inclinations, 

which incorporate: o 

The Sea Method Promenade 

which curves and winds 

from the side of the coast 

was raised to sway more 

individuals to attempt strolling 

notwithstanding cycling 

in the promenade. The Blue 

Inlet, a well-such as picnic, 

joint notwithstanding casting 

a line out there position. 

The Sun coast Casino 

notwithstanding Diversion 

Globe, a mammoth casino 

multiplex with shops, restaurants, 

accessible actions 

notwithstanding a private 

coast. UShaka Marine Globe 

aquarium, Dolphinarium, 

water spot, shopping focus 

notwithstanding restaurants 

with the most substantial 

shark tank in the universe. 

Kings Burgh is my private 

best liked. It's pristine, 

refreshing, has extensive 

private sunny shores 

and is interesting. This to 

me could be the ideal beach 

front relaxes where you 

could probably make up for 

lost time your sleep, lye on 

the ocean shore and unwind 

under the sun. Small Town 

which has a smaller than 

normal copy of the Durban 

city which even has a working 

little track notwithstanding 

airstrip. Dairy coast, 

North coast, the Straight 

of Bounty notwithstanding 

Snake Spot ocean shore 

is overall-loved surfing 

ocean shore. Skateboarders, 

roller bladders notwithstanding 

BMX'ers can profit 

from the Skate Spot in front 

of the Inlet of Bounty. Stall 

holders with a vast determination 

of Zulu fine craftsmanship 

notwithstanding 

handmade specialties. The 

just surfing storehouse in 

South AfricaBusiness Management 

Articles, Spend significant 

time in surf history 

notwithstanding inventories 

some of Durban city's universe 

partied about surfing 

history. I trust you reveled 

in this piece about Durban 

beach. I wish you come and 

visit us here. 


27

Travel 

Top 12 reason 

The Western 

Cape’s largest 

travel, outdoor 

and adventure 

event, the Cape 

Getaway Show is returning 

to Lourensford Wine Estate 

from 31 March to 2 April 2017 

and I couldn’t be more excited 

for my very first Cape 

Getaway Show. From live 

music, beer tent, a variety of 

stand exhibitors and a wine 

village – this year’s show 

promises an eclectic mix of 

a fun weekend in a scenic 

set-up. 

If you are looking for an 

excuse to come and join us 

for this fantastic weekend, 

here my top 12 reasons for 

why you should get excited 

for the Cape Getaway Show 

and start stashing a few 

cents aside to take advantage 

of the awesome specials. 

1. A scenic 

environment 

the Cape Get 

2. Live music 

and Beer Tent 

In this beautiful setup, 

we will also have 

a beer tent along 

with live music for 

a more vibrant vibe. 

Walking around the wine 

estate, enjoying a drink or 

two and shopping makes for 

the best way to spend your 

weekend. Come and enjoy 

the mellow tunes of some 

of Cape Town’s most wellknown 

artists while sipping 

on an ice cold beer. 

3. Enjoy delicious 

and local cuisines 

The Cape 

Getaway Show 

will be hosted 

at the beautiful 

Lourensford 

Wine Estate in Somerset 

West. Beyond the fantastic 

line-up of events on the 

28 


various days, the beautiful 

wine estate is a good enough 

reason to come out to play or 

hang out with us. You will be 

surrounded by the hills and 

the luscious greenery of the 

vineyard. 

With a 

variety 

of artisanal 

food 

stands, 

you can never run short of 

good food at the Getaway 

Show. Buy or taste some 

local and unique cuisines, 

ranging from pastries, 

pancakes and sauces – with 

the variety on offer, you are 

advised to let your taste buds 

loose on a food adventure 

to discover unique flavours 

of local food, wine and beer. 

There is also the Travel and 

Taste Theatre, with scheduled 

demonstrations by well 

known chefs who will offer 

opportunities to taste their 

delicious wares.

Travel 

s to attend 

away Show 

4. Try out mountain 

biking with family 

and friends 

The Cape 

Getaway Show 

Mountain Bike 

Challenge, 

sponsored by 

Sportsmans Warehouse, is 

the perfect opportunity to 

pedal with your family and 

friends. If you are a bit of a 

pro cyclist, by all means take 

part in the 40km ride for 

R300. 

However, if like me 

you’ve only recently started 

cycling, then join me on the 

20km that’s ideal for novice 

cyclists. Otherwise feel free 

to enter the whole family in 

the 5km ride for R50. The 

bonus? If you enter the race 

you will receive a free ticket 

for you and a partner to the 

Show. For more information 

and prices visit our Facebook 

page. 

5. Enjoy a scenic 

trail run 

6. Sip on wine in 

the Wine Village 

It is no secret that 

the Cape is home to 

some of the finest 

out there, and at the 

Show you will have 

the opportunity to sample 

and purchase some of the 

Cape’s best wines in the 

Wine Village. For only R10 

you get a tasting glass and 12 

tasting coupons. 

7. Bring the 

kids for a fun 

day out 

On the final 

morning of 

the Cape 

Getaway 

Show, join 

fellow runners on the 13 

km Lourensford Getaway 

Trail Runthat’s sponsored 

by Sportsman’s Warehouse 

through the picturesque 

Lourensford Wine Estate. 

The trail run costs cost 

R100 per person, and it also 

includes free entry to the 

Show for the runner plus 

partner. For more information, 

visit our Facebook page. 

Kids will have 

a blast on the 

various rides 

in the Spur 

Kids Area. 

Activities in the kid’s area 

will include the parachute 

rocket, bungee, go-karts and 

swings. In addition to the 

fun kids are guaranteed to 

have at the Show, kids under 

12 will also get in for free. 

So come out and bring your 

young ones for a family affair 

that will have something for 

everyone. 

Kzn Lifestyle Magazine • Issue 22 29

Travel 

Catering Accommodation 

In Zimbali And Destinations 

To Go To Surrounding It 

Each year thousands 

of Cape 

Town, Gauteng 

and overseas 

visitors flock 

to Natal's beachfront areas 

for their holidays. However, 

the poor economy is causing 

many to have to come 

up with new solutions for 

holiday accommodation. The 

self catering accommodation 

in Zimbali allows one to take 

a less expensive holiday in 

the Ballito Bay area and has 

options for every pocket and 

family size. 

Zimbali is the area that 

stretches along the Dolphin 

Coast, 45 km from 

Durban. It's exclusive luxury 

beach has a nearby golf 

estate. It retains its small village 

charm whilst still offering 

excellent amenities for 

shopping and entertainment. 

Unhlanga, previously 

the most popular destination 

in Natal, has become too 

overcrowded for most so this 

30 

Kzn Kzn Lifestyle Magazine • • Issue 2220 

area is quickly becoming the 

more popular area to visit in 

Natal. 

The region has an indigenous 

forest and a number 

of species of birds so it's a 

good place for birding. The 

Hluhluwe Game Reserve is a 

short drive away and is one 

way to while away the cloudier 

days. It has the largest 

population of white rhino on 

the globe but is renowned 

for the impact its had on 

black rhino too. All big five 

live there so the lucky will 

spot them all. 

Ballito beach receives frequent 

visits from bottlenose 

dolphins. It's believed that 

there is a school of 200 in 

the group that comes each 

year during their migration. 

Willard beach is the preferred 

place for swimming 

because of its securityArticle 

Submission, shark nets and 

lifeguards. 

Fishing enthusiasts will 

find an enormous amount 

of fishing spots. Oysters and 

crayfish can be caught if one 

has a license. Micro-flights 

are a popular local past time 

and a nearby spa will pamper 

those passing the rainy 

days. 

Ballito has excellent 

mountain biking trails. 

Those who prefer to go by 

foot will enjoy the promenade 

walk and its views. 

There is an annual July jazz 

festival for those who enjoy 

music. 

The Luthuli Museum gives 

visitors some background 

history about Natal. A local 

farm market provides excellent 

shopping and kitchen 

supplies. It's a festive area 

and plenty of entertainment 

is provided. 

Surfing is good at Willard's 

beach and Clarke's 

bay is a fifteen minute 

walk away. It has two rock 

pools on either side as well 

as secure shark nets and 

life guards. A tidal pool on 

Clarke's beach has excellent 

snorkeling and swimming at 

high tide. Snorkeling equipment 

can be purchased at 

low prices to give the children 

the chance to try a new 

hobby. Ballito point provides 

good surfing too. 

Culture enthusiasts will 

visit the local contemporary 

art gallery. Those who prefer 

an adrenaline rush can try 

the 1.5 km zip line that runs 

along a mountain and river. 

Guards are posted at important 

points to harness visitors 

safely. 

Self catering accommodation 

in Zimbali adapts to 

all family sizes and budgets. 

The costs are fair and each 

area has individual views. 

Couples and lone travelers 

will find suitable one bedroom 

accommodation whilst 

larger families will have no 

trouble locating four bedroom 

places.

A Scenic Drive 

through Scotland 

Travel 

This scenic route 

is by no means 

a direct and 

takes you west 

along the M9, 

and A84 taking in all the 

sights and sounds of rural 

Scotland. If time affords, 

stop off at the Queen Elizabeth 

Forest Park where you 

will find a huge variety of 

wildlife and a few activities 

that are perfect for the 

family too. 

Not long after you’ll be in 

the teeth of the Highlands 

enjoy all the views, and surprises, 

that they deliver. 

One of these surprises is the 

weather, which can change 

in the blink of an eye, though 

summer months are a little 

more stable. 

From the A84 continue on 

to the A82 which will take 

you north towards Loch Linnhe. 

Approaching Loch Linnhe 

and the small town of 

Fort William you will be 

treated to a wonderful view 

of Ben Nevis. Standing at 

4,409ft, Ben Nevis is Britain’s 

highest peak and its snowcapped 

peaks dominate this 

landscape. Whether you are 

interested in taking part 

in the range of sports and 

activities that take place all 

year round or simply want 

to enjoy the views there is 

plenty to do that will suit all 

parties. 

Leaving Ben Nevis in your 

rearview mirror, continue 

along the A82 which will take 

you along the coast of the 

world famous Loch Ness. 

Children will shriek with 

excitement at the potential 

of seeing old Nessie but 

adults will also enjoy the 

timeless beauty and hospitality 

of the area. 

Inverness is only a short 

drive from Loch Ness’ 

northern tip and is yet 

another example of everything 

that is great about 

Scotland. Great views of the 

North Sea, coupled with 

a rich history and culture 

punctuated by castles and 

the Highlands themselves, 

Inverness is the perfect destination 

to conclude your 

adventure through the Scottish 

Highlands. 

If you own a car, but driving 

to Edinburgh is a bit 

too far, car rental in Scotland 

is very easy and usually 

cheaper than rates you 

may find on the continent. 

Picking the right car for this 

adventure is also important 

as you will want one that can 

stand up to the tests that 

the Scottish Highlands will 

surely deliver. Once that’s 

all organizedHealth Fitness 

Articles, just relax and enjoy 

the ride! 


31

Travel 

READERS RIDES 

Car news, articles and information 


Automotive 

Suzuki Grand Vitara 

There’s been a 

rumour around 

the motoring 

world 

for decades 

that says when Mazda was 

designing the MX5, they 

recorded the noise made 

by a Triumph TR5 gearbox 

when changing cogs, and 

then engineered theirs to 

sound the same. Not to 

mention the fact that the 

entire MX5 concept was 

loosely based on a 1960’’s 

Lotus Elan. 

Their efforts were aimed 

towards taking elements 

from various well loved British 

sports cars and combining 

them in a package everyone 

would love. Now you 

might look down your nose 

at such behaviour, but I’m 

not so sure it’s a bad thing. 

You see competitive behaviour 

in all spheres of life is 

what leads to advancements 

in the human race - the 

world is advanced through 

improving on other people’s 

ideas. 

The Vitara was first introduced 

to the world in 1988, 

making it potentially the 

first compact 4x4 SUV. Since 

then everyone and their 

dog has joined the fray. 

Toyota has the Rav4, Subaru 

the Forester, and Nissan’s 

X-Trail to name but a 

few. What that means is that 

there is competition and 

accordingly even the first to 

market needs to keep sharp. 

Technically this model 

Grand Vitara came about 

back in 2005 and has since 

undergone a few refreshers 

to keep up with the segment. 

This one is called the Summit, 

a strong name indeed. 

So let’s see what’s on offer. 

On the outside 

When it comes to looks, 

I’d say the design is simple 

yet handsome, capped 

by flared wheel arches 

and a contemporary grille 

which are neat little character 

additions. I will however 

say that other players in the 

market have worked tirelessly 

with model revisions 

that are far more striking, 

something I think customers 

will be drawn to over the 

Grand Vitara. 

On the inside 

Suzuki has stuck with 

simplicity. The equipment 

level does just enough to 

match what the competition 

has on offer. An aftermarket 

touch screen Pioneer headunit 

caters for most needs 

with Bluetooth, USB, navigation 

etc. 

There’s a decent amount 

of space on offer for occupants 

and luggage. 

Behind the wheel 

Under the bonnet you’ll 

find Suzuki’s tried and 

tested 2.4-litre petrol unit 

with a four-speed automatic. 

This is a double 

edged sword. On one hand 

you have proven reliability, 

which is tremendous. On the 

other you have what most 

would consider severely outdated 

technology. In fact the 

Grand Vitara doesn’t even 

live up to Suzuki’s remarkably 

good fuel consumption 

standards (I averaged just 

over 10l/100km on the open 

road for eg). 

The 122kW and 225 torques 

seem good on paper, but 

that four-speed auto really 

makes the car feel laboured 

in most situations. 

On the up side the Grand 

Vitara is more than competent 

if you’re in the mood for 

an off-road adventure. Its 

short overhangs and relatively 

short wheelbase provide 

great manoeuvrability 

for a mixture of tight gaps 

and boulder hopping. The 

four-wheel drive system 

needs special mention as it 

is regarded as one of, if not 

the best system in the segment. 

The Vitara felt sturdy 

along some really rough 

gravel roads and through the 

odd 4×4 section, accomplishing 

all tasks without breaking 

a sweat. On the tarmac 

the Suzuki’s wide stance and 

independent front and rear 

suspension gives a surefooted 

feeling to the driver. 

Pricing 

At R459,900 it’s some 

R60,000 cheaper than the 

4x4 Toyota RAV4. Nissan’s 

X-Trail is R50,000 less, 

though, just as well equipped 

and in my opinion a nicer 

looking vehicle. 

Verdict 

Overall I believe the 

Grand Vitara offers straightforward 

motoring for someone 

after a capable, reliable 

4x4 SUV. 

Its plucky attitude and all 

round competence inspired 

a sense of joy while behind 

the wheel. However it is 

based on fairly old technology 

now, where competitors 

are ever evolving. That 

makes it a tough sell for the 

Japanese manufacturer.

Automotive 

BMW 5 Series 

Five is alive! 

The BMW 5 

Series is a midsized 

executive 

sedan - obviously. 

But you’d 

never think so. Not when 

you’re getting the car to 

walk and talk through the 

mountain passes surrounding 

George in the Western 

Cape. And not when you’re 

hustling it through torturous, 

tight twisties (yes I 

know that alliteration is a 

bit of a cheap literary trick), 

and it’s turning in the sort of 

handling and performance 

you’d expect from a proper 

sportscar. 

But then it is a BMW - 

which means that it really 

does serve up lashings of 

Sheer Driving Pleasure. 

Perhaps more than any of 

its competitors, with the 

main one being the marginally 

more staid yet epically 

refined Mercedes-Benz 

E-Class, as well as the Audi 

A6, and the Jaguar XF. 

At the same time the new 

5 Series is a calming, balming 

cruiser capable of gobbling 

up vast swathes of 

intercity tarmac, leaving 

occupants more refreshed 

34 


at the end of the trip than 

at the beginning. That line, 

incidentally, is not my own, 

but comes from the late, legendary 

British motoring 

journalist LJK Setright writing 

on the Rolls-Royce Corniche 

some decades ago. 

The latest 5 Series - 

launched recently to local 

media in George - is now in 

its seventh-generation. It’s 

also now in the best shape of 

its life, and to my slight disbelief, 

in testament to the 

transient nature of time, it’s 

been 21 years since I first 

went on a 5 Series launch, 

with the previous six generations 

of this car having sold 

about 7.9 million units globally. 

In its latest incarnation 

this is a striking, athletic 

machine from its standard 

LED headlights to its long 

bonnet and short overhangs, 

and even parked it looks 

ready to pounce if you’ll pardon 

the cliché. It’s also a 

bit larger than the outgoing 

car at 36mm longer, 6mm 

wider, and 2mm taller, while 

the wheelbase is up by 7mm. 

This means yet more interior 

space, and it’s especially 

capacious in the back. Soon, 

it seems, a 5 Series will be 

the size of a 7 Series, and a 3 

Series the size of a 5 Series. 

The drag coefficient is 

also improved by some 10 

percent, and this large car 

cuts through the atmosphere 

silently and decisively, while 

there are a total of 21 colours 

and 17 different alloy wheels, 

from 18-inch to 20-inch, to 

choose from. Add to this the 

fact that you can order yours 

in Sport Line or Luxury 

Line, or specify the M Sport 

package, and the chances of 

encountering another identical 

5 Series seem slim. 

Cut to the interior - let’s 

call it a cockpit, for the term 

rests easily here - and, well, 

it’s not terribly surprising 

that it’s driver-focused, 

beautifully wrought, luxurious 

and yet restrained. 

Assistance systems abound, 

of course, and as with its 

main rival, the Merc E-Class, 

it borders on semi-autonomous 

with the likes of the 

optional Active Cruise Control 

(ACC) system, and 

steering and lane control 

assist. It also features the 

latest-generation iDrive system 

- a system that has massively 

improved since I first 

encountered it around the 

turn of the millennium in a 

Bangle-era 7 Series during a 

launch in Bangkok. 

Right now the engine line 

up is limited to two fourcylinder 

variants (the 530i 

and 520d), and two six-cylinder 

variants (the 540i and 

the 530d). All use an eightspeed 

Steptronic transmission. 

Yet even the least powerful 

of these (the 520d) 

turns in excellent figures, 

with 140kW and 400Nm on 

tap. Enough to surge it from 

rest to 100km/h in around 

7.5 seconds, with huge midrange 

urge as I discovered 

during a couple of hundred 

kilometres on the roads outside 

George. 

Prices range, for standard 

models, from R770,500 

(520d) to R838,700 (530i) to 

R952,500 (530d) to R985,300 

(540i). That includes a fiveyear/100,000km 

Motorplan 

- and while the pricier sixcylinder 

models are all well 

and good, even the four-cylinder 

variants fulfill every 

application from hard hustling 

to cushy cruising with 

crushing ability.

Automotive Health 

Ford Focus RS 

Gives big bang for big bucks 

Let’s cut to the chase. The 

Ford Focus RS is, for most of 

us, simply bonkers. It’s too 

hard, too fast, too loud, too 

brash and, at R700,000, too 

expensive to be a practical 

street car. 

On the other hand, if 

you have the money for an 

expensive toy and you judge 

cars on raw edgy performance 

above all else you’ll 

rate it as superb - an instant 

classic. 

If I had to equate it to any 

other car that’s come my way 

over the last two or three 

years it would find itself 

paired, surprisingly, with not 

the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG 

or Audi RS3 that it normally 

runs up against in comparisons, 

but with the delicious 

but impractical Alfa-Romeo 

4C that costs twice as much 

as any of them. 

Both the Ford and the 

Alfa are bad to the bone 

racetrack cars making no 

concessions to political correctness, 

practicality or 

family responsibility. 

On-paper performance 

is similar, with top speeds 

of 265km/h or so and 

0-100km/h taking around 

4.6 seconds, but the Ford is 

essentially a bit of a bastard 

- a family hatch on whoonga 

- while the less powerful 

but lighter Alfa is a stunningly 

gorgeous Italian thoroughbred 

two-seater dripping 

carbon fibre from every 

pore. 

What they have in common, 

though, is that they 

both give you more bang for 

your buck than a big box of 

boobs at a bachelor party. 

On styling the Alfa wins 

hands-down in my book. 

I find the Ford rather 

brash with all the bolt on 

bits and bobs - here we go 

with the “b” thing again 

- but the Alfa would have 

me walking through to the 

garage at 3am just to take a 

look. 

The Focus RS is a race car 

on the road, which means it 

feels very rough around the 

edges. 

It shares its 2.3-litre turbo 

Ecotec engine with the current 

four-cylinder Mustang 

that is itself a lively performer, 

but the RS hatch 

benefits further in that the 

version it uses is blessed 

with 257kW of power and 

440Nm of torque, compared 

with the 233/430 of the bigger, 

heavier pony car. 

It’s interesting to note 

that the Focus RS is pretty 

evenly matched with the 

more powerful 5.0-litre 

Mustang V8 in a drag race 

and on top speed, and 

I’ll wager that it’ll also be 

quicker around a race track, 

with its all-wheel-drive and 

dynamic torque vectoring 

giving it the feel of a wellset-up 

rear-wheel-drive car 

around corners. 

Ford was rather stingy 

with the RS, allocating it for 

just two days to each journalist, 

and over such a short 

period on the streets of 

Queensburgh and Pinetown 

it’s not easy to come close to 

exploring a fast car’s limits. 

I played with it enough, 

though, to appreciate just 

how hard it pulls, how precisely 

it turns, how it sticks 

to the road when flung into 

a corner, and how quickly it 

stops. 

Just as with the Alfa and 

other cars that have taken 

a step too close to the line 

separating great real-world 

everyday cars and uncomfortable 

track-focused exotics, 

the Ford would be fun to 

drive once or twice a week 

when you need cheering up. 

For me, though, I reckon 

a Focus or, better still, Fiesta 

ST would be a much more 

appealing package in every 

way, without breaking the 

bank. 


36 


Game News

Gaming 

PS4 Update 4.50 

Sony has detailed 

the features 

coming in the 

PlayStation 4's 

next firmware 

update, which is codenamed 

"Sasuke." 

Update 4.50 will introduce 

external hard drive support, 

allowing external storage that 

supports USB 3.0 to be recognised 

by the console. According 

to the official PlayStation 

Blog, hard drives of up to 8TB 

are compatible; you'll also be 

able to download and install 

directly to them. 

Custom wallpapers will 

also be added as part of the 

update, so you can "set your 

favorite in-game screenshot 

as the background image for 

PS4's home screen." Effects 

such as drop-shadows on 

text and dimmed function 

area will "help keep the system 

icons and texts on the 

home screen clearly visible 

even if the background image 

you selected is super bright." 

Screenshots can be edited in 

the Sharefactory to be further 

customised. 

The quick menu, which is 

accessed by holding down the 

PS button on the PS4's controller, 

will also be refreshed 

to "make it even more accessible." 

It will cover less of the 

gameplay screen and give 

players quicker access to 

Party features.The notification 

list has been simplified: 

it is now a single list that surfaces 

information on game 

alerts, downloads, uploads. 

Additionally, the ability to 

post directly into the Activity 

Feed has also been added. 

Finally, the update will let 

3D movies to be viewable in 

stereoscopic 3D using the 

PlayStation VR headset. 

Sony has said there "are 

more features included in 

[update] 4.50," and it will have 

"additional info, including 

launch timing, in the weeks 

to come. 

PS4 

System 

Software 

Update 

4.50 

Features 


37

Gaming 

The Nintendo Switch's Left 

Joy-Con Issue Has Forced 

Me To Abandon My Grip 

Controller Entirely 

I 

think I may have 

just set a personal 

record for the most 

amount of time I’ve 

spent with a new 

video game console during 

its launch week. I have put 

over 50 hours into Zelda: 

Breath of the Wild, more 

than a full time job, and the 

only reason I’m going to be 

slowing down is to play my 

review copy of Mass Effect: 

Andromeda this week. But 

after that? Back to Zelda full 

time. 

Spending so much time 

with the system, I’ve gotten 

familiar with it in almost 

every configuration, especially 

since my Pro controller 

arrived in the mail a few 

days back. 

While I am clearly 

obsessed with Zelda, I am 

less enamored with one specific 

aspect of the hardware, 

one that has been a 

well-publicized issue since 

launch, but does not appear 

to be going anywhere any 

time soon. And it’s negated 

what would otherwise be my 

favorite way to play. 

I’m referring to the issue 

with the Switch’s left Joy- 

Con. When not attached 

to the screen unit, ie. used 

by itself or slotted into the 

plastic grip controller, it has 

a fair amount of input lag at 

times. This is an enormous 

problem because the left 

Joy-Con controls all of your 

weapon/talent switching, 

and most importantly, your 

actual movement. The result 

has been lost fights because 

Link isn’t moving as quickly 

as he needs to, or Link walking 

straight off the edge of 

a cliff or tower on multiple 

occasions because the lag 

38 


isn’t sending the message 

that I told him to stop moving. 

It’s terrible, there have 

been no concrete fixes for 

the problem, and Nintendo’s 

proposed solutions 

are either useless or ridiculous. 

Their official guide 

to fixing this paints this 

is a fair standard connectivity 

problem that sometimes 

happens with wireless 

devices, despite the fact 

the right Joy-Con, my Pro 

controller and literally every 

other wireless controller I 

own from other systems, 

is just fine. This is a defective 

product, plain and simple, 

and there needs to be 

a more concrete fix for the 

issue as soon as possible, 

up to and possibly including 

a hardware recall and 

replacement. 

The Legend of Zelda: 

Breath of the Wild Nintendo 

The Legend of Zelda: 

Breath of the Wild 

Journalists with Switch 

review units were initially 

posting about a day one 

update that would update 

the firmware of the Joy- 

Cons and hopefully fix the 

issue. After the update 

went live, some were saying 

it actually worked, but 

that has not been the case 

from what I’ve seen among 

a vast majority of users having 

this problem. So Nintendo 

instead just puts out 

this guide that tells you to 

keep your base unit away 

from your TV, aquariums(!) 

and any device that sends/ 

receives Wifi. So literally 

everything you own, basically, 

including your cell 

phone which Nintendo will 

reportedly utilize for its 

online service. 

My Switch is not moving. 

It is essentially built into my 

wall the way my entertainment 

system is set up, and 

I’m not putting it anywhere 

else or using it with a crappier 

TV in a different room 

just to fix this lag. So what 

this has done is essentially 

forced me to play in handheld 

mode at home, or to 

buy a Pro controller for an 

extra $70. For those saying 

“well you would have done 

that anyway,” actually, no. I 

was as surprised as anyone 

that I actually found the Grip 

controller to be surprisingly 

comfortable. If it were not 

for this issue, I would definitely 

just be using the Grip 

instead. 

Many people have been 

asking me for a “review” of 

the Pro controller, and while 

I don’t think I can squeeze 

an Endgadget-like article 

out of that with a description 

of every tactile sensation 

associated with the 

thing, I’ll say that it’s not as 

good as an Xbox controller 

or Sony DualShock, as 

the build quality seems just 

a bit worse with flimsy-feeling 

triggers and too-big face 

buttons. It’s…fine, but the 

Joy-Cons themselves feel 

like the more robust hardware, 

especially when slotted 

into the Grip. using 

them. You end up not really 

noticing the Pro controller 

the more you play, but I 

would definitely rather be 

using the Grip. 

I think the left Joy-Con 

issue has been lumped into 

a lot of other minor glitches 

as “just something that happens” 

during a new console 

launch. But to me, this 

is a big deal, and Nintendo’s 

response to this has been 

underwhelming, to say the 

least. Because of how annoying 

this lag is, I am turning 

to a mode I wouldn’t normally 

play (in-home handheld) 

or buying a ridiculously 

priced $70 controller 

that actually works. I either 

want a fix, a replacement 

or a refund. Anything less is 

unacceptable.

Gaming 

Mass Effect: 

Andromeda's ' 

recommended' system 

predicted to run 

30 fps at 1080p 

We've 

received a 

little clarification 

on the 

question of exactly how well 

Mass Effect: Andromeda will 

perform on a 3GB GTX 1060. 

At PAX East today, we asked 

producer Michael Gamble if 

the card would really deliver 

30 fps at best on high. 

"No, I mean, it depends on 

your machine," said Gamble. 

"And it’s really hard 

to benchmark individual 

machines. We’re just saying 

that that’s the bare minimum 

that it’ll run at. It’ll 

probably run at higher than 

that for most of the game, 

it’s just really hard to be specific 

about it. We just want 

to do the minimum and 

we want to do the recommended. 

The recommended, 

at least on my machine at 

home, I have a 1060, I run at 

higher than 30 [fps] for the 

majority of the game. But 

it’s hard to actually to say, 

'This is the specs, and this is 

exactly what you’ll run at.'" 

So the estimate may be 

conservative, as we suspected. 

We have a GTX 1060 

in the office, so as soon as 

we can we'll test Andromeda 

with it and report back on 

how it performs. The original 

story follows below. 

Original story (March 9): 

The Mass Effect: Andromeda 

system requirements were 

made public a couple of 

weeks ago, and they were a 

little on the high side but not 

really any more than you'd 

expect from a big-budget 

action-adventure released in 

2017. More recently, though, 

EA has posted performance 

predictions based on 

the minimum and recommended 

system specs, and 

those you might find a little 

surprising. 

The minimum system 

requirement—a Core i5 3570, 

8GB RAM, and a 2GB GTX 

660 or Radeon 7750—is predicted 

to be capable of 30 

fps at 1280x720 resolution 

on "low" graphics settings. 

That's the sort of visual 

experience that I'd expect 

would convince an awful 

lot of gamers that it's finally 

time to upgrade. But it's the 

high side of the scale that 

I find more of a surprise: 

A Core i7 4790, 16GB RAM, 

and a 3GB GTX 1060 or 4GB 

RX 480 will deliver 30 fps at 

1920x1080, on 'high' settings. 

That's not terrible, but it's 

still very much a mid-range 

setting for the game, since 

Andromeda supports 4K resolutions 

and, as you can see 

at Nvidia.com, 'ultra' settings 

across a wide range of 

graphical options. I wouldn't 

go so far as to say those middling 

numbers are concerning, 

because performance 

predictors aren't carved in 

stone, but it does make me 

wonder what kind of setup 

will be needed to achieve 

those sweet 4K visuals at 

anything resembling a playable 

frame rate. 

It's important to note that 

one game's settings aren't 

necessarily equivalent to 

any other game's settings, 

so Andromeda's 'high' could 

hypothetically be the same 

as another game's 'ultra.' It's 

also possible that EA is trying 

to manage expectations 

by aiming low: Mass Effect: 

Andromeda and Battlefield 1 

are both built on the Frostbite 

3 engine and have similar 

system requirements, 

and our performance analysis 

of Battlefield 1 found 

that both the RX 480 and the 

GTX 1060 were able to dance 

around the 100 fps mark at 

1080p at "ultra" visual settings. 

It could be a typo, too. 

We've emailed EA to confirm 

that the predicted performance 

numbers are accurate, 

and while we wait for 

a response you can have a 

look at the graphics settings 

options below. 


Gaming 

Quake Champions will 

be free-to-play, with 

an option to buy it 

outright 

40 


Id Software creative 

director Tim Willits 

told Polygon today 

that the upcoming 

arena shooter Quake 

Champions, which id and 

Bethesda have recently been 

showing off, will offer players 

both free-to-play and 

paid options. Willits said that 

"at its core, it's a free-to-play 

game," but added that there 

are plenty of people who 

know what Quake brings to 

the table and would rather 

just pay up-front and jump 

in. 

Access to Ranger, the 

lead character of the original 

Quake and a prominent 

face in Quake 3: Arena, will 

be free for everyone. With 

him, you'll earn the in-game 

currency called "favor" that 

can be used to gain access 

to other Champions for asyet-undetermined 

periods 

of time. You're renting them, 

basically, although Willits 

said he didn't want to use 

that specific word. "You do 

spend favor to have access 

to them for a limited amount 

of time, yes," he explained. 

"But you don't spend any real 

money on it." 

Favor can also be spent on 

backpacks that enable rune 

challenges. Successfully 

completing a rune challenge 

will earn you "reliquaries," 

which contain new Champions 

and skins. Details aside, 

it sounds like a very conventional 

free-to-play arrangement. 

If you'd rather just cut to 

the chase, you can spring for 

the Champions Pack, which 

will include full access to all 

the characters that the game 

launches with. That wording 

would seem to leave the 

door open to post-launch 

DLC characters above and 

beyond the ones included 

in the Champions Pack, but 

even if that turns out to be 

the case, the intent is to keep 

everyone—free and paid 

players alike—on equal footing. 

Quake Champions is set 

to begin closed beta testing 

in the "coming weeks." You 

can sign up to take part at 

quake.bethesda.net, and get 

a look at the first Champion 

to be revealed, the stealthy 

assassin Nyx, below.

TECH

Tech 

This Drone Dive-bombs 

Plants to Pollinate 

Them 

The hum of 

insects pollinating 

plants 

could one day 

be joined by a 

decidedly different buzz. 

Researchers from the 

Nanomaterials Research 

Institute in Japan have 

developed a system for 

transferring pollen between 

plants using a tiny commercial 

drone armed with 

an adhesive gel. They say 

that their sticky drone solution 

could one day help ailing 

pollinator populations 

ensure crops keep having 

sex. 

Helping Plants Get It On 

For their artificial Cupid 

they used an off-the-shelf 

Aerius drone, billed as “the 

world’s smallest quadcopter” 

by its manufacturer, and 

attached stiff bristles made 

of horsehair to the underside. 

They coated the hairs 

with a special ionic liquid gel 

that mimics some important 

42 


properties of insect’s wings, 

and because it’s not waterbased, 

it won’t dry out. 

With some practice, 

researchers swooped the 

drone past a Japanese woodland 

lily, gathering pollen 

from its stamen, before taking 

the precious payload 

to another lily and brushing 

against it to deliver the 

goods. They confirmed that 

pollen was delivered using 

fluorescent microscopy, and 

say that the drone and its 

hairy belly didn’t damage the 

plants at all. The researchers 

published their work in the 

journal Chem. 

The technique currently 

has a success rate of about 

50 percent, they say, and 

that might go down if it’s 

attempted on smaller flowers, 

or plants with more difficult 

to reach reproductive 

organs. Any commercial 

applications would require 

hundreds or thousands of 

these drones as well, most 

likely controlled by a computer. 

We haven’t arrived at 

the point where programs 

can control drones with that 

much accuracy, although as 

this year’s Super Bowl halftime 

show revealed, scientists 

are making progress. 

Drone technology may have 

to progress as well — the 

Aerius can only stay aloft for 

up to seven minute before 

needing to recharge. 

Other Options Too 

If drones don’t work, we 

could perhaps rely on other 

insects to get the job done. 

The researchers also tested 

their gel on ants by coating 

them with the substance and 

letting them crawl around 

inside of the flowers. The 

ants succeeded in picking up 

pollen, and didn’t seem to 

suffer any ill effects from the 

gel. Getting ants to actually 

crawl from flower to flower, 

however, could be another 

problem. 

As bee populations teeter 

on the edge, we may need to 

consider alternative, or supplementary, 

options for pollination. 

It’s estimated that 

75 percent of our crops and 

90 percent of wild flowering 

plants depend on bees 

for their survival. If their 

numbers decline, we’ll need 

some way to pick up the 

slack. 

Producing enough drones 

to replace bees probably 

isn’t feasible — there are 

thousands of bees in one 

hive alone — but robotic pollinators 

could have a place 

in research labs requiring 

special patterns of behavior 

that bees can’t replicate, or 

in hostile environments such 

as a biodome on Mars, biosciences 

demonstrator Elizabeth 

Franklin wrote in The 

Conversation. 

If anything, it’s proof that 

drone technology is versatile 

enough to take on even natural 

processes.

Health Tech 

Now When You Talk to a 

Plant, It Can ‘Talk’ Back 

Some gardeners 

swear by the 

practice of talking 

to their plants, 

and it’s plausible 

that there’s something to 

this old adage — there’ve 

been studies, but nothing 

conclusive. But for those 

clinging to an old greenthumb 

legend, technology is 

on your side. 

A new project from 

Helene Steiner, an artistin-residence 

at Microsoft’s 

Studio 99 program, hijacks 

the electrical impulses and 

chemical signals from plants 

in a creative way. Called 

Project Florence, her system 

allows a person to type 

in a simple message which 

is then translated into 

flashes of light that plants 

are responsive to — positive 

messages, for example, are 

blinks of red, a shade of light 

that promotes flowering. 

The system, in turn, 

translates chemicals emitted 

from leaves and electrical 

signals from the roots 

into basic human sentiments 

like “all well and good,” or 

the rather confusing “next 

… through the grapevine” 

(maybe it has some grape 

friends). 

It’s a demonstration that’s 

more fun than cutting-edge 

science, but engineers at 

Microsoft who are exploring 

novel ways for humans 

to interact with the environment 

took special interest 

in the project. “It’s brought 

together all sorts of folks 

from multiple fields and disciplines. 

It’s engineers sitting 

with biologists sitting 

with software [developers]. 

That kind of cross collaboration 

is essential for 

emerging technologies,” 

Microsoft Research’s principal 

research designer, Asta 

Roseway, told Digital Trends. 

Plants Talk With Chemicals 

It was recently demonstrated 

that bees use 

tiny hairs on their bodies 

to interpret the electrical 

signals flowers are sending 

out to pollinators. Plant 

roots also shed waste products 

that are consumed by 

microbes in the soil, and 

these underground interactions 

leave behind spare 

electrons that can be tapped 

into to generate electricity. 

Plants also use a variety 

of chemical signals to communicate 

with animals, send 

distress signals or even fight 

back. 

When plants are injured 

or under attack, they release 

chemicals that call for help 

or warn other plants, and 

they emit a different suite 

of chemicals when they feel 

sunlight, or what we might 

call “feeling happy.” Using 

Project Florence, a user can 

transmit messages via pulses 

of light to induce some of 

these chemical and electrical 

messages, and the length 

and color of the pulse is 

meant to communicate basic 

emotions. The system sniffs 

the chemicals the plant 

releases in response, and 

pairs the signals with snippets 

of tweets that express 

the same “emotions.” 

In this way, it feels like 

having a simple conversation 

with a plant, although it’s 

likely pretty one-sided — the 

plant is simply reacting to its 

environment. Still, the feedback 

can give insights into 

the plant’s health, for example 

whether it is stressed 

out or enjoying some sun. 

While interpreting plant language 

through tweets may 

not be the best way to truly 

find out how a plant is doing, 

the basic concept of using 

plants’ natural reactions to 

their environment to determine 

their health has a wide 

range of possible applications 

for both casual gardeners 

and dedicated farmers. 


Tech 

PowerVision PowerRay 

underwater drone 

This underwater 

drone can 

submerge 

up to 98 feet 

(30 meters) 

and records 4K video 

streamed to your phone, 

which you use to navigate. 

Not impressed? OK, with 

its add-on Fishfinder 

sonar it can detect fish 

up to 131 feet (40 meters) 

away and and lures them 

with a blue light. Still not 

wowed? PowerVision will 

be offering VR goggles 

that allow you to robot 

around by tilting your 

head. 

Kuri the 

robot 

nanny 

Essentially a 

mobile security 

camera with 

some smarthome 

control 

capabilities, when Kuri ships 

44 


about a year from now it will 

roam your home checking 

on your kids and pets when 

you're not home. It looks like 

a robot, though, so it's cool 

just for that. 

Nabi 

Aristotle 

voice 

assistant. 

For kids 

It's a baby monitor. 

It's a Amazon Alexa 

voice-activated 

smart assistant. It 

answers your questions, 

and maybe your kids' 

questions, too. It orders 

more diapers when you run 

out, and soothes babies back 

to sleep automatically. It's 

the Aristotle, by toymaker 

Mattel, and it sounds like a 

new parent's dream gadget.

Chrysler Portal 

concept road warrior 

Tech 

Andrew 

Krok 

from 

our 

sister 

site Roadshow 

dubbed it "a conceptual 

battle-tank for 

the family of the 

near-ish future." 

Anything that can be 

described that way 

must be cool, even 

though it's a minivan. 

AirTV 

Play 

live TV 

streaming 

Norton 

Core 

router 

I 

know what you're 

thinking: "A router?!" 

I have no clue if 

it's any good, but 

this geometric orb, 

available in gold or silver, 

certainly doesn't look like a 

piece of networking technology. 

It also offers realtime 

network security for 

every device connected to it. 

S 

ling's parent 

company Dish 

just birthed it a 

sibling for cord 

cutters and 

cord nevers who miss local 

broadcasts that you can only 

get via a cable or satellite 

subscription or antenna. 

AirTV looks like Roku mated 

with Fisher Price, but you'll 

never lose that remote in the 

couch. 


Tech 

Faraday Future 

FF91 car 

Electric car 

startup Faraday 

Future debuted 

the FF 91 at 

CES 2017 in Las 

Vegas. It has self-parking, 

autonomous driving, a 

378-mile range and ubiquitous 

screens all around 

the cabin. The FF 91 looks 

promising, but with production 

facilities only existing 

on paper at this stage, it's 

reasonable to worry whether 

the car will ever roll out on 

the road. 

Lego Boost 

motors 

and smart 

bricks 

Emotech Olly 

robohub 

Meet Olly, 

a fusion 

between 

smart home 

hubs, such 

as the Amazon Echo, and 

smart home robots. It can 

respond to your questions 

by looking up information 

for you, and can control all 

46 


of your smart devices and 

internet-connected products. 

But, like a robot, Olly 

has deep-learning capabilities 

that mean it gets to 

know you and your daily 

routines over time, and 

will evolve to become more 

like you and respond to the 

patterns of your life. 

Lego and robots 

go together like 

chocolate and 

peanut butter. 

In a move that's 

bound to thrill kids of all 

ages, the Danish toymaker 

is offering a set of motors 

and programmable bricks 

that can work with existing 

Lego kits and turn them into 

motorized or motion-sensitive 

toys. Plus, its app can 

record voice effects to really 

bring your Lego Batman to 

life.


47

Sports 

McGregor snaps 

up another FNB 

Surfski Series title 

Durban - 

Another dose 

of crystal 

clear, flat 

conditions 

greeted paddlers on an 

unusual Tuesday evening 

for the Lettie Paddle Surfski 

Challenge, Race 7 of 

the 2017 FNB Surfski Series 

which saw another polished 

performance from Hank 

McGregor to take his sixth 

win of the series and the 

overall series spoils. 

The race is moved from 

its traditional Friday slot 

due to this week's FNB Dusi 

Canoe Marathon, however 

hundreds of avid surfski 

paddlers came out to show 

support for the Lettie Fund, 

which supports those currently 

in a fight against cancer 

and remembering those 

who have lost their battle to 

the disease. 

Having only missed one of 

the opening seven races of 

the 10-leg series, McGregor 

knew what was on the line 

at the Lettie Paddle Surfski 

Challenge and the Euro 

Steel/Epic Kayaks' star took 

no prisoners over the 8km 

course. 

"The race went a lot better 

than last week for me and it's 

great to cap off my sixth win 

of the series with an overall 

series title," McGregor said. 

"I got myself a good lead 

early on and just managed 

to build on that but I didn't 

want to do too much with 

the Dusi starting just 48 

hours after the race. 

"I did just enough to get 

the win and really chuffed 

with the series win!" 

The men's race podium 

48 


was rounded out by the 

series' runner-up Matt Bouman, 

and junior Hamish 

Lovemore was in really good 

form to bag his second third 

place finish of the series. 

The ladies series quest 

took another exciting twist 

on Tuesday evening when 

Euro Steel/Carbonology 

Sport's Hayley Nixon claimed 

her third win to move into 

a tie with Bridgitte Hartley 

with three wins apiece. 

The flat conditions were 

going to test the athletes to 

the full at the seventh race of 

the series and for Nixon she 

was satisfied that she managed 

the conditions well and 

got another vital win. 

"It was a bit unusual to 

come out on a Tuesday 

night for the race but it was 

another great race in some 

gruelling conditions. 

"I missed having Bridgitte 

(Hartley) because she really 

ramps up the racing but it 

was great to be out there 

again and taking on the men 

so it was interesting to see 

the times," Nixon mentioned. 

Euro Steel's Kyeta Purchase 

rounded out the ladies 

podium with another solid 

showing at the Lettie Paddle 

Surfski Challenge. 

The leading double was 

the Capetonian pair of 

Dawid Mocké and Ian Black 

who pipped Jason Ekstrand 

and Sweden's Emil Torstensson 

in second and Joseph 

Williams and Phillip Smith 

rounding out the podium. 

Luke Nisbet and Jenna 

Ward were once again in 

imperious form as they 

wrapped up another mixed 

doubles win and an impressive 

third place overall finish. 

Jody Taylor won the short 

course ahead of Chester 

Foster and Alan Beukes 

while the strongest double 

went to the family pair of 

Zoog and Ty Haynes. 

Matthew Swemmer 

bagged a victory in the 

stand-up paddleboarding 

category ahead of Shayne 

Chipps and Brandon Read 

with Jackie de Billot winning 

the ladies SUP category. 

The FNB Surfski Challenge, 

Race Eight of the 2017 

FNB Surfski Series, takes 

place at 17h30 on Friday, 

24 February at Marine Surf 

Lifesaving Club, Addington 

Beach. More information can 

be found at www.marineseries.co.za. 

SUMMARY OF 

RESULTS – Lettie Paddle 

Surfski Challenge 

RACE SEVEN OF THE 2017 

FNB SURFSKI SERIES 

LONG COURSE 

1.Hank McGregor 30:40 

2.Matt Bouman 31:04 

3.Hamish Lovemore 32:19 

4.Grant van der Walt 32:21 

5.Gene Prato 33:01 

6.Bailey de Fondaumiere 

33:07 

7.Steve Woods 33:16 

8.Lee McGregor 33:19 

9.Simon van Gysen 33:23 

10.Thomas Lovemore 33:32 

Women 

1.Hayley Nixon 35:40 

2.Kyeta Purchase 37:06 

3.Michelle Burn 37:15 

4.Donna Winter 37:17 

5.Pippa McGregor 38:54 

Men Doubles 

1.Dawid Mocké/Ian Black 

30:42 

2.Jason Ekstrand/Emil Torstensson 

31:04 

3.Joseph Williams/Phillip 

Smith 32:09 

4.Shaun Burgin/Lee Muir 

33:04 

5.Byron Mckie/Irvin Dixon 

33:31 

Mixed Doubles 

1.Luke Nesbit/Jenna Ward 

30:58 

2.Raquel Arcediano/Gareth 

Miles 34:57 

3.Derek Hauptfleisch/Lynn 

Hauptfleisch 38:12 

Women Doubles 

1.Louisa van Staden/Wilma 

Deyzel 38:01 

Juniors 

1.Hamish Lovemore 32:19 

2.Brendon Delport 36:12 

3.Sabine Lawrie 39:09 

SHORT COURSE 

1.Jody Taylor 19:48 

2.Chester Foster 21:20 

3.Alan Beukes 21:36 

4.Carmel Billson 21:54 

5.Kevin Oliver 21:58 

Women 

1.Carmel Billson 21:54 

2.Siobhan Sharp 22:36 

3.Alice Ward 23:31 

Doubles 

1.Zoog Haynes/Ty Haynes 

19:44 

2.Dean Smith/Keaton Riddle 

19:59 

3.Billy Harker/Tracy Harker 

20:09 

SUP 

1.Matthew Swemmer 24:18 

2.Shayne Chipps 24:51 

3.Brandon Read 25:43 

Women 

1.Jackie de Billot 26:37 

2.Charlotte Atherton 27:27 

3.Danica Bartho 28:58

Health Sports 

Ultra-Trail® Drakensberg 

providing unique running 

Underberg – As 

organisers 

start to gear 

towards final 

touches on the 

various routes for the first 

installment of the Ultra- 

Trail® Drakensberg (UTD) at 

the end of April, preparing a 

race that traverses a World 

Heritage Site will provide 

runners with a once-ina-lifetime 

opportunity but 

comes with its own unique 

challenges. 

As entries continue to 

stream in for what is the first 

edition of this race on 29 

April, organisers have had 

their own fair share of challenges 

in preparing for the 

race. However Spurgeon 

Flemington believes that the 

challenges are worth the 

reward. 

“Accessibility is always a 

challenge, especially with 

regard to trail preparation 

and medical support during 

the event, but these are easy 

pills to swallow when you 

consider how privileged we 

are to have access to such a 

pristine and unique habitat,” 

Flemington mentioned. 

“We are also not permitted 

to start any type of event 

within the pristine areas 

of the Maloti-Drakensberg 

Park and this can be frustrating 

when you look at the 

potential but it is the right 

policy and we support it 

wholeheartedly. 

“The codes of conduct 

and behaviour that govern 

a World Heritage Site of 

this nature mimic the core 

values we embrace in our 

events so we don’t find these 

restrictive or challenging,” 

he added. 

Having access to such a 

sublime part of the Drakensberg 

gives the Ultra-Trail® 

Drakensberg an added 

experience 

The 2017 Ultra-Trail® Drakensberg will traverse the majestic Maloti- 

Drakensberg Park, part of the Drakensberg World Heritage Site when 

the event takes place on 29 April.Anthony Grote/Gameplan Media 

attraction to an already 

appealing adventure and 

with such a limited impact 

on the region the race can 

continue to help in supporting 

and contributing to 

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. 

“The Maloti Drakensberg 

Park is truly an underappreciated 

part of Southern 

Africa and the diversity and 

significance of its natural 

and cultural history deserve 

far more recognition. 

“To play a small part 

in spreading its message 

is extremely gratifying,” 

a passionate Flemington 

commented.“We only use 

existing trails for our events 

as we are not allowed to 

build new trails in the Park. 

“Having said that, many 

of the trails are overgrown 

and semi-abandoned and we 

put quite a bit of work into 

clearing and rehabilitating 

them. 

“A large portion of the 

funds that we raise for 

EKZNW through the events 

is channelled back into the 

trails. 

“Meshing the existing 

trails to form viable courses 

is challenging but also one 

of the most fun parts of the 

whole enterprise,” he said. 

With over five years of 

experience in hosting events 

of the nature of Ultra- 

Trail® Drakenberg, Flemington 

and his team are well 

equipped to handle to issues 

that come with an event with 

a varying degree of logistical 

challenges.“For an event 

like UTD100 in particular, 

weather and safety will 

always be the most challenging 

logistical factors. 

“The Drakensberg is a 

dynamic and unforgiving 

environment and things 

can turn bad very quickly, 

so managing those factors 

while still ensuring that the 

event runs smoothly is the 

biggest challenge,” a wary 

Flemington explained. 

Flemington’s Running 

Man Adventures has hosted a 

wide variety of events in the 

Drakensberg with one of the 

most recent being the Rhino 

Peak Challenge, an event 

that took runners and walkers 

to the top of the Rhino 

Horn in the Southern Drakensberg. 

The event played a slight 

part in Flemington’s preparation 

for the UTD 100km 

event as it all forms part of 

the great trail network that 

runs through the Maloti- 

Drakensberg Park. 

“The Rhino Peak Challenge 

was just a fundraiser 

and didn’t have a direct 

influence on the 100km 

course but all things feed off 

each other. 

“The input from the Elite 

athletes at RPC was useful 

when we started looking at 

the UTD100 course,” Flemington 

added. 

Having had the Ultra- 

Trail® Cape Town in 

December 2016, the Drakensberg 

edition will want 

to establish its own identity 

amongst the Ultra-Trail® 

event worldwide, something 

that Flemington believes is 

possible.“The lads at UTCT 

have set the bar really high 

in the Southern African context 

and we aim to emulate 

that quality. 

“We are also strongly 

aware of the responsibility 

the Ultra-Trail brand carries 

from an international 

perspective and we intend 

to establish UTD as a fullyfledged 

member of that 

community,” he concluded. 

As with all Running Man 

Adventures events a significant 

portion of each entry 

will be donated to Ezemvelo 

KZN Wildlife and we are also 

very pleased to announce 

that UTD will be partnering 

with Wildlife Act (www. 

wildlifeact.com) and assisting 

them to raise funds and 

awareness. 


Sports 

Tooms bags second Sappi 

Howick MTB Classic title 

Howick – Local 

MTB star 

Jedson Tooms 

used his 

local knowledge 

and technical skills to 

win the Sappi Howick MTB 

Classic title for a second 

time while XCO star Bianca 

Haw raced away to take the 

women’s marathon title to 

add to the enduro title she 

won on Saturday. 

Racing on a new course 

between the Curry’s Post 

Road and the N3 freeway, 

Tooms (ROAG/Quattro) 

paced his race well and 

took advantage of spills 

around him to take the lead 

and cross the line at Howick 

High School unchallenged. 

“There was a big pack 

together early on,” said 

Tooms. “I had to play catchup 

after dropping a chain 

twice. 

“A couple of the other 

guys crashed in front of me 

on a slippery uphill section. 

“The single track here was 

absolutely amazing!” added 

the Howick local. “The technical 

sections really force 

you to raise your technical 

skills. 

“This course was forced 

on the race organisers but 

they made it spectacular,” he 

added. 

The win was a second in 

his local major for Tooms 

after he edged out Travis 

Walker in a sprint finish a 

few years ago. 

Tooms was quick to 

acknowledge the absence 

of several local pacesetters 

like Andrew Hill and another 

Howick local Stuart Marais, 

but was thrilled to claim the 

top step of the podium in his 

own backyard. 

RMB Change A Life rider 

Sthembiso Masango was 

elated to grab second place, 

ahead of former Sharks centre 

Jeremy Thompson. 

“Man, they did an amazing 

job on those trials,” 

50 


enthused Thompson, whose 

fun on the trails was interrupted 

by a high speed collision 

with a tree. 

“There was lots and lots 

of single track, with some 

really cool technical sections. 

That’s the way we love 

it,” Thompson added. 

Bianca “Yankee” Haw 

showed signs of her return 

to top form, as she ground 

away from the other women’s 

race contenders to take 

the women’s marathon title 

to go with her win in the 

enduro the day before. 

“Our race started really 

fast,” said Haw (Red Bull). 

“The first climb was hard. I 

was riding with Tiffany Keep 

at that stage and she was 

really strong. 

“I managed to get away on 

one of the climbs and then 

just worked at keeping the 

gap,” she added. 

Haw had a few anxious 

moments as her lead shrank 

after several crashes in the 

slippery sections, muddy 

after overnight rains, and on 

tricky sections on loose pine 

needles. 

“The technical section 

through the rocks were 

really great. I need to up my 

technical skills! Today made 

me feel quite rusty,” said 

Haw. 

Haw is about to leave for 

a few months XCO racing in 

the European spring, in Italy, 

France and Germany. 

Keep duly wrapped up 

second place, while another 

regular to podium at this 

race Christie Leigh-Hearder 

secured the last spot on the 

women’s podium. 

The 20km race was 

won by Bradley Scott from 

Anthony Horter. Howick 

MTB club trail builder Sbu 

Vilikazi duly completed his 

first MTB race, finishing an 

impressive 12th overall, on 

the bike donated and built 

for him by local riders, and 

conceded that he needed to 

do more training. 

“It was good fun but I 

need to train more. Basically 

my training was done on one 

day – on Friday!” said the 

enthusiastic local hero. 

On Saturday the Sappi 

Howick Classic Enduro drew 

rave reviews as the big field 

took on the new and largely 

unknown course on the left 

hand side of the Curry’s 

Post Road that consisted of 

four timed stages and a fifth 

untimed descent. 

Downhill pacesetter Tiaan 

Odendaal took the men’s 

title from Keira Duncan and 

Sam Bull, thriving on the fast 

technical timed sections. 

“I had an absolute blast 

today,” said Odendaal. “I am 

very happy to take the win. I 

really enjoyed the fast flowing 

trails and felt really good 

on them. 

“It was an excellent event, 

and I am already excited for 

the next one,” he added. 

The women’s title race 

provided a thrilling showdown 

between Haw and rising 

star Beanie Thies. 

The pair was almost 

inseparable as they pushed 

each other on the fast technical 

timed sections, until 

Thies’ chance of pulling off a 

major upset win ended with 

a technical mishap, when 

her timing chip failed to register 

on the timing system 

on one of the timed stages. 

Runner-up Kathryn Fourie 

said the event was well 

supported by riders across 

all the age categories, all of 

whom praised the new trails 

prepared for the event. 

“The stages were unique, 

fast paced and all had different 

types of challenges. The 

cherry on the top was Stage 

Five, which was untimed and 

just done for fun. 

“It was absolutely insane! 

It’s a fully European style of 

trail and is seriously steep 

and gave people an opportunity 

to try out proper Enduro 

style trail, with no racing 

pressure. 

“This is the kind of trail 

that will lift the standard 

of riding for everyone. 

The Howick MTB Club have 

SUMMARY 

promised to 

OF 

put 

RESULTS 

in more 

Sappi Howick Classic 40km 

trails of this style, in anticipation 

of another event later 

1.Jedson Tooms 

2:00:03 

in the year. We can’t wait!” 

2.Sthembiso Masango 2:00:49 

3.Jeremy 

said Fourie. 

Thompson 

2:01:21 

4.Dean Wortmann 

2:03:58 

5.Bongmusa Zikhali 

2:04:36 

6.Grant Underwood 

2:06:16 

7.Cian Leveridge 

2:08:56 

8.Andrew Kenward 2:09:30 

9.Bianca Haw 

2:10:11 (1st woman) 

10.Warren Price 

2;10:24 

WOMEN 

1. Bianca Haw 

2:10:11 

2.Tiffany Keep 

2:13:21 (1st Jnr) 

3.Christie-Leigh Header 

2:17:20 

Sappi Howick Classic 20km 

1.Bradley Scott 

1:09:50 

2.Anthony Horter 

1:10:21 

3.Craig Pike 

1:11:32 

4.Omar Wilson 

1:13;17 

5.Judy Gous 

1:16:45 (1st woman) 

6.Lungisani Xaba 

1:17:18 

7.Riley Smith 

1;17:31 

8.Ian Smith 

1:17:47 

9.Reuben Price 

1:18:14 

10.Matthew Strydom 1:18:50 

Sappi Howick Classic Enduro 

MEN 

1.Tiaan Odendaal 

2.Keira Duncan 

3.Sam Bull 

WOMEN 

1.Bianca Haw 

2.Kathryn Fourie 

3.Charné Dreyer

Health Sports 

Shock Non-Stop Dusi 

win for young Change 

a Life crew 

The crew of Mthobisi Cele and Mpilo Zondi negotiate a rapid early on in their race before storming to a shock win at the 2017 Non-Stop Dusi, 

presented by Lovemore Brothers on Friday, 3 March.Anthony Grote/ Gameplan Media 

Durban – The 

2017 edition of 

the Non-Stop 

Dusi Canoe 

Marathon, 

presented by Lovemore 

Brothers, ended with a 

dramatic twist to the gruelling 

110km tale that saw the 

underdog pair of Mthobisi 

Cele and Mpilo Zondi claim a 

shock victory at Blue Lagoon 

on Friday. 

The Change a Life Academy 

pair looked to be heading 

for a minor step on the 

podium as FNB Dusi star 

Sbonelo Khwela and the 

on-form pairing of Banetse 

Nkhoesa and Nhlanhla Cele 

fought it out at the front of 

the race. 

First Nkhoesa and Cele, 

who had dominated for most 

of the race and lead for a 

large majority of the contest, 

blew spectacularly after 

the tough Burma Road portage, 

leaving the door ajar 

for the Under-23 duo of Cele 

and Zondi ready to take their 

last-gasp opportunity to 

strike. 

That chance came at 

Mango Rapid where they 

were able to get past the 

leading K2 crew of Nkhoesa 

and Cele. With adrenalin 

surging through their veins 

at that stage they powered 

on and caught Khwela, who 

was battling with a leaking 

kayak, before cruising over 

the line at Blue Lagoon for a 

historic win. 

The race was going to 

test the fittest of paddlers 

with the leaders expected 

to run over 40km and paddle 

70km on their way from 

Camps Drift to Blue Lagoon, 

with bitterly low water below 

Inanda dam and temperatures 

that nudged 40 degrees 

Celcius in the valleys. 

Pre-race favourite, Euro 

Steel/Red Bull’s Sbonelo 

Khwela seemed to have 

timed his charged brilliantly 

as he managed to close the 

gap right down just before 

the Burma Road portage 

however problems before 

that hurt him in the run-in 

to the line. 

“The guys caught me at 

the N2 Bridge because I had 

a huge crack down the bottom 

of my boat so I had to 

get out and keep emptying 

all the time,” Khwela mentioned. 

“We all put in at the bottom 

of Burma Road together 

and I managed to put about 

two minutes into the guys 

but then I felt the water in 

my boat and after I stopped 

to empty I noticed the crack. 

“When the guys caught me 

at the N2 Bridge I knew that 

I couldn’t stay with them. I 

was taking on water and I 

didn’t have any power left in 

my body to try and keep up 

the pace.” 

Having faired reasonably 

well in the Dusi recently 

Hungarian flat-water ace 

Adrian Boros took on the 

Non-Stop with race organiser 

Carl Folscher. The pair 

were in race for a large portion 

of the first half but 

began to flail as the pressure 

increased. 

The duo continued to battle 

on and finished the race 

in fourth place overall ahead 

of Sboniso Shozi, second K1 

and fifth place overall. 

For more information go 

to www.nonstopdusi.co.za 

SUMMARY OF RESULTS - 

2017 NON-STOP DUSI PRE- 

SENTED BY LOVEMORE 

BROTHERS 

Overall 

1.Mthobisi Cele/Mpilo Zondi 

(U23) 8:57.17 

2.Sbonelo Khwela 9:02.28 

3.Banetse Nkhoesa/Nhlanhla 

Cele 9:18.28 

4.Carl Folscher/Adrian Boros 

(HUN) 9:31.29 

5.Sboniso Shozi (U23) 9:38.31 


51

KZN#22

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