Matthew Theunissen insists he is not a racist after using the ‘KAFFIR-word’ in venting towards the minister.

MATTHEW THEUNISSEN: I'M NOT RACIST

FILE: Matthew Theunissen. Picture: LinkedIn.

Cape Town resident Matthew Theunissen, who finds himself in the middle of a storm, following a racist Facebook post says he regrets the incident.

In the controversial post, Theunissen used the 'k-word 'in venting his anger over Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula’s decision to ban three sporting codes from hosting international tournaments.

 

Various parties have called for action to be taken against Theunissen.

He, however, insists he is not a racist.

“I regret it, I shouldn’t have used those words. I should have addressed the sports minister directly in plain language - that would have been a much better way to vent and there is no doubt about that. I truly feel guilty and I am not a racist.”

Theunissen says he was “in a bad space” when he posted that status on Facebook.

He says the difficulty of finding a job also contributed to the post.

“I’ve also been looking for a job for the last year, and with the current politics in the country, I haven’t been able to find employment. Besides that, the main thing that made me say those words which I regret so dearly, is the fact that we aren’t allowed to hold international sporting events.”

The South African Human Rights Commission of has confirmed it has received a complaint with regards to the matter. 

LISTEN: Matthew Theunissen says he made the biggest mistake of his life

MBALULA REACTS

At the same time, the sports minister has spoken out against the racist Facebook post, saying there are still too many South Africans making racist remarks based on ignorance.

He says people like Theunissen, who insult government over its transformation policies, are taking the country backwards.

Mbalula says Theunissen needs help.

“Matthew is young and he needs to be helped for all that he has gobbled up as a child to understand that South Africa is a united country.”

He has called on all South Africans to entrench diversity in the country.

Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille has confirmed her office will investigate the post.

LISTEN: Matthew Theunissen says he made the biggest mistake of his life

 

The magnificent South Africa's "Mall of Africa"

Mall of Africa by the numbers

• Valued at R4.9bn upon opening for trade;

• Gross lettable area about 130 000m²;

• Actual construction area covers 550 000m² – or 78 rugby fields;

• Over 6km of shop front has been created inside the mall;

• 303 outlets (269 shops + 34 kiosks);

• 26 access points, 50 sets of lifts and 40 escalators;

• ±6 800 parking bays;

• Used in construction: Over 530km of post tension cable, 18 500 tonnes of rebar and 205 000 cubic metres of concrete;

• A stroll around the building’s perimeter will take you on a walk of 1.75km;

• 15 million people will visit the mall annually, according to "conservative estimates" by the developers;

• Up to 14 000 contractors from diverse disciplines were working on site on some days during the development phases;

• 4 500 people are estimated to be employed by and in the mall after opening;

• ±25 000 m² planned now for future expansion.

According to the developers it is the largest first phase completion of a mall ever in South Africa.

12 Amazing about Mall of Africa 

1. The Mall of Africa will open its doors on Thursday, 28 April.

2. It is the biggest mall built in a single phase in South Africa/Southern Africa/Africa, depending on which website you read.

3. Construction consumed 10 million bricks and 8,500 tons of steel.

   

   A flotilla of cranes during early construction of the mall. Photos by Mall of Africa and Waterfall.

4. It is located in Waterfall, a new living, working, retail area between Johannesburg and Pretoria, on a 2,200-hectare tract of land triangulated between Woodmead, Kyalami and Midrand, formerly known as the farm Waterval. Its creators call Waterfall “a city developed on a scale beyond anything South Africa has known”.

5. It is reached via the new Allandale Road exit off of the N1, as well as the new Bridal Veil Road overpass bridge, which was built at a cost of R160 million and will create a new east-west transport axis. It is also close to the Gautrain’s Midrand station.

6. It has been under construction for three years and has cost an estimated R5 billion.

7. It is 130,000 square metres in size and has parking for 65,000 cars.

8. Next-door is the 26-story PwC Tower, which is visible from a 30-kilometre radius.

9. Between the mall and the PwC Tower is Waterfall Park, which the developers say was inspired by Central Park, with a fountain, 232 trees, bicycle and foot paths, eight interactive sculptures, three amphitheatres and a ring road.

   

   An artist’s vision of the completed Waterfall Park.

10. There are over 300 stores in the mall, from Armani to Zara (with Starbucks opening its second store in South Africa there), accessible by 40 escalators.

    

    Inside the mall as it nears completion.

11. The first international brands to open stores in South Africa will do it at the Mall of Africa, including Armani Exchange, Helly Hansen, Asics, Zara Home, The Kooples, Under Armour, Women’secret and Soap Stories.

12. The inside decor takes its inspiration from the forests of central Africa, the great lakes in the east of the continent, the oil and trade of the west, the sand of the North African desert and the mineral wealth of southern Africa.

 

A rendering of what the completed Waterfall will look like. 

Mandela 6 meter statue unveiled in Palestine - Ramallah City

It was an historic day for the city of Ramallah in Palestine on Tuesday after a six-metre statue of former SA president, Nelson Mandela, was unveiled.

The unveiling came after Ramallah mayor, Mousa Hadid, held a joint press briefing with the City of Johannesburg in central West Bank. 

Johannesburg mayor, Parks Tau, said the Madiba statue was “a symbol of hope and inspiration for the people of Palestine to realise their freedom”. 

“Having overcome apartheid in South Africa with support of the international community, it is natural to extend our ubuntu principles as Africans and indeed stand in solidarity with those nations currently experiencing various forms of political and humanitarian unrests,” Tau said.

Symbol of solidarity

The statue, a donation from Johannesburg to Ramallah, represents a symbol of solidarity with the people of Palestine. 

The six-metre high bronze statue, located at the Nelson Mandela Square in the neighbourhood of Al-Tireh, is the work of South African artists Tania Lee, Christina Salvoldi and Lungisa Kala. It was shipped to Palestine a month ago.

Hadid said the unveiling would be celebrated as a national day because the statue of Nelson Mandela “unites the people of Palestine and South Africa”.

“The statue is the first step towards strengthening relations between Johannesburg and Ramallah. We look forward to more steps being taken to enhance this relationship further – particularly as the people of Palestine associate Mr Mandela with hope, freedom and dignity,” Hadid said.

Hadid heaped praise on Tau, saying he hoped the relations between both cities would prosper.

City-to-city relations

“We don't want relations to end here. Ramallah and the people of Palestine have a lot to learn from Johannesburg and the whole of South Africa.”

The unveiling comes after a mission led by the South African Local Government Association (Salga) visited Ramallah in November 2014. 

The purpose of that visit was to attend the International Conference of Local Authorities in Solidarity with the Palestinian People. 

The visit culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Johannesburg and Ramallah in Salga’s bid to promote international city-to-city relations and collaborations.

Zuma lands high-profile offer at UN - President Jacob Zuma has been appointed to co-chair a United Nations High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth alongside President François Hollande of France.

 

President Jacob Zuma. File photo.
Image by: South African presidency via Flickr stream 

The appointment by the United Nations Secretary-General‚ Ban Ki-moon‚ is aimed at stimulating the creation of new employment opportunities in the health sector across all countries‚ especially in least developed countries.

Zuma said in a statement: "The focus of this Commission goes to the heart of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development‚ which we adopted in September last year‚ and which could go a long way in helping to address the triple challenge of unemployment‚ poverty and inequality."

"Growing health workforce shortages is a particular challenge for all developing countries‚ including South Africa."

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) 45 million job opportunities will be created in the health sector by 2030 due to a number of factors‚ including population growth and an ageing health workforce. However‚ these jobs will mostly be created in member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and emerging economies‚ and it will result in a shortage of 18 million qualified health professionals that are needed in low-and middle-income countries. This mismatch poses a threat to the stability of health systems and global health security.

As a result‚ Zuma's office said‚ the Commission will consider‚ in particular‚ the considerable need for health professionals in middle and low-income countries.

Presidents Zuma and Hollande will be supported by three Vice-Chairs: Dr Margaret Chang‚ Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO)‚ Angel Gurria‚ Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)‚ and Guy Ryder‚ Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Twenty-three Commissioners representing governments‚ business and civil society from all over the world have also been nominated to join the deliberations. Among them are Zuma's ex-wife - the chairperson of the African Union Commission‚ Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

Two preparatory meetings involving experts are expected to take place in the run-up to the formal launch of the Commission in Lyon‚ France‚ on March 23. A second meeting of the Commission is expected to take place in New York in September this year on the margins of the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Commission is expected to submit its report to the Secretary-General of the United Nations‚ at the latest‚ by December 31.