Vuuqa Lifestyle - December 2020

LIFESTYLE | THE PLUG TO AFRICA DECEMBER 2020 | ISSUE 13 FIVE WAYS TO ASK SPEND YOUR TIME DR SIYA AND MONEY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON 6 Tips on how to cope with holiday stress and anxiety. PICK-UP MTAANI A LAST-MILE DELIVERY SOLUTION EMPOWERING ECOMMERCE STORES AND COMMUNITIES IN KENYA. ETHNIKIDS Budget-friendly spots to AFRIKIDDIES BOOKS IN SOUTH AFRICA. GABRIEL visit in the Western Cape this festive season. TEMUDZANI VUUQA.COM



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VUUQA LIFESTYLE | THE PLUG TO AFRICA VUUQA'S NOTE Africa is in Vuuqa's DNA. Everything we stand for and represent is for the progression and digital inclusion of African brands and businesses. Welcome to our 13th and final issue of the Vuuqa Lifestyle eMag for the year OUR TEAM 2020! EDITOR -IN -CHIEF There is no denying that this year has been a trying year for most us. Entrepreneurs have lost businesses that they built for years, people lost their Horesia Nyawade jobs, and some lost their sanity and loved ones. Copy Editor | Art Director The holiday season presents us with the opportunity to pause and reflect on the past year. While others reflect on a good year others will reflect on a bad CREATIVE & DIGITAL MEDIA year. At the end of it all reflection is required... Manqoba Ringane This issue is themed around wellness. We provide tools that will help you deal with holiday stress and anxiety as well as how to stretch your money. Chief Designer | Social Media Officer We hope these tools will assist you in creating a holiday season that you can enjoy. SPONSORSHIPS & CONTENT ADVERTISING For those of you who are feeling festive this holiday season, we have travel Tshiwela Ncube tips, delicious recipes to try out, gifting ideas as well as tips on how to keep fit. Snr Content Producer | Account Manager Whatever you choose to do this festive season, remember to relax and have SUBSCRIBE TO OUR fun. NEWSLETTER Live Africa. Be Africa! Enjoy the read, wear a mask and enjoy the holidays! o4 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

VUUQA LIFESTYLE DECEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 13 34 CONTENTS BUDGET-FRIENDLY SPOTS TO FAMILY HOLIDAY TRADITIONS - 10 VISIT IN THE WESTERN CAPE COOKING COMPETITION THIS FESTIVE SEASON. 2 9 A different kind of “African” family, 0 7 Pieces of paradise, where you can where the men do the holiday cooking and the women are the enjoy peaceful ambience and typical judges! warm South African hospitality. ETHNIKIDS VUUQA’S TOP 4 PODCAST 10 Boasting the widest range of 3 2 African podcasts on Business Afrikiddies books in South Africa. and Entrepreneurship. 13 FIVE WAYS TO SPEND YOUR TIME DEMYSTIFYING LIFE AFTER 23 16 AND MONEY THIS HOLIDAY RETIREMENT 07 29 SEASON 3 4 Retirees today have a different look - 20 Creative tips on how to be penny younger. They may have quit their corporate 9-5’s but their brains are wise and productive this season. more alive than ever, ready to be filled with fulfilling post-60 activities. ON THE COVER FAME AND FITNESS WITH BURNT OUT ENTREPRENEUR GABRIEL How to identify signs of burnout plus guidance on how to reenergize. 16 Commonly known for his on-screen 37 character Vhafuwi on SABC2’s Muvhango, Gabriel Temudzani is more than a ‘VhaVenda’ chief. ASK DR SIYA - 6 TIPS ON HOW BLEU ROSE 37 TO COPE WITH HOLIDAY STRESS Helping customers express their 2 0 AND ANXIETY. 4 0 emotions through flowers, plants & Merry Christmas and Happy New other gifts . Year are not quite as merry or happy for everyone. IN HER OPINION What is an African Christmas PICK-UP MTAANI The last-mile delivery solution that is 4 4 anyway? 2 3 empowering ecommerce stores and communities in Kenya. RECIPES Crispy Onion Ring Burger 2 6 Grandma's Christmas Scones 44 CLICK TO CHECK OUT VUUQA VUUQA VUUQA_ VUUQA LAST MONTH'S ISSUE o5 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

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BUDGET-FRIENDLY SPOTS TO VISIT IN THE WESTERN CAPE THIS FESTIVE SEASON If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that 2020 has been a long and exhausting year. Many individuals are looking to pump their money back into their country's tourism industry and what better way to start, than to keep your travels local. If you’re looking for a slice of paradise, the Western Cape offers establishments with peaceful ambience and typical warm South African hospitality. Here are a few destinations to consider next time you take that sho’t left… WRITTEN BY ONDELA MLANDU Ondela Mlandu is a journalist, radio content contributor, media content strategist, podcast host, voice over artist and orator. She's written for magazines and newspapers such as Getaway Magazine, Mail and Guardian, True Love and Women's Health. The avid traveller is thrilled that restrictions have been eased and she looks forward to exploring more of South Africa. @OndelaMlandu ondela_m www.ondelamlandu.com o7  | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

BLOG - BUDGET-FRIENDLY SPOTS 1. SPANISH FARM, SOMERSET WEST Spanish Farm Guest Lodge is situated on a four-hectare estate in Somerset West. This guest lodge offers luxury bedrooms and 5- star self-catering villas, with lush indigenous gardens, stunning scenery and panoramic views of False Bay and the surrounding mountains. You’ll be surrounded by gardens with beautiful fynbos vegetation and abundant birdlife. Spanish Farm is the ideal location if you want to explore the beauty of the Western Cape such as famous wine routes in Stellenbosch (10 minute drive away), Franschhoek, Paarl (40 minutes away) and is 20 minutes away from the Cape Town International Airport. www.capesummervillas.co.za 2. HIPPO BOUTIQUE HOTEL, CAPE TOWN CBD The Hippo Boutique Hotel is located in the very centre of Cape Town’s City Bowl. Guarded by Table Mountain, Signal Hill and Devil’s Peak, Hippo Boutique Hotel is the perfect place to stay in or to set out from to enjoy the scenes and sounds of Cape Town. The 4-star graded boutique hotel, has 20 spacious en-suite standard rooms with back-facing views of Signal Hill or front- facing balconies with views overlooking vibrant city streets. They also have five double-volume executive suites, each uniquely decorated to a signature theme. All rooms and suites are fitted with modern essentials to ensure comfortable stay. The Hippo Hotel is ideally situated for a quick commute into the business centre to shop, enjoy museums and art galleries, or eat at some of Cape Town’s most popular restaurants within walking distance of the hotel’s front door. www.capecountryroutes.com o8  | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

BLOG - BUDGET-FRIENDLY SPOTS 3. EVERGREEN MANOR AND SPA, STELLENBOSCH Evergreen Manor and Spa is located in the historical core of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape. This establishment was built in 1904 and offers gracious living and an old world charm, combined with every modern convenience. The intimate Evergreen Spa also offers a range of wellness services. An easy four-minute walk brings you to the centre of the town with many reputable restaurants, art galleries, museums, historical buildings and a leisurely stroll through the Stellenbosch Botanical. Stellenbosch is the perfect base for exploring the entire region - Cape Town, Table Mountain, Robben Island, Franschhoek, Gordon’s Bay and the Whale Route - are all within 15 to 50 minute drive away. www.capecountryroutes.com 4. THE DEN APARTMENTS, STELLENBOSCH This boutique collection of properties in the Western Cape has 18 elegantly furnished, self-catering apartments at The Den Apartments in Stellenbosch, all fitted with only the finest in fixtures, appliances and linen the collection has become renowned for. These sophisticated apartments are available for two or more night stays, and being centrally situated, close to many of Stellenbosch’s top restaurants, with easy access to all roads that travel through the winelands. It is perfect for tourists, holiday-makers, wedding guests, groups wanting to travel the internationally acclaimed Cape wine route, people visiting long- stay hospital patients, or parents visiting their student-children at the Stellenbosch University. www.capesummervillas.co.za o9  | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

ETHNIKIDS - AFRIKIDDIES BOOKS Ethnikids Boasting the widest range of Afrikiddies books in South Africa. Back in 2016, a group of 5 mummy-preneurs got together to address their concern regarding the lack of representation in mainstream bookstores. This inspired them to bring life to Ethnikids - an online bookstore that specialises in inclusive and diverse children's books in all South African languages. In order to learn more about the brand’s ethos, Vuuqa sat down with the current and remaining partners - Tina Akuoko and Khumo Tapfumaneyi. Q Ethnikids has collaborated with a couple of brands lately. Why is collaboration important? Collaboration is key to everything we do, and what we are about. Our mission to make representative material easily accessible, and create lifelong readers out of children by instilling a love of reading in them is a massive one! And one not easily achievable on our own. Our biggest partners would have to be the authors we serve. We also collaborate with numerous publishing companies, book fairs, government bodies, professional bodies, corporates and non-profit organisations. Q How is a bookstore like yours important in the life of an African child? A bookstore like ours is made for the African child. We strongly believe that it is important for our children's sense of identity and wholeness to see themselves positively represented in the books they read. It's crucial that they be able to read stories about people like them living different types of lives in their own mother tongues. Our society and global media has a tendency of making our children 'the other', and it's important to us that they are seen and heard and catered to in our space. 10  | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

ETHIKIDS Q Share your opinion on the African author landscape. What are they doing really well? What needs to improve? The African author landscape is very exciting! And not only to ourselves, but to the whole world. There is a real worldwide thirst for African stories. We usually find ourselves inundated with emails from people writing, wanting to translate into various languages etc. Our greatest wish is that authors (particularly independent ones) could receive more support which would ultimately bring the cost of books down. Self Plug Q Share 3 tips that can help build and promote the Please visit our website at www.ethnikids.co.za to reading culture in an African home. see all the books we have in stock for your family's holiday reading. We have organised our website in a way that allows Model leisurely reading for kids and let them see that you to search for books by your child's age or home language, you enjoy it too. Make it a family activity. and also have various themes and categories to make it easy to navigate. Try to source as much reading material as possible and involve the kids while picking stories. Build your Social Media: children a library or reading nook/corner in your home. As Frank Serafini said 'There is no such thing Ethnikids @ethnikids_co as a child who hates to read. Only children who have not found the right book.\" [email protected] Make reading to your children exciting. Use different www.ethnikids.co.za voices, use animated sounds and don't stop doing it when they gain the ability to read for themselves. It's a great way to bond. Q How do you measure success? What's been your biggest highlight/achievement since launching your ecommerce store? Whew! We are grateful for each and every milestone achieved. A big one for us is that we no longer sell books out of our home, and now have a proper distribution centre. We no longer had space for the books and packaging and shelving in our homes. Having that official space and finally being able to afford it somehow makes it all more real. 11  | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

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BLOG - FIVE WAYS TO SPEND Five ways to spend your time and money this HOLIDAY SEASON BY WAMUYU THOITHI W e can all agree that 2020 has been one for the books, and that this year’s holidays will be different. We probably will not be spending our days and nights eating, drinking, socialising, and partying, and we have most likely slashed our holiday budgets to adapt to the economic crisis. However, here are five ways we can productively use our time and money this season. 1. Have safe and affordable enjoyment Just because we are in the middle of a pandemic and the first recession in 25 years, does not mean you cannot have safe and affordable fun. The weather in December is wonderful across our continent, so take advantage of it and spend some quality time outdoors with the people in your social bubble. A bonfire in the village/countryside, walking or hiking at a nearby forest or park, and lots of picnics to boot. If you prefer the indoors, take advantage of the plethora of holiday movies on your video streaming platform of choice. ShowMax and Amazon Prime have free trials (Netflix does not offer free trials, but you can have multiple viewers per account). 13  | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

BLOG - FIVE WAYS TO SPEND 2. Travel domestically 5. Purchase something that If suggestion 1 above does not cut it for you, will yield returns and you still have that travel itch, do so domestically rather than internationally. Not only is it (relatively) Instead of ‘blowing’ money on useless holiday sales, safer to do so, but it is also cheaper. You also get to invest in something that will give you returns. Whether contribute to local economies that have been adversely that is buying a new cake mixer for your bakery affected by the pandemic. business, signing up for a new course, or investing in a business coach, the goal is to invest in income- If you do not feel safe staying at a hotel, you can book generating assets and activities. Income-generating out an Airbnb, limiting interactions with other people. assets and activities ensure that the money you put in Many hosts already have discounts during this generates income to more than cover your investment, depressed period, but feel free to negotiate! and yield returns above it. 3. Pilot that business idea If you are a business owner, Ataare Advisors is giving If you have been working on a product or 20 African SMEs discounted business advisory service, take advantage of the holiday season to test it sessions, redeemable between January and February out. While most people have probably cut their holiday 2021. Click this link to learn more and sign up for a budgets, they are still likely to try out a new product as one-hour session on a topic of your choice.. they seek gifts from their loved ones. Wamuyu Thoithi, Founder of Ataare Advisors Provided you are strategic about your pricing, there is Ataare Advisors is an African firm that offers no reason why you should not use this period to bespoke management consulting and project acquire new customers. Of course the real work is implementation services retaining them into the new year and through economic recovery (whenever we get there). Ataare Advisors 4. Draw up your strategic plan www.ataare.com Whether you have a business, want to start one, or simply want to invest in yourself, now is the time to plan for it. Most business activity slows down during this period, so take the downtime to write down your 2021 goals and plans (I know, cliché). Research has shown that you achieve more when you write down your goals. 14  | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

BUSINESSES IN AFRICA DIRECTORY FOOD SERVICES APPAREL Tayari Meals Whoosh Innovations House of Weli M We sell ready to cook African Whoosh is a payment solutions Design house bringing you food - Delivered cleaned, company with the core business bespoke female clothing items, prepped and ready to cook. of the company being the Interior pieces and indoor plants. Location: Johannesburg, SA provision of a payment gateway Location: Johannesburg, SA for merchants who sell products www.tayarimeals.com / services online and within @Houseofwelim mobile applications. Whoosh is +27 72 725 1663 +27 63 980 1902 South Africa's first black owned and managed payment solutions Soweto Surf Cakes By Kiumbi company Activewear Apparel. Delicious home-baked goods by a Location: Centurion, SA Location: Johannesburg, SA certified baker! Contact us to order cakes, cupcakes and www.letswhoosh.com @soweto_surf cookies for all occasions. +27 64 796 4986 [email protected] Location: Nairobi, Kenya Adzjoa @cakesbykiumbi Letswhoosh_za +254 723 527 630 +27 10 009 6926 Giving you the best combinations in terms of fabric, colour and EDUCATION Ataare Advisors style! Tshiwela Crèche and Bespoke management consulting Location: Nairobi, Kenya Aftercare and implementation services. @adzjoa We have experience across [email protected] Registration is open for 2021. sub-Saharan Africa working with Registration fee: R350. SMEs, non-profits and R150BULSISINTEYSOSUHRERE Kid Intake: 3 Months - Grade R big corporate. KSMH 1O,0N00T| UHSDL1Y0 Location: Nairobi, Kenya APPLY Location: Centurion, SA HERE (Opposite Irene Primary School) Ataare Advisors [email protected] www.ataare.com +27 71 596 9855 / +27 72 670 9020 15 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

ON THE COVER FAME AND FITNESS WITH GABRIEL Commonly known for his on-screen Gabriel Temudzani. Picture credit: Muvhango character vhafuwi on SABC2’s Muvhango, Gabriel Temudzani is more than a ‘VhaVenda’ Chief.

FAME AND FITNESS As a family man, who takes pride in raising his 3 children, his health and fitness also rank very high in his lifestyle. 17 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com The Vuuqa team was curious to know how the actor and MC manages to keep fit while maintaining a busy working schedule. Q What is your daily fitness routine? I train 4 to 5 times a week depending on my work schedule, and also hike bi-weekly. I try my best to eat healthy, definitely not a breakfast person, my homemade smoothie keeps me going for the morning. Q What do you eat? What does your diet typically entail? My diet is influenced and made of nutrition's from JVL in Pretoria Menlyn (they help me with assessments and prescribed meals/nutrition). Q Work life balance: how do you balance your busy shooting schedule and your fitness regime? Trying to balance my busy shooting schedule and fitness regime can feel impossible at times with limited hours in the day, but I believe that we are all able to make time for things that are important to us. Keeping fit and staying healthy is very important to me therefore, I'll always make time for gym and watch what I eat. Q How do you maintain your health and fitness lifestyle during the holiday season? It's easy to fall off the wagon during holiday seasons but I try my best to be consistent. I have gym equipment in the house and when I happen to be traveling out of town, I do outdoor sessions such as running 10km in the morning. Also my nutritions from JVL come in handy during the holiday seasons.

FAME AND FITNESS Self-Plug: I derive pride from sharing skills with young people in the art fraternity, especially those in the remote areas. I was recently part of the health care project initiative run by fly for life. They partner with NPOs, volunteer doctors, and eye specialists to impact the lives of the elderly people in Venda who have lost their eyesight through performing cataract surgeries. Other than that, my hobbies are gyming, hiking, traveling and reading. Q 3 Tips for people who would like to kickstart their Social Media: @temudzanig fitness journey but don’t know how… @gabrieltemudzani Know your fitness goals and set them. They must be Gabriel Temudzani measurable, relevant and attainable. Track your progress weekly. Follow a diet routine that is affordable and can work for you. Get a gym buddy or a trainer. It's always easier and motivating to work with someone rather than by yourself. 18 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

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ASK DR. SIYA 6 Tips on how to cope with holiday stress and anxiety. M erry Christmas and Happy New Year are not If you are struggling with holiday anxiety, here are quite as merry or happy for everyone. some tips to help you cope: Holidays can be stressful, full of challenges. 1 Prepare yourself emotionally, financially and and not what we sometimes hope they would be. Some otherwise. Be clear of what you will and will not of us may struggle to admit or even acknowledge this, as tolerate. Will you accept a comment of how much there is a general expectation for people to be happy and you’ve gained or lost weight with a smile or will excited during the holidays; most especially on the big you make it clear that you are not pleased with the days like Christmas and New Years Eve. comment. Will you be ready to cover the bill for all meals and Even though holidays offer an opportunity to relax, have activities, or will you be clear from the onset of fun, reconnect with family and friends; they can also what you can and cannot afford. bring about stress and anxiety. 2 Take time for yourself and keep a routine that This anxiety can be caused by various factors such as will work for you. You do not have to attend every having to see family members that you don’t get along braai, dinner and aunt Mary’s breakfast. It’s okay well with, being triggered by past trauma (past abuse and to politely say no and excuse yourself. unresolved conflict, being reminded of a loss of a loved one etc.). Whatever the cause of the anxiety may be, the first step to dealing with it is through acknowledging that it exists and understanding that there are many other people going through a similar challenge. 20 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

ASK DR. SIYA 3 Set boundaries. People will push back and try to challenge your boundaries. However, make it a priority to choose what works and what is healthy for you. 4 Clarify expectations. If you will be hosting people or having visitors over, ensure that everyone involved is fully aware of what to expect. Are your visitors clear on how long they will be staying? Who will be paying for what and who will be doing the household chores, driving etc? If you are a visitor at someone else’s place please be considerate and also remember that a good visitor knows when to leave. 5 Consult your therapist for guidance specific to your circumstances and how to deal with triggers of sexual abuse, divorce, childhood trauma etc. 6 Define your fun and avoid too many impulsive decisions. Know where your fun begins and where it ends. This will help you prevent finding yourself in sticky situations and unnecessary drama. Despite the stress and anxiety that holidays can bring, you may still have opportunities for fun and to create meaningful memories. Enjoy the holidays responsibly and remember that whatever your circumstances are, you deserve a break and many smiles. Dr Siya Therapist & Wellness Coach [email protected] AskDrSiya Therapist Directory Siyajabula Mjwara 21 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

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PICK-UP MTAANI A bootstrapped, ingenious, last-mile delivery solution, empowering ecommerce stores and communities in Kenya. W hen thinking of founding a startup, it is always Q What pain point inspired you to come up with this important to consider whether the solution is idea? Which target market did you have in mind? suitable for the environment it is based in. Last Mile delivery has always been expensive not only in The founders of Pickup Mtaani, Mwalugha Robert & Okiya Kenya but worldwide. Our commitment has been to try and Kennedy did just that when they started their network of create a product where we can greatly reduce the delivery collection points within Nairobi and Kenya, where online cost, as we believe this is one of the ways ecommerce can vendors can dispatch their packages to their customers grow in Kenya. at an affordable rate of 100-180 KES. With over 75+ collection points within Kenya, the founders give us more insight into their inspiration, future plans and most importantly, how it works! 23 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

PICK-UP MTAANI Q How are you using technology to propel your business? We believe in going manual first as this is the only way we get informed of what technology we need to build. We currently have an app that online vendors use to notify us when they drop packages at any of our collector points. We are however working on a proprietary technology that will be ready in May 2021 after listening to feedback from our customers. Q How does the whole thing work? What are the costs? We have a team of riders who collect these packages from the collection points and deliver them to the respective agents. Once packages have been delivered, we notify the receivers to collect their packages through SMS. Our agents earn commission for every package delivered at their shops. Q What qualifies you to be an agent? How can you sign up? We usually look for accessible local shops within neighbourhoods. We can only verify eligibility once we visit the recommended shop but we also love going out in the field to find ourselves a suitable shop. One can sign up by reaching to us through our DM then we will send a representative to come to your location. 24 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

PICK-UP MTAANI Q What big plans do you have for the upcoming year? Q How did you fund the business? We are shifting our company to be a full tech We are primarily funding Pickup Mtaani with the company starting May next year. Founders’ savings and ploughing back the revenues we get into the business. Q What was the aha moment? Social Media: Well, in our experience as delivery riders, we heard a lot of complaints that the prices of delivery were high. We @pickup_mtaani made a commitment that we should find a way to charge less www.pickupmtaaniapp.com and that is how Pick-up Mtaani started. We started the company in May 2020. Mwalugha Robert- 0729965983 Okiya Kennedy- 0702191113 Q How do you interact with your audience? How do you engage with your community? We usually promote businesses on our Instagram stories for free. We have also started an IG Live show series called #buildingtrust where we get to have a conversation with different online brands highlighting their stories. This helps their current and potential customers put a face behind these brands. 25 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

Festive RECIPES 1. GRANDMA PHOPHI'S CHRISTMAS SCONES 2. CRISPY ONION RING BURGER

Grandma Method: Phophi’s Christmas Mix and rub margarine with flour until Scones crumbly texture Add sugar, coconut, salt and baking Recipe: powder. Beat the eggs until runny and add to them 9x cups flour into the dry mixture. 500g Margarine Add milk 2 x cups of sugar  Mix all ingredients 1 cup desiccated coconut Flatten dough and cut into preferred Pinch of salt  shape. 9 x teaspoon of baking powder  6x eggs Set oven to 180 degrees 3x cups of milk Prep time: 30 minutes Baking time: 30 minutes or until scones are golden brown SERVING SUGGESTION: SPREAD WITH JAM OR WHIPPED CREAM AND ENJOY WITH A CUP OF TEA.

Crispy Onion Ring Burger 1 2 Crispy Onion rings 3Burger Buns Beef patty Ingredients Ingredients Cut and butter the Buns then 1kg lean beef Mince Butter milk 200ml toast 1 teaspoon salt Flour 4 heaped table spoons 1 teaspoon black pepper Salt and pepper to season 4 Assembly Handle full of coriander or 1 whole onion Parsley 2 large eggs Method Smear your desired sauce on the 200 grams bread crumbs bottom bun then place the Slice the onion into rings lettuce, add a bit more sauces on Method Mix the butter milk with the flour the Lettuce then place seasoned Dip the onion rings in the mixture tomatoes. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and deep fry till golden brown. make the mixture into balls and Garnish Place the patty on the tomatoes flatten them to desired size Sliced tomatoes topped up with as much cheese Preheat oven at 250 degrees. Chopped Lettuce as you wish and add crispy onion Grease your pan with cooking Cheese slices rings then more sauces then spray place the top of the bun. Brown each side for 10 minutes then reduce heat till cooked. A RECIPE BY CHOW ME

FAMILY In the village of Tshitereke, Limpopo exists a HOLIDAY different kind of “African” family where the men TRADITIONS do the holiday cooking, and the women are the judges! AN ANNUAL COOKING COMPETITION The importance of family is especially valued and THAT IS DEFYING GENDER ROLES, embraced at the Ramugondo home through a unique holiday tradition they created a couple of ONE MEAL AT A TIME. years back. We spoke to Thabo Ramugondo, a GIS specialist and older brother to 6 brothers and 3 sisters, to tell us more about how the tradition came about. 29 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

FAMILY HOLIDAY TRADITIONS Q When did this tradition start? When does the competition happen and why? The competition started in December 2013. It takes place on the 24th of December. It started among the Ramugondo family members and later included the Mapasa family who are our cousins, friends and neighbours are also welcome to join. This initiative happens to bring family and friends together during the festive season, and helps keep the young ones from roaming on the streets at these busy times. It is also to honour and appreciate the women in our family who spend lots of time during the year stressing about the well being of our family. So on the day, we hold a cooking competition and all the women in the family become judges. Q What are the rules of the competition? Q What values does it teach? Would you encourage other families to do the same? All men in the family must participate. Teams are created and team leaders are appointed. All the ingredients must be It teaches us to value the contribution each one of us makes purchased in time and no one is allowed to go out and buy in life and not judge people based on gender. It also teaches more ingredients once the competition has started. Also no us to acknowledge that families should work as a unit and not ready made food is allowed. have specific chores in the house only allocated to a specific gender, we should all be able to chip in and help where we Each team must prepare a 3 course meal and every menu can. Over and above that I think it helps keep the family bond must be prepared by the team from start to finish. There is a stronger as we get to spend the day together. time limit given for each meal and the teams must produce the meal in the defined time. No help can be received from Q What does the winner get? A prize? anyone not participating in the competition. We have a trophy that the winner gets, but it is more about the process than the trophy. Self-Plug: For this part let me include my wife, we give clothes and food to charity. We also visit special schools in Venda during festivities to help with whatever we can. Our hobbies are hiking, bowling and in the near future we’d like to start swimming. Social Media: @ramugondo_thabo @tramgee 30 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

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VUUQA’S TOP 4 - AFRICAN PODCASTS VUUQA’S TOP 4 AFRICAN PODCASTS ON BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP NAME: CHINI YA MAJI PODCAST @IANetworkTweets HOST: IMPACT AFRICA NETWORK A podcast covering the Nairobi startup ecosystem; the players, dynamics, lessons, success stories etc CHINI YA MAJI PODCAST NAME: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I’M DOING @kalibawse HOST: PAULA R A podcast discussing what it takes for young women in Africa to start their businesses. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I’M DOING NAME: THE MBALI NWOKO PODCAST @MbaliNwoko HOST: MBALI NWOKO The Mbali Nwoko Podcast is about having conversations with industry experts and stakeholders in the agricultural sector and its value chain. In this podcast, you will hear from farmers, scientists, agronomists, researchers, economists, investors and policymakers to name a few... THE MBALI NWOKO PODCAST NAME: LESSONS WITH LION PODCAST @LeboLion_SA HOST: LEBO LION This podcast is about conversation, education, and empowerment centered around marketing. The host is passionate about entrepreneurship, pop culture, and people, LESSONS WITH LION PODCAST 32 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

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LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT DEMYSTIFYING LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT With George Nyawade Back in the day, when one heard the word retirement in the Q At what age did you retire? ‘African’ context, they usually pictured an old person sitting The word retire makes me feel older than Joe Biden, in the village, reading a newspaper as they escaped the busy I exited formal corporate employment at 60. ‘city life’. Q How has life been after retirement? What have you Retirees today have a different look - younger. They may been up to? have quit their corporate 9-5’s but their brains are more It has been quite relaxed really, I gave myself a year to detox alive than ever, ready to be filled with fulfilling post-60 from corporate but ended up doing two years instead. activities. Corporate was tremendous, but one gets very insulated from This reality was even more prevalent with Mr. George the real world. I have had time to reflect on myself and focus Nyawade, a devoted Christian, loving husband and father of on what I considered more necessary. 4 beautiful daughters. My wife and I volunteer at my local church, where we counsel Having spent a majority of his working life outside of his dating friends and young couples that have been married for home country, he was determined to define what “life-after- less than five years. We also lead a small group of Christians retirement” truly meant to him in this day and age. for a bi-weekly bible discussion in my neighborhood every fortnight. 2347 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT But first things first, I thank God for good health. I feel Q How does one prepare for retirement (financially, physically more fit now than I was just before retirement. I physically, emotionally, family-wise)? enjoy the outdoors a lot. I walk my dog twice daily, or rather, he walks me, morning and evening. Financially, there is no formula; you know the drill, invest wisely, and ensure you have guaranteed future income I also sit on the board of a startup, OESL Kenya, and HOPE streams that can sustain you or better your current living Worldwide Kenya. standards. Emotionally and Physically, identify with and pursue your passion early in life while still in employment. Don't wait until retirement. Do it concurrently, and you will have a seamless transition to your interests when you retire. Q What exciting plans do you have for the future? I had plans to visit several African countries in 2020, then COVID happened, prayerful the pandemic will end, and I will make the tour. Self-Plug: I consider myself tech-savvy, so I appreciate the internet's contribution to e-learning in the current environment. Q What is your biggest achievement/proudest As part of my retirement, I set aside some resources to moment post-retirement? electrify my village. I applied under the President's subsidized I have learned how to read music and play one or two chords Last Mile program in 2017. Three years later, all I have to show on my guitar this year. I occasionally enjoy playing birthday for it is only a reference number B245220190100003. songs to my family and friends on my guitar that had been gathering dust in my closet for nearly 20 years. Hopefully, someone at Kenya Power will read this piece and speed up the process to lighten many village homes. My fear Q If you could go back 20 years, what would you do is the funds I reserved for this purpose may soon find other differently to make your life easier and richer now? use, but I am still committed to this course.. Not much, really, but I would give work-life harmony my top priority. Most things I am pursuing now didn't have to wait Whether you're old or young, we hope that Mr. Nyawade’s until my retirement. story encourages you to pursue your passions and keep the fire burning. I would keep regular contact with my high school and college alumni since making new friends is quite tricky.. George Nyawade @nyawade_george I would also spend much more quality time with my wife and George Nyawade kids, missed the boat when the kids were much younger, and I appeared a hero in their eyes then. 35 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

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BURNT OUT WRITTEN BY VAIDA ODONGO ENTREPRENEUR Unmotivated ARE YOU A BURNT-OUT ENTREPRENEUR? HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. Another sign is feeling unmotivated - no matter how much you try. When starting out, many entrepreneurs In the beginning, most entrepreneurs have to are motivated by their passion. As the days go by and the bootstrap to grow their businesses. We often find novelty wears off, you quickly realize that you need more ourselves working very long hours with no chance of than passion. taking a break. This is often where burnout starts. Overworking As entrepreneurs, we are often so engrossed in getting to the next level, that we tend to miss the Can’t remember the last time you took a break? You may signs of burnout. Living in a society that glorifies well be on your way to burnout. Finding a balance is hard being busy also contributes to this mentality. So, what because building a business takes lots of time and are some signs that you are experiencing burnout? energy. Yet, we still have to ensure that other areas of our lives are also thriving. Sleepless nights Suppose you are burnt-out and looking for a way to re- One of the most common signs is that you find it hard to energize here are a few things you can do. sleep. There will be many nights when you will be up at 2:00 am trying to beat a deadline. While late nights are common, going for long periods without sleeping well is a sign of burnout. 37 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

BURNT OUT ENTREPRENEUR Connect with family and Remember, you need to fill your cup first before you can friends offer someone else a sip from it. Your family and friends are a great source of comfort and support. Human beings need strong social support systems to thrive. If you have been missing family gatherings, now is the time to make it up to them by getting in touch. A 5-minute phone call to your loved ones is a great mood lifter. Take a BREAK! You can start by going on vacation for a few days to clear your mind. Taking a break does not need a lot of money. It is as simple as going for a hike or developing a new skill, like gardening. Taking time off to unplug is a great way to restore your energy and clear up your mind. You never know - you might come up with a brilliant idea while taking a boring walk in the park. Establish Boundaries As entrepreneurs, we often find it hard to say no to requests from people who might help us out in our journey. You might be sitting on several boards and also volunteering for different causes. While these are noble acts, they often leave us depleted because we have too much on our plate. You have to learn to say NO to reduce the chances of VAIDA ODONGO burnout. People are also more likely to respect you when Vaida is an entrepreneur who has vast experience you have healthy boundaries. Saying no often feels in designing impactful entrepreneurship programs. wrong, but it is the best thing you can do to protect your She is passionate about using technology to design mental and physical health. powerful brands. Her areas of expertise include brand strategy, social media, and content marketing. She is Becoming an entrepreneur is no walk in the park. On top currently innovating ways for entrepreneurs to run their of building your business, you still have family and other businesses online. commitments. When you are an exhausted entrepreneur, you will find yourself stuck. Your business might also Vaida Odongo suffer as a result. Do not feel guilty for taking care of yourself. 38 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

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BLEU ROSE Bleu Rose I nitially venturing into the market as a side- hustle, Tshego Ratshidi has now grown her Bleu Rose into a full time operation. Helping customers to express their emotions through flowers, plants & other gifts continues to stand as this organization's unique selling point. Bleu Rose typically serves clients ranging from individuals, small businesses to corporates. Their creatively crafted flower arrangements, indoor plants, gift boxes (baby welcome boxes, pamper boxes, fruit basket/snack boxes) as well as their own in-house manufactured essential bath oils keep the customers coming back for more. Bleu Rose typically delivers in most parts of Johannesburg and also covers parts of Cape Town. Bleu Rose is skilled at creating special gifting services for all types of occassions including but not limited to: Women's day gifts Boss' day Secretaries day Valentines day Year-end celebrations Party favours 40 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

BLEU ROSE After a long year full of unpredictability, and given that it is Q How can plants help boost your mental health? the season of gifting, we wanted to know how we can Gardening is the cheapest form of therapy. incorporate and understand the true benefits of the “green” For starters, gardening takes us outside, exposing us to side of life. vitamin D which is good for the immune system and brain health. Remember we were advised that if we have covid19 Q Why the word Bleu Rose? and are under quarantine to get Vitamin D – South Africans I chose Bleu Rose because I wanted a name that tells are lucky that they don't need supplements but can just spend you what we do – rose is a flower so you'd know we deal with time outside. flowers. Bleu because blue is my favourite colour, and of course a very rare rose. Being around plants, adding them in our homes or work spaces helps us feel calmer and more relaxed which results in Q Plants have become extra popular in the last couple decreased anxiety levels. Plants help improve our memory of years. Care to share why? levels, they improve the air quality and make our spaces aesthetically pleasing - all which can positively affect our I have always been a fan of plants. If you read our story on mood. our website/online shop you will see how I got into this business because it saved my life. I was going through a They are also companions in that you need to look after them challenging time in corporate and started spending time in and that small task usually provides some relief from the big the garden after work. I started to notice a significant change daily grind. Plants are said to speed up the healing process in my mental health. I didn't understand it then but I just (even that of mental illness) – ever wondered why people who knew that when I spend time in the garden I feel better, are not well get sent flowers or plants? Plants also make us happier, less anxious, less angry etc. I believe other plant- more productive and more creative, so get a desk plant for lovers experience similar benefits. your home or work office and thank me later. At Bleu Rose, we also go a step further and also sell essential oil based bath salts. These bath salts are great at boosting mental health as they help with relaxing, boosting your mood and even helping us sleep after a long day. Q Is flower-buying embraced within the African culture? I don't think it's an African culture thing but rather a class or an affordability thing. We typically see less buying of cut flowers from those with less disposable income, no matter their race but if they do buy it's usually for a funeral. Those with more disposable income tend to buy cut flowers for their homes, or as gifts etc. It's just that those who tend to have very little or no disposable income happen to be African. So I think people would rather buy food than flowers because of their affordability or social status. 41 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

BLEU ROSE If you go to most African homes you will find a plant even Self-Plug: though they come from a less social status. It just may not be cut flowers as they perish and they may not have the funds to We often provide some consultation when we have keep buying. They prefer plants as they serve the same clients looking for our products especially for flowers and purpose and last long if you look after them. plants. We are however seeing the popularity of adding flowers to We have a blog on our website where we share some tips, and weddings even if it's just a bouquet which has always been guidelines. This is aimed at educating our community when seen as a western thing. making decisions related to buying flowers whether as a gift or for an event such as your wedding. Brides usually have a lot of decisions to make and one of those decisions is flowers for their big day. We aim to help them make the right decision for them. The blog also helps new plant parents with some information into this new plant world so that they gain confidence, and buy plants suitable for their spaces and needs or even gift someone with a plant. I share some of my experiences with plants as well. We also talk about the importance of having plants around us, and we cover different types of plants etc. Lastly, we cover a bit of plant/flower info and care on our social media and create videos as well to that effect. Q What flowers are best suited for the festive season? Amaryllis – I love these as they are plants that Social Media: @bleuRoseFlowers will bloom again this time of the year in years @bleuroseflowers to come. You can keep them in a nice planter in your home or plant in your garden. They often bleu rose floral designs come in white or red. They love bright indirect light. www.bleuroseflowers.co.za Poinsettia – Nothing says Christmas quite like the Poinsettia. A very bold plant with red leaves. It's the most popular holiday plant with retailers. They do come in orange and white but are most popular in red. 0117308184 / 0670869778 42 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

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BLOG - IN HER OPINION IN HER OPINION WHAT IS AN AFRICAN CHRISTMAS ANYWAY? W hat are you doing for Christmas?” WRITTEN BY: BRIGETTE MASHILE A question that starts coming about around week 2 of December. Or, But, it’s now been over 22 years since I received new “where are you going for Christmas?” clothes for Christmas. Yes I’m complaining, I wish I still got them from my parents! We simply ask these questions with the same ease of Religion ‘How are you?”. We mean to say we care, but we ask it I didn’t specifically grow up Christian…but we celebrated as a conversation starter, or conversation keeper or just Christmas! How? I don’t know. We definitely attended because it is kind to ask. Sunday school and church, we owned bibles, and prayed as per Christians do. But it was not strict, it was not the Honestly, DON’T ASK ME. Lol! I honestly have no ‘only way’. There was always room for questions and answers for you at all, not even by the 24th of December spaces to ponder other options. will I have a response to these kinds of questions. Why? Well, for me, Christmas has changed. A lot. And Today is no different, except I have some answers. Today, that's because my life has also changed. Christmas is really a choice and I can tailor it as I wish. The religion question leads to what is an African Let’s discuss these changes: Christmas? Is it even possible? Or better yet what is a South African Christmas? Should we be Christmasing? If New clothes yes, how do we make it more ‘us’? I used to get new clothes every Christmas until I was maybe 14. I have no idea why we were given new clothes on Christmas day. It was an expectation we were taught to have and traumatized into forgetting one year! Did I like the clothes? NO. They were never my choice of style. They were mostly 2 piece numbers only appropriate for high tea with the Queen. Socks and all. I kid you not. 44 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

BLOG - IN HER OPINION Location Life changed however and we had to go Why were we not doing Christmas the When I was a child my parents and the to boarding school on Sundays. This way the American’s do? Where do we bulk of their siblings lived within 50km meant less time for cooking and eating. buy turkey guys? And what is eggnog?! of one another. They had easier access Sunday became a separation day from Lastly and sadly, where is the snow to each other and could meet up as they our home. (insert cry emoji!). TV made Christmas wished. That was a great thing as it real but not possible to me. meant that we could spend Christmas with family every year. A blessing and a challenge in and of itself. Lol. TV made Christmas real but not possible to me. Today I live over 500 km away from my parents! Most of us left our homes and - Brigette Mashile headed towards the cities for education, careers and to generally gain more “access” to life. Traveling to my parents’ The older I got, the more I realised it is home costs more than the Christmas an idea that I can take part in, but I must tree! This is the case for many of us. We find my way. Today I still want the all can’t simply ‘go’ somewhere for Christmas tree but definitely not the Christmas. Most of us end up going to snow LOL! our birth towns and hope our cousins and friends do the same so we can all What will I be doing for Christmas? I meet. Thereafter, I went on to live alone in my don’t know. I’ll probably be driving to my tertiary schooling days… I still tried to mother’s to rest. My business will have cook but I was alone. Eventually ‘Sunday kept me so busy as I'll only stop working kos’ disappeared. All those ‘Sunday on the 23rd of December. All I will be kosses’ lead up to Christmas cooking. We yearning for is sleeping for long and always knew that’s the day there would doing absolutely nothing. I plan on seeing be 8 different types of salads on the plate. my grandmother. I might see my cousins, We had been practising on all those I might cook, I might dance. I have Sundays. Today, we can have a simple basically left Christmas open for braai and be satisfied with it. We don’t whatever it wants to mould itself into. really cook that much anymore on May you end up doing whatever you feel Sunday or Christmas day. like doing on the 25th of December, and Food American Christmas being with whomever you want to be with on that day. You are free to do Remember when ‘Sunday kos’ was a Ugh, no one does Christmas like the whatever you want to do on that day, the serious thing? I mean serious serious! My Americans. I am sure they have their world is changing, and we need to adapt. mother even baked a cake on Sundays. reasons and it means more to them, We are building new traditions, ways and ‘Sunday kos’ the act of cooking a feast on that’s great. I just need us to find our customs. We may keep the message of Sundays for your family. In my mother’s way. Throughout my childhood I would Christmas but deliver it in another house, our plates typically had rice, pap, 2 wonder why we didn’t have Christmas beautiful way. The message of love, pieces of meat, and 4 different kinds of trees, or at least have copies of theirs! I togetherness and sharing. salads. Then there was custard and jelly wondered why my village didn’t decorate for dessert and finally, the longest nap in their homes and streets just like the Written by: Brigette Mashile life. movies on ETV? RokarokoSA 45 | Vuuqa Lifestyle - www.vuuqa.com

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