Early Breakfast with Africa Melane CapeTalk

Jeremy Fredericks | Cricket Commentator

The Proteas have safely secured their passage through to the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup, with their final group stage match against Nepal on Saturday inconsequential to the final standings. 

The match is, however, an opportunity for head coach Rob Walter and his men to find some much-needed confidence, particularly in the batting department.

The Proteas’ top order struggled in the side’s three matches at the pop-up Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Long Island, New York, which is currently being taken down.

South Africa are unbeaten in the tournament after beating Sri Lanka by six wickets, edging the Netherlands by four wickets and scraping past Bangladesh by four runs.

The victories were largely set up by South Africa’s relentless bowlers, who were ably assisted by the tricky wicket at the Nassau County ground.

The top order failed to get going, however, and were bailed out by the middle order in all three matches.

Quinton de Kock has been the most successful, with scores of 20 and 18 and a duck wedged in between when he was run out at the non-striker’s end without facing a ball.
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Matthew Parks | Parliamentary Coordinator with COSATU 

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has assured workers of efforts to defend their gains amid ongoing coalition talks and efforts to form a new government of national unity. Politics and the reflections of the general elections dominated talks at the NUM’s three-day policy conference that wrapped up in Boksburg east of Johannesburg.

Cosatu will be meeting the ANC’s Central Executive Committee to make its input on the composition of the new government as part of the tripartite alliance. NUM is one of the labour unions affiliated with Cosatu. The tripartite alliance members including Cosatu, SACP and ANC met on Wednesday in Gauteng.

This as workers attending the NUM Policy Conference strengthened their call for policy certainty and the protection of the working class in a new government that will soon be formed. The NUM gathered over 500 union leaders from across the country on a national policy conference that sits every two years in between Congress.

The theme was around the marking of 41 years of unbroken revolutionary struggle for the workers. The union says it is worried about the current political climate as it may threaten gains made over 41 years.

But NUM’s mother body Cosatu has sought to allay fears. The federation has met with the ANC and says it will form part of those who will be drafting a declaration post the formation of a new government.
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Craig Wilkinson | Founder and CEO of Father a Nation 

 Close to sixty percent of South African children are growing up without a present and engaged father. Research shows that fatherlessness is the single biggest driver of violent crime globally. By failing to father our children South Africa has been growing an army of dangerous men. We have the highest rate of rape and gender-based violence (GBV) in the world. Our murder rate is almost 8 times higher than the USA and 37 times higher than the UK.

Men who have had an absent or abusive father grow up wounded. And if they’ve had no male mentors or role models to teach them good, positive masculinity they often have a distorted concept of what it means to be a man. Wounded men with false notions of what it means to be a man are the primary cause of masculine abuse in all its forms. This is not something that will self-correct. Wounded men raise wounded boys who become wounded men who wound. We need to break the cycle. Unless we deal decisively with this our future is in very real danger.

Father A Nation (FAN) has been working with men and boys since 2010. If we can equip and inspire enough men to use their strength to love, serve and protect, we will turn the tide against crime, violence, GBV, corruption and social disintegration and build a nation that is safe, secure and prosperous for all.

There is no greater nation building imperative for South Africa than the restoration of men.
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Liezel Van Der Westhuizen | Presenter at Talk Radio 702 / 567 Cape Talk and KFM 

Ready to turn your week into a high-energy extravaganza? Liezel van der Westhuizen has the scoop on the coolest, most exhilarating family-friendly fitness activities out there. From heart-pounding workouts to belly-laugh-inducing adventures, get set for a rollercoaster ride of health, fun, and total body exhilaration. Whether you're a fitness newbie or a seasoned warrior, we’ve got something in store for YOU.
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Dr Ongama Mntimka | Political Analyst & lecturer at the department of history and political studies at Nelson Mandela University 

In a move typical of former president Jacob Zuma's brinkmanship, the MK Party says it's ready to talk to the IFP about a coalition deal.

It has invited the IFP to the negotiating table - some 48 hours before the first sitting of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature on Friday, where the premier, speaker and deputy speaker will be elected.

According to a person close to the developments, the two parties were in an online, mid-morning meeting on Wednesday.

MK Party secretary-general Sihle Ngubane said the MK Party had identified "political ideologies and characteristics that seem to point to some similarities of interest between MK Party and IFP ... in relation to KwaZulu-Natal specifically".

Ngubane said these were:

bringing back dignity to the Zulu kingdom, kings and izinduna;

fast-tracking service delivery to all our people of KZN and stopping corrupt activities that deny them better lives;

catapulting the province to be the major economic hub of South Africa;

And "many more" important opportunities that will make KwaZulu-Natal the centre of attention.

The statement follows indications that the IFP has been hedging its bets on a coalition bloc led by itself, with the ANC, DA, and NFP.
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Sean Kelly | Director at Parity Wealth Managers

Michael Johnson, a legendary sprinter, once remarked that the only person who could beat him was himself, implying that his greatest adversary lay within. This analogy holds true for investors as well – the most formidable obstacles to your investment success often come from your own actions.

As wealth managers at Parity Wealth Managers, we frequently observe that clients who have managed their own portfolios fall into similar pitfalls.

Here are the top three mistakes they make:

1. Trying to time the market

Attempting to time the market is often futile, as emotions like greed and fear lead to poor decisions such as buying high and selling low. Investors frequently exit during downturns and miss subsequent recoveries. For example, after a 20% drop in the S&P 500 in 2020, it rebounded by 12.5% in a month and 59% in a year. Missing just five of the best trading days from 2002 to 2021 could decrease annual returns from 9.5% to 7%. Accurate market timing is extremely challenging.

Prevention strategy: Align investments with your risk profile and use dollar-cost averaging to mitigate timing errors.

2. Panic selling

Loss aversion causes investors to sell during downturns, but losses aren't realized until you sell. Market volatility is normal, and it's important to maintain a long-term perspective to avoid panic selling.

Prevention strategy: Educate yourself to overlook short-term fluctuations and maintain a long-term view.

3. Investing in fads

Investing in trends without fundamental analysis can lead to inflated valuations. It's crucial to base decisions on robust analysis and informed advice.

Prevention strategy: Select and hold on to strong investments based on thorough analysis, avoiding trend-based investing pitfalls.

Conclusion

Avoiding common errors like market timing, panic selling, and investing in fads can enhance performance. Adopting a disciplined, informed strategy protects your portfolio from emotional and misinformed decisions.
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