JANBRAAI - SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION LIMITED
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ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2021
™
JanBraaiready to flame it up
in NEW ZEALAND
Author Jana Marx talks
DEVILSDORP
5 - WIN the ultimate braai Empire of the rusk - 16
13 - Our original Popstar Profiling Penny Hulse - 18
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION IN NEW ZEALAND
letter from the editor
T
hese pages represent what’s beome a labour of
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE
love. Our efforts to bring you the first edition of
SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION IN NEW ZEALAND konnekt magazine is much more than that though.
These pages are not about the team who pulled this to-
Editor gether, instead, it should always be about you – everyone
Liam Baldwin who is part of the Kiwi SA community,whether actually
konnekt@southafricanba.co.nz Liam Baldwin from there or associated with it in some way.
EDITOR
Advertising Just as we were about to send these pages to print,
admin@southafricanba.co.nz New Zealand went into lockdown. This has caused a little
angst within the team, but we persevered to ensure we
Creative
Monique Venter could safely release our creation into the wild.
creative@southafricanba.co.nz I won’t dwell on what the magazine is all about, you
can read that on page 27. Instead, let’s address what’s in-
Accounts
Christine Muller side.
accounts@southafricanba.co.nz Former Auckland deputy mayor Penny Hulse is pro-
filed in our sillouette section. Penny was a stalwart in
Postal
Auckland politics for decades after first arriving in New
konnekt magazine
PO Box 6, Silverdale Zealand from South Africa when she was 16.
Auckland 0944 Another import, although she arrived a little later is
Megan Alatini. She became forever part of the fabric of
Subscriptions
admin@southafricanba.co.nz
New Zealand after landing here aged 11.
We have Jan Scannell, better known as Jan Braai, who
Copyright truly wants us to set fires across New Zealand.
The contents of konnekt magazine and
any print or digital publication pro Finally we talked to Jana Marx, the journalist who
duced by the South African Business pulled together the graphic detail about the gruesome
Association (SABA) are copyright and
may not be reproduced without the murders in Krugersdorp in 2012 and 2016. Her work led
consent of the editor. Opinions ex to the creation of the much talked about documentary
pressed in konnekt magazine are not
See konnekt magazine necessarily those of SABA or its associ series Devilsdorp.
editions online. ated entities. All rights reserved. Please let us know what you think!
page 2–
Events Contents
1981
Now until Sunday 26 September 2021,
10am5pm | Waikato Museum, 1 Gran
4 – Briefly
tham Place, Hamilton. This exhibition
chronicles the antitour movement with
6 – South Africa’s outdoor cooking
the work of photographers working in the ambassador Jan Braai
1980s.
Ronél Hunter – singersongwriter
9 – Jana Marx talks to konnekt
Sunday, 12 September 2021, 7pm | Irish
Society Hall, 29 Domain Terrace, Spreydon,
13 – Popstar Megan Alatini
Christchurch. Originally from South Africa,
Ronél moved to New Zealand in 2009 after
16 – Ruskalicious Andries and Melissa
playing at folk festivals in her homeland.
Malherbe
North Shore Langarm Sokkiejol
Saturday 2 October 2021, 7pm11.45pm |
18 – Silhouette with Penny Hulse
Albany Community Hall, 21 Library Lane,
Albany. A South African sokkie for young
20 – Immigration advisor Katy
and old. Bring your own food and drinks.
Armstrong has had a gutsful
Oempa Fesitval
Saturday 27 November 2021 | Soper Re
21 – Rivalry. What he said, what she said
serve, Mt Maunganui. Interational arts
and crafts, local bands, streaming SA
22 – Introducing the
music, food stalls, family friendly.
South African Business Association
The Lekker Festival
19 February 2022, 11am5pm | Te Rapa 24 – Wellness, Nadine Smit talks teeth
Waikato Racing Club, Te Rapa Road, Hamil
ton. Billed as the biggest South African cul 25 – Cook Sister NZ with beef and
tural experience in New Zealand –
formerly known as the KiwiMielie Festi banana potjie
val.
Page 7 – One of three signed Jan Braai recipe books
Page 8 – Win the ultimate outdoor 1200 braai
Competitions Page 23 – Make life plush. Bring your creation to life
Page 23 – Teens can write to win a $50 Prezzy card
Page 23 – Not a cross word, $50 Pak ‘n Save voucher
Friday 24 September is Na- again.
tional Braai Day – a day its cre- Let’s pick up Jan’s plea for
ator Jan Scannell wants to take him.
international. We’re going to be sending a
This month he’s taken some copy or two of konnekt magazine
time to have a few words with to the PM, but it might help if
focus konnekt magazine and included
the hope that he can convince
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
you write to her as well.
Shall we see if we can get a re-
sponse and bring braai to the Remember, it’s completely
to invite him over for a braai – at capital, or at least the PM’s free to post anything to Parlia-
least when the borders are open house? ment.
– page 3
briefly
A rugby tour that changed a nation
RIGHT: One of the many
images made when protes
tors stormed Hamilton
Rugby Park ahead of a
scheduled Springbok
match. Image by: Geoffrey
Short, Demonstrator and
police lines Rugby Park,
1981. Collection of Wai‐
kato Museum Te Whare
Taonga o Waikato.
A little more than 40 years ago New Zealand
went to war with itself – over a rugby tour.
The Springbok Tour of 1981 sive time for New Zealand.
divided the country. It was a “Regardless of the side of
defining moment in New Zea- the rugby fence people might
land’s history and Hamilton have been on, the significance
City was right in the thick of it. of that game’s cancellation is
More than 150,000 people an important part of Hamil-
took part in about 200 demon- ton’s history.”
strations over nearly two “The Kirikiriroa protests
months. They believed playing were the outcome of months of
sport with South Africa con- planning, counter-planning
doned its apartheid system of and public discontent. The
government. They clashed 1981 exhibition features pho-
with rugby fans who felt that tographs taken by Geoffrey
politics should have no bear- Short, Kees Sprengers and
ing on sporting events. John Mercer that document a
Waikato Museum Te Whare period of unrest, with New
Taonga o Waikato has curated Zealanders of all ages express-
an exhibition – 1981 – to ing their solidarity with mar-
highlight the images and ginalised black South
events of 25 July 1981 when Africans.”
the unrest took over Hamilton. Waikato Museum Director
Hundreds of people stormed Cherie Meecham said the exhi-
the field at Hamilton’s Rugby bition serves as an important
Park leading to the cancella- reminder of the anti-apartheid
tion of a game against the Wai- demonstrators’ aspiration for
kato provincial side. freedom, equality and justice.
Waikato Museum curator 1981 is open every day at
Nadia Gush says the exhibition Waikato Museum in Hamilton
sheds light on what was a divi- until the end of September.
page 4–
briefly
The ultimate
The ultimate braai could be YOURS
konnekt magazine is offering complete your entry as well, but
all readers the opportunity big nothing that will take too much
with braai. time.
Up for grabs is a magnificent See page eight for more infor-
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warm when the frost kicks in. petitions for all the details along
Best of all, while its big, it with terms and conditions.
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The biggest part of your entry door.
will be sharing your best braai You, however, have to figure
story to us. out what you’re cooking us when
There are a couple of other it arrives.
things you need to click on to Good luck!
our
newest
monthly
magazine NEXT PUBLICATION: 1-30 October 2021
DEADLINE: 15 September 2021
Plenty to read DISTRIBUTED: 28 September 2021
& lots to win!
Let us know if you would like to receive If there is something
a konnekt magazine in your mailbox.
you would like us to
We can provide a konnekt magazine
display stand in your shop.
know, konnekt!
021 070 0880
www.southafricanba.co.nz I admin@southafricanba.co.nz
– page 5
South Africa’s
outdoor cooking ambassador
A
while ago Jan Scannell
swapped his calculator and
spreadsheets for a pair of
tongs and a pack of matches.
“
Once an accountant, he has a
I am looking forward to having a Master’s in Business Administration
braai with your Prime Minister (MBA) and used to work for multi-
national business consultant firm
Jacinda Ardern one day… PwC. Now he wants to light fires in Jan Scannell wants his National
when she invites me. backyards across New Zealand. Braai Day concept to be part of
Jan Scannell is better known as New Zealand’s culture too.
Jan Braai – author, TV presenter
and fitness freak. Oh, and he reckons can cook a steak pretty
good.
He’s also the man behind the creation of National Braai Day
in South Africa, which sits alongside Heritage Day on 24 Sep-
tember. It’s his vision of truly celebrating the uniqueness of
South African culture and heritage with family and friends in
the simplest of ways.
“The aim of the initiative is to position 24 September every
year as South Africa’s national day of celebration, similar to St
Patrick’s Day in Ireland or Thanksgiving in the USA,” Jan told
konnekt magazine.
“[It’s when] one day a year where the whole country gathers
in small or large groups, lights a fire, has a braai.”
And Jan wants to make it bigger.
“The vision is that ultimately 24 September and National
Braai Day will be a global thing where the whole world has a
braai, barbecue, grill, asado – whatever you call it in whatever
language – on that day, but with some specific focus on South
Africa,” he says.
J
an looks at braai two ways. The word is a noun and means
lighting a wooden fire where a group of friends and family
spend time together in the lead up to cooking food. Braai is
also a verb, the act of cooking over a fire – always a fire.
“The easiest way to have a braai is to light a fire and… have a
braai,” Jan says.
He encourages all braai-loving South Africans in New Zealand
to reach out to their Kiwi neighbours to do just that.
“My impression of New Zealand is very positive, so I would
imagine finding a few nice people to braai with you cannot be
hard.”
But what to cook your Kiwi neighbours?
“Obviously you can cook anything on a fire. And all food tastes
better when done on a fire, but some real go-to classics would be
page 6–
l
f
boerewors, then obviously lamb chops. On
that respect I have to say New Zealand has
fantastic lamb.”
Jan says he’d want Kiwis to really enjoy the
food, so take it easy with the spices to avoid
scaring them off.
“I would focus on getting them to accept
me as their neighbour who makes fires in the garden,” he jokes.
signed book giveaway
H
is advice: don’t go too wild on the menu and slowly in-
troduce Kiwis to developing a South African palete,
along with a decent drinks trolley.
On the menu he suggests high-quality burgers, because every-
one likes a burger.
“Just make a very, very good version of it.”
Impress with handmade patties using fresh beef mince with
nothing else in it, fire-toasted bread rolls with butter and a
Cesar salad with homemade dressing.
“There is no big table full of other sides and salad stuff – it’s a
simple, yet refined meal and you can prep most of it advance
and have very little dishes to do afterwards.”
As Jan Braai, he’s travelled the world a lot and applied much
of what he’s seen with his own techniques over a fire.
“I like travelling, I like food, new experiences and to learn, so
wherever I go I look at what other people do, how they cook,
what they serve and eat, and I think how that can be applied to
the braai fire.”
We have three JanBraai recipe books
Jan was also scheduled to gather some Kiwi experiences. to give away along with braai.com
“My first visit to New Zealand was planned, flights booked caps, stickers and a beer cup. To be in
and paid for in 2020. It really was my next place to go until to win, emaill your name, where you
COVID-19 interrupted us. live and tell us how many times a week you fire up
“I am looking forward to having a braai with your Prime Min- your braai to comps@southafricanba.co.nz
ister Jacinda Ardern one day… when she invites me.”
T&Cs at southafricanba.co.nz/competitions
– page 7
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Standard terms & conditions apply
page 8–
MY ROLE IN
DEVILSDORP
MAIN IMAGE: Krugersdorp. RIGHT: Journalist
and author Jana Marx. INSET: Cecilia Steyn in
court (courtesy Felix Dlangamandla).
Journalist Jana Marx talks to konnekt about her
role in the hit South African documentary series
Devilsdorp, her book and religious manipulation.
I
t’s uncommon for a journalist to in- publisher approached her with an idea
terview a colleague for a story. Oc- about a book.
casionally though, rather than just “They said they wanted to do a book
South Africa’s streaming service
reporting on it, a fellow scribe becomes about it and asked if I would be able to
Showmax documentary series Devils‐
the news. do that. I’m like, ja, I have literally ev-
That’s what happened to digital jour- erything, I just need something to do
dorp is a window into evil in small
nalist Jana Marx who stumbled across with it,” she explains. town South Africa.
the bizarre circumstances behind what “I realised… that this needs to be It’s the result of 18months of re
was known as the appointment mur- something more than just news reports. search into how a small group of de
ders in 2012 and satanic murders in This is really something and I haven’t vout Christians trying to help a former
2016. In total, 11 people were brutally been imagining it.” satanist escape the satanic church
W
killed as part of a twisted and dark hat began were weeks in ended in a murderous spree – based
chain of events centred on the West court followed by nights of on a book by journalist Jana Marx
Rand town of Krugersdorp on the edge writing both news reports called The Krugersdorp Cult Killings:
of Johannesburg. and chapters of the book which, ulti- Inside Cecilia Steyn’s Reign of Terror.
The subsequent book written by Jana mately was noticed by a production Alongside extraordinary footage of
– The Krugersdorp Cult Killings: Inside company.
exorcisms, church meetings, trial tes
Cecilia Steyn’s Reign of Terror – pulled The original Afrikaans version of the
timonies and judgments, Devilsdorp
together the threads of a macabre story book was published with a small run
features firsthand accounts from the
provided by information she received and sold well, at least when the first
sitting in a Johannesburg court room. COVID-19 lockdown ended. An audio- likes of the deputy director of Public
It was there the major players behind a book was made and then an English Prosecutions Gerrit Roberts, Discov
conspiracy and the murders were tried, version. ery claims specialist Shane Chatzke
convicted and jailed. “It flew off the shelves, so we did the lowitz, journalist Marizka Coetzer;
From her home in South Africa, Jana English audiobook as well. This was and Captain Ben Booysen, the senior
tells konnekt over Zoom that she had one of the top sellers last year, in the investigating officer, who aptly com
access to significantly more infor- top 20.” pares himself to Chuck Norris in the
mation and details about the case than Jana says she and the publishers documentary and Jana Marx herself.
what was used as evidence against Ce- were still busy with the English release The family of the victims also share
cilia Steyn and her co-conspirators. doing media interviews when the TV their stories, as do church members
Jana says during the trial, which she production company came knocking. who knew the perpetrators.
was reporting on for netwerk24.com, a “They were very secretive about it at
– page 9
that stage, but I thought I should go and connected to the original spate of killings.
listen to what they had to say.” The twists to the story are impossible to
T
hat conversation was asking for fully explain, which is why the book was
Jana’s help to develop her book necessary.
into a documentary and then to “I was fascinated by this story but
pitch the idea which was eventually didn’t realise I would suddenly have the
picked up by South African streaming whole country sharing that fascination
service Showmax. with me. People wanted to understand
“My role was as a consultant, sort of a how these peoples’ minds work, so I’m
sounding board for fact checking and we enjoying that people are sharing my en-
worked together on possible angles,” Jana thusiasm for it.”
says. Despite the huge interest in the story,
What followed required Jana to take Jana is still grounded by significant ele-
three days leave from her day job to talk ments of it.
to the documentary developers about ev- “There was a huge cost for the families
erything she knew about the Krugersdorp of the victims.”
case, the murders and the people in- That was always front of mind for Jana.
“
What happened is volved. She had met many of the victims’ family
“It was morning to night of constant members, interviewed them and saw the
incredible but it’s not speaking where they were just zooming huge impact of the murders on their lives.
an isolated thing... on every possible question just to explore “I told them [the producers} that there
There’s manipulation the information that was out there. It was was a condition to my involvement. This
very exciting and fun, but hard work.” has to be ethical. We can give the facts,
in churches in many Interviews were set up, footage ob- but we will never lose sight that these
parts of the country. tained, and the series was carefully woven people were brutally murdered. Families
together with Jana front and centre as a are still grieving even today and will be
narrator, helpfully linking pieces of it to- for years to come.
gether. And in July this year, what be- “They [the producers] shared that vi-
come Devilsdorp – a four-part sion and I think that’s what I really appre-
documentary series – was released on ciated about the production team and
Showmax. It gripped the nation and is why I didn’t mind working with them.”
starting to get noticed in South African Other than retelling a gruesome story,
communities around the world, including konnekt asked Jana what other purpose
New Zealand. could Devilsdorp serve.
O
On release in South Africa, Devilsdorp n the surface, Devilsdorp is about
topped Showmax’s top 20 and set a new a crime spree that involved a
record for the most hours watched in its woman manipulating people
first four days of launch. leading to the creation of a killer school
Like its bestselling literary nexus, it in- teacher mother who took her children to
vestigates the 11 Krugersdorp murders in kill a man. Her daughter, just 14 at the
2012 and 2016, which were all traced time later went on to become more deeply
back to Cecilia Steyn and the Electus per involved with other murders. Ultimately,
Deus (Chosen by God) cult she created. there were more victims than members of
It links murders in 2012 with others in the cult.
2016, which included deaths of people Devilsdorp is partly about the weaponi-
page 10–S
sation of religion, and that is something Jana says he says in response to Devilsdorp, some
people should take note of. legitimate churches in South Africa have
“What happened is incredible but it’s not an realised they need to look out for simi-
isolated thing, it’s not only a Krugersdorp thing. lar activity.
There’s manipulation in churches in many parts “I’ve had invitations from churches to
of the country, but not all of it escalates towards come and talk to them about exactly this. The
murder.” organised churches have started to realise
Jana says there is a problem with unregulated that this is a threat against them.”
religious groups in South Africa. Jana is back to her day job – one she con-
“We have one called the Doom Profits, not tinued even when writing her book and as-
doom where you might be going up in flames, but sisting with the production of Devilsdorp.
Doom as in the insect repellent [which was] lit- She’s focused more on in-depth reporting
erally sprayed into the faces of people in the con- now, away from the demands of a 24-
gregation to clear them of evil spirits. hour news cycle.
“If that is happening, that’s not a church any- “I get to have weekends now, it’s been
more, that’s a cult.” a long time since I had weekends.”
J
ana explains that some communities are That time is spent with husband
likely more susceptible to manipulators like Erik.
Cecilia Steyn than others and there are “He’s been so supportive of this. He
plenty of other places like Krugersdorp. went through the whole process from the
“It’s very Afrikaans, very religious. There’s lit- very beginning, when he was just my
erally a church on every corner of every street and boyfriend. We got engaged during the
has a culture where people want to do the right court case and during the time the book
thing.” was released we got married the same
Jana hypothesises that a community so reli- week.
giously oriented could make it a little more sus- “I never would have been able to do
ceptible “for strange things coming in”. this without his support. While I was
“People are starting to realise that, oh my still writing the book, he could see how I
goodness, they walk amongst us. They could be was being affected and tell me I need to
anywhere.” take time off. I’m grateful for that.”
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page 12–m eg an
ALATINI
popstar, actor, TV judge, dancer,
flight attendant, entrepreneur, wife and mum
A little more than two decades and eventually further afield
ago Megan Alatini was introduced where it morphed into TV jugger-
to New Zealand for the first time – nauts including American Idol
as Megan Cassie – blazing her way and America’s Got Talent.
across the small screen with four Along with the rest of the group,
other young women as a founding Megan was thrust into fame – and
member of TrueBliss. not so much fortune – as True-
The group was created by au- Bliss shot up the charts with its
ditioning hundreds of singers ac- first single Tonight. The five
ross the country and blending the toured around New Zealand, re-
winners together – the whole pro- leased an album and, a year or so
cess was televised on Popstars, the later, disappeared from the air-
first talent show of its kind. The waves. Megan’s story doesn’t stop
concept was later sold to Australia there though.
– page 13LEFT: The Alatini offspring, from left, Ton
ica, Trey and Tiara. RIGHT: The talented
Cassie sisters, from left, Meryl, Megan
and Monique. PREVIOUS PAGE: Megan
with a young Tonica and Tiara on the way.
ing for her. way.
“Leaving all that “I got Mum to braid my hair. I wanted
behind and becom- to look African for the ball.”
ing immersed in Then a friend wanted braids. Then
South Auckland another and their friends too. What began
meant huge life as a desire to change her look for a dance
changes for us. at Papatoetoe High School led to a full-
M
egan arrived from South Africa Being in the heart of the South Pacific, I time job for Megan’s mum Barbara and
in New Zealand with her family was impressed with all the cultures here ultimately turned into three stores across
in 1987. Her father was offered that were living together in the same area. Auckland called Amandla Braiding
a job outside their Cape Town base which We’d never had that before with segre- Whare.
meant relocating to Germany, Australia gation in South Africa.” “Through that we met even more
or New Zealand. The family opted for Megan has ethnic African ancestry people and so many of them became part
New Zealand, settling in South Auckland. along with European – mostly German. of our whanau and it’s all of them who
“New Zealand was an easy choice for She explains that in South Africa back have supported me through everything in
Dad,” Megan says. then, people usually celebrated their music, in TV and also Pita too.”
Megan says that Kiwi-focused emotion more ‘acceptable’ heritage and pushed
P
was centred on the support he felt New down the other. ita Alatini is a Tongan-born former
Zealand people offered families in situ- “In New Zealand, for us, it was com- All Black and has been married to
ations like his – even on the other side of pletely different. We were accepted just as Megan for more than 20 years – al-
the world. The anti-apartheid movement we were from South Africa and nothing though they’ve known each other much
was strong and very vocal in New Zealand else really mattered. People were inter- longer than that. They have three chil-
during the 1970s and 1980s and the pro- ested in South Africa and wanted to know dren – Tonica, Tiara and Trey – the old-
tests that followed the 1981 Springbok about how we did things, what our food est of which, Tonica, went along for the
tour rammed home the message. was like.” TrueBliss ride in 1999 aged three.
“It wasn’t the easiest time for people Very quickly Megan was at intermedi- “I was the oldest of the group at 22 and
like us living where we were living. He ate school and learned she had an oppor- by then I had my daughter who had to be
chose the country that stood up for the tunity to really understand her identity part of it all as well. Whenever I was on
South African coloured people.” better. camera or on stage, Tonica was pretty
“It took two years for us to get to New “Everyone around me always knew close by.”
Zealand and it was the only place that their whakapapa, what their mountain About the same time as Megan was
Dad wanted us to go to.” and their river was. I realised I didn’t going through the Popstars experience,
The immigration process was complex know mine.” Pita was rising up the rugby ranks and
and stymied by the South African govern- Soon she was emersed – not just in the debuted for the All Blacks that same year.
ment. Ultimately the applications were cultural differences around her, but be- Ultimately, he played in 17 tests for the
lodged in what was still Rhodesia (Zimba- cause she could also celebrate her own. All Blacks between 1999 and 2001 includ-
bwe) and residency was resolved before “Just as we loved what we were experi- ing matches during the 1999 Rugby
the family even arrived here. encing, there was a huge love and interest World Cup.
Arriving in New Zealand, especially the in our African-ness.” It stayed pretty busy for Megan as well
ethnically diverse centre of South Auck- Fast forward a few years and Megan during those years. After the Popstars ex-
land, Megan says was a cultural awaken- has become about as Kiwi as a girl can get perience, she turned her hand to acting –
– fully involved in although she’d already had a couple of
sports as a sprinter – stints prior on American shows Hercules
“
kapa haka and school. and Young Hercules – both filmed in
Everyone around me always knew By fifth form (year 11), Auckland.
their whakapapa, what their moun- Megan entered the In the early 2000s, Megan joined her
tain and their river was. I realised I annual ritual of school younger sisters Meryl and Monique as
ball preparations and part of the core cast of The Tribe, set in a
didn’t know mine. decided to get her hair dystopian time following a virus that
braided – the African killed off all adults. There were other act-
page 14–Boarding the plane was of Au Consulting.
another cultural awaken- “Au, in te reo, means me, you, I, us. It’s
ing for Megan. also the chemical symbol for gold and it
“We’d been in the same fits in with everything that we want to do.”
clothes for three days, we The company began about a year ago
looked a mess and I’m and Megan has been on board full time for
pretty sure we didn’t smell the last two months. Megan says the small
good,” Megan explains. team already has a few contracts under-
“There, at the boarding way, among them is working alongside NZ
gate, was the new general Post.
Kamaishi, Japan, as the first wave of the tsunami hits the manager of Air New Zea-
small city of 35,000 in 2011.
B
land in Japan personally ut that’s not all. Megan is still sing-
greeting every single per- ing, and not just in the shower.
ing stints too, but soon the Alatinis were son getting on that plane… shaking their TrueBliss, minus one of the origi-
preparing to leave New Zealand. hands and sometimes giving them hugs. nals, still performs occasionally and was
He treated every passenger as if they were set down for a gig during NZ Fashion
gold. Week before the latest COVID-19 lock-
I
n 2004, the young family moved to
“I just said, one day I will work for this down shut the event down.
Japan where Pita played rugby for the
company. This is a company about people Megan jokes the group is totally avail-
Suntory Sungoliath team based in
and how you should treat human beings.” able for corporate gigs, birthday parties...
Tokyo. Within a couple of years the family
It wasn’t too long before Megan began and braais.
moved north where Pita joined the Ka-
training to become cabin crew. This led to She was still busy in New Zealand, even
maishi Seawaves.
It was there the family was living when seven years with the company involving a while living in Japan. In 2006 she travelled
a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck off the number of different roles concluding with back to be a judge on New Zealand Idol.
coast of Japan generating a tsunami that the responsibility of leading the com- The following year she appeared Danc-
wiped out towns, parts of cities, created pany’s Māori and Pacific Network, which ing with the Stars, doing pretty well to be
the nuclear power station meltdown at promotes diversity and inclusion. runner-up to Suzanne Paul. Although
Fukushima and breached the sea wall at When COVID-19 surfaced, the impact konnekt reckons Megan was a little ripped
Kamaishi. Ultimately about 1000 people on Air New Zealand was immense. off because she earned more points across
died there out of about 20,000 elsewhere Megan’s role morphed into virtual train- the season than any of the contestants and
along the coastline. ing, mentoring and coaching, assisting missed out by just one with the final per-
Living about seven kilometres inland, staff to transition from Air New Zealand formance.
the Alatinis weren’t impacted directly to new roles.
when the tsunami came ashore and were “It was an emotional time
actually running a little late leaving the and I wasn’t sure if I would
house to go to a celebratory lunch for son get to keep my job.”
Trey’s graduation from kindergarten. During this period Megan
Mum, Barbara, was there too. and a couple of colleagues
“When the sirens went off we didn’t started talking about using
know exactly what was going on. Pita had their skills focused on cultural
just come back from a medical check and diversity and inclusion else-
still had a translator with him and she where.
was able to tell us what was being said.” “We knew what we were
What began then was a rapid exodus doing worked and we also
from Kamaishi facilitated by the New knew that there were a lot of
Zealand embassy in Japan. First to Sen- companies out there that
dai, south of Kamaishi, and then on to would value what we could Remaining TrueBliss members, from left, Erica Tackas,
Tokyo where the family boarded an Air add to how they did things.” Megan Alatini, Joe Cotton and Keri Harper.
New Zealand flight home. The result was the creation
Moniqué
Graphic 022 463 8390
& Web Designer info@korucreate.com
Company Logos I Business Cards I Letterheads I E-mail Signatures I Flyers
Brochures I Social Media I Websites I Wedding & Par ty Invitations and much more
– page 15A
s her maternity leave was running due, the Protea Cakery was born and the
out, Melissa Malherbe was feel- Ruskalicious brand created.
ing torn between returning to Melissa says there was a lot of research
work as a primary school teacher, and involved.
spending more time with both her chil- “I wanted to know what the demand
dren. She was looking for alternatives to would be and what we had to do, to be al-
replace the income that was soon coming lowed to make food and sell it.”
to an end. She came up with a plan to fill Then during the winter of 2018, the
the gap. baking duo secured the licensing required
The South African-born Kiwi has been from Auckland Council for food produc-
in New Zealand for 15 years. Her Afri- touch in baking the rusks,” Andries says. tion – an A-grade rating. They were offi-
kaans accent is blending with New Zea- “It was all manual and kneading was all cially in the baking business.
land sounding vowels, and it took a done by hand.” After taking a full year with both her
minute for konnekt to realise she actually Melissa jumps in. children, Melissa returned to primary
was from the dry continent rather than “Everybody can bake rusks at some school teaching, and she went back to
the North Shore of Auckland. level,” she says. “But, it’s very easy to not work in the classroom. Andries estab-
Husband Andries is a little fresher and always get it right. The rusk itself can be lished a baking regime in between his
arrived 10 years ago when he transferred too hard, or it breaks off or it doesn’t soak work hours and sleep while Melissa
within his company to its Auckland office. up the coffee very well. Andries does it started to focus on marketing when she
His professional focus is industrial auto- the best.” wasn’t in the classroom or preparing for
mation – essentially making factory lines When Andries met his future wife Me- the next day’s lessons.
and systemic process work better. He’s lissa they’d go out on dates, some of Until recently at least.
worked as a system integrator for BMW which would be a car trip somewhere. “I quit my job,” Melissa says, “so I can
both in South Africa and in Germany. Andries would bake rusks for the trip – a focus more on this.”
These days he is with BECKHOFF Auto- legacy that continued after they were Ruskalicious began with the first two,
mation based in Auckland’s Rosedale. married and kids came along. They, of very well loved baking trays brought over
Melissa trained as a chef, both in New course, continued to take trips and rusks by Andries’ parents and using the home’s
Zealand and in South Africa. Eventually were always part of that – a snack along domestic oven in the kitchen.
she worked in Auckland’s SkyCity as a the way. The hub of the Protea Cakery – and
pastry chef. The Malherbe homestead was always Ruskalicious – is now the family garage.
While Melissa had the cooking creden- one with rusks in the pantry, and the Sparkling clean, it boasts a large commer-
tials, Andries was no slouch in the recipe and technique improved after cial oven, a massive island workspace, an
kitchen either. As one of four boys, when every batch. industrial mixer and custom-made bak-
the school holidays came around the tribe “We always had rusks in the house and ing trays based on the original ones An-
of young Malherbes would eat all day and people started to say that we should sell dries asked his parents to bring over from
empty the pantry. The solution to the them,” Melissa says. South Africa when they visited. Alongside
food problem was simple: the boys learnt With that seed of an idea combined the trays is a custom-made cutter, con-
to cook. with the pending loss of an income be- structed with tweaks to perfect the job.
“I was the only one who had the magic cause the second Malberbe offspring was Andries jokes the details of the cutter
page 16–are a trade secret – no photos. Andries and Melissa Malherbe are quite at home in
“It used to take 40 minutes to do the first bake with two trays their spotless garage kitchen, building their baking em
in the oven,” Andries says. pire with thousands of freshly packaged rusks every
week. FAR LEFT: Andries slides his just made rusk
“With our new oven, we can bake four trays in 20 minutes.”
dough into the oven. ABOVE: Andries and Melissa
That change quadrupled production capacity – 300 rusks in a check out the results after 20 minutes in the oven. TOP
batch. CENTRE: The beginning of the process in a huge mixer.
“Before we could only make 150 rusk pieces a night, now we CENTRE: Filling the custommade baking trays.
can do up to 900,” Andries explains.
The baking trays then come out of the oven, allowed to cool
for a few minutes before the contents are broken into what now
look like rusks. They are then sorted – ends and sides are sep-
arated to ensure good balance for packaging later – and every-
thing goes back into the oven on a low heat for three hours.
Distribution initially began through word of mouth, then shelf
space in a small number of shops was secured around New Zea-
land along with online sales.
Now production is improving – partly thanks to a little auto-
mation Andries has injected into the system – the focus is now
turning to market growth.
And, the Malherbes say, this growth is not just within in the
South African community. In one shop reports are coming back
to the couple that Kiwi-born customers are buying up the stocks.
“Many Kiwis don’t really know what rusks are and how to use
them, but once they’re shown and dunk them in their coffee for
the first time, they’re hooked,” Melissa says.
It’s partially this phenomenon the Malherbes hope will allow
them to turn their operation into an empire, especially with ad-
ditional baked goods they can add to the mix with Melissa’s pas-
try skills.
B
y leaving her teaching job, and drawing on her chef ex-
perience Melissa now has the capacity to spend more
time on developing new markets and exploring opportu-
nities for the couple’s fledgling family company.
“It’s scary but its exciting and it works in well with our family
and how we do things,” Melissa says as Andries looks around the
garage to see where his automation and engineering skills will
improve things further.
The couple’s perfected offerings can be found on
ruskalicious.co.nz
– page 17silhouette
A regular column, catching up with South Africans
who have made a mark in New Zealand.
PENNY
HULSE former rabble rouser, activist,
deputy mayor and South African
W
hen konnekt magazine home in the heart of Ngāti Porou territory right.”
reached out to former Auck- in Gisborne, on New Zealand’s east coast. Penny still loves South Africa though.
land deputy mayor Penny “It was quite a thing, going from an “I think of New Zealand as the sensible
Hulse with a plea to have a yarn, she ad- Afrikaans high school to another on the adopted parents. You can thank them for
mits she was a little sceptical. But she’s East Coast. The Pākehā kids wouldn’t talk their care and sensibility, but you still
made a habit of saying yes to things over to me,” Penny says. have your deep foundation somewhere
the years, so she didn’t need much con- That school was Edmund Campion Col- else, which means a lot.”
vincing. lege, a Catholic institution which had only And sometimes during her travels
After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, we recently merged with its sister girls’ around New Zealand, especially in the
ended up sipping coffee at a café in Auck- school, St Mary’s. summer, there are parts that Penny stum-
P
land’s Pt Chevalier. For those who don’t enny’s Afrikaans-ness in the rel- bles across that bring back the feel former
know, Pt Chev is considered city fringe atively sheltered and isolated East home.
(which is Auckland-speak for expensive), Coast, which seemed Afrikaner- “Hawkes Bay in the middle of summer
but it’s nearly West Auckland – and free in the 1970s when the family arrived, when the hills are the colour of lions’
Penny is a complete Westie. meant she was a bit of a social outcast. rumps, Central Otago and the big open
Before landing on Aotearoa shores she “Thank God for the Ngāti Porou hospi- spaces of Maniototo which becomes
was a South African growing up in the tality,” Penny says. “I fell in love with Gis- brown like straw.
Western Cape. So still a Westie – just borne and that town made moving to “Sometimes New Zealand is just too
with less Metallica and AC/DC probably. New Zealand much easier. I’ve never lost green.”
F
Penny’s pa Bob Goldstone was a Kiwi that feeling since.” ast forward a few years and Penny
who headed to South Africa for his OE In 1980 she went back to Cape Town was living on two-hectares of land
long before the concept of OEs were part for a few months and returned to New in West Auckland’s Swanson with a
of the culture here. But he had family in Zealand thinking of making a more per- husband and a couple of kids – about as
manent move to the home country. The west in West Auckland as you can go and
South Africa – New Zealand uncles who
following year, the 1981 New Zealand still have neighbours.
joined the British in the Boer War, fell in
Springbok tour happened and seeing This was a patch of paradise that Penny
love with the country and never left. They
some of anti-South African government wanted to protect, so when there was a
started safari operations rather than re-
sentiment here gave her pause. plan to put a dump in the hills nearby,
turning to their Canterbury roots.
“I realised going back
Like his uncles, Penny’s pa also
to South Africa, well,
couldn’t bring himself to leave. After join-
“
what was I going back
ing the South African Air Force, he saw
to? Was it about rec-
Hawkes Bay in the middle of summer
action in north Africa during WW2 and when the hills are the colour of lions’
reating the life that I
became a flying instructor. He met
Penny’s moeder, Paddy, in Johannesburg
had there before I left? rumps, Central Otago and the big
If I went back would it
and ultimately moved to Cape Town. It
be acceptance or legiti-
open spaces of Maniototo which be-
was from there, when Penny was 16 and comes brown like straw.
mising the government
attending Hoerskool Durbanville, the
there. That didn’t feel
family moved to New Zealand to build a
page 18–Auckland’s former deputy mayor Penny Hulse is still busy with local body politics after leaving the big table.
she wasn’t best pleased and got involved mayor Len Brown, this time for two terms She is also on the board of Kāinga Ora
in the community backlash. It was a fight between 2010 and 2016. (formerly Housing New Zealand), the
the neighbours lost, but a few years later “Waitākere didn’t want the supercity Auckland Museum and Aktive (a regional
when there were plans to extend the land- amalgamation, but it happened anyway. I sport body) as well as a trustee of the
fill operation, Penny led the fight against wanted the west to continue to have a Community Waitākere Trust. She re-
it and the first mediation under the new voice so stayed involved. I was the only ceived a gong from the Governor General
Resource Management Act more than 30 Westie on the new council.” in the 2020 New Year’s Honours –
years ago. This gave Penny a taste of what It was then Phil Goff became mayor appointed a Member of the New Zealand
it was like to work with the council and and opted for a new deputy. Penny did Order of Merit – for her services to local
experience success – the pushback led to her final term with the council as chair of government, which was nearly three dec-
the community getting half a million dol- the Environment and Community com- ades worth.
S
lars to spend on projects, the legacy of mittee which, given her Swanson dump o while she’s ‘retired’ from the big
which continues. They also effectively activism roots, was right up her ally. table, she has yet to stop. She ad-
A
stopped the extension. t the 2019 local body elections, mits this is because she probably
Now officially politically blooded, she Penny didn’t run for office again, says yes too much.
went in a little deeper when she stood for but she’s still hugely involved in Without much analysis, Penny says it’s
the Waitākere Community Board and, politics. Local Government Minister Na- likely her early South African years con-
soon after, the Waitākere City Council ul- naia Mahuta has launched a review of tributed to her political approach. She be-
timately becoming its deputy mayor for a local government which will consider how lieves it contributed to her pragmatism.
term. councils throughout New Zealand can do “I’m good at working with people,
I
n 2010 the Auckland supercity was better to maintain and improve the well- building bridges.
created and the seven city and district being of people in the communities they “In South Africa you see what binary
councils – including Waitākere, along serve. Penny is part of that panel. politics is and see the worst of what can
with the regional council, ceased to exist To reinforce that point, Penny was happen when things are like that, the
in favour of the omnipotent Auckland heading from her interview with konnekt worst of humanity. Looking at situations
Council. Once again Penny was in the to catch a plane to Wellington to continue like that you can also see better ways of
deputy mayor hotseat alongside its first that work. doing things.”
– page 19immigration
Still no reunion pathway for split families
Immigration advisor Katy Arm- scarce for even returning Kiwis and, One survey by The Fair Initiative
strong has had a gutsful. Katy says, little hope for split fam- of 2385 migrants, reported in Stuff,
One of the strongest New Zealand ilies who also have to content with claimed 82.4% have considered
voices in support of split families impenetrable and inconsistent rules moving to another country.
caused by immigration policies, bu- with visa applications. konnekt has asked Kris Faafoi a
reaucratic backlogs and no visible National immigration spokesper- series of questions about split fam-
decision-making, Katy describes the son Erica Stanford takes a similar ilies.
situation as “one big fat mess of un- stance telling konnekt that if these At the time of printing, the Minis-
fairness’ that’s not being addressed. issues aren’t resolved immediately, ter had not responded. konnekt will
The cost of which are thousands of New Zealand will suffer through the continue to follow discussion, debate
people across New Zealand, lured loss of skilled migrants who are al- and announcements related to re-
here with good paying jobs, who ready choosing to return home to unifying split families and will con-
haven’t seen their immediate fam- their families. tinue to ask the questions.
ilies for 18 months or more.
In July Immigration Minister Kris • What options are being consid immigration policy and various con
Faafoi wrote in response to an offi- ered in relation to broadening reuni siderations especially in this new
cial information request that he has fication settings? COVID19 world what priority has
“asked for advice on broadening • Who will these considerations been given to addressing split family
family reunification settings and this apply to in terms of their immigration concerns?
is under active consideration.” status? • How much weight is being put
This was in response to a question • What is the timeline on these on the risk of losing highly skilled mi
about what the reunification path- considerations? grants to their home countries be
way plan was give that there was • When will that timeline be sig cause they have been separated from
spare MIQ capacity at the time. nalled? their families with no understanding
Since then, there have been no an- • Within all the work going into of when it will be resolved?
nouncements, MIQ capacity is
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page 20–rivalry
When a South African Girl (SAG) and a Kiwi Boy (KB) get together,
the relationship probably isn’t going to be all moonbeams and
rainbows. Every month in konnekt they’ll go head-to-head writing
about the same thing and we’ll see how often they agree.
Infrequently, probably.
What he said
Often the SAG says that I should have a squiz at some show or
other on one of the various streaming services that we each sub-
scribe to.
Usually, her suggestions relate to some foreign language
movie or series either with subtitles or terrible dubbing in Eng-
lish – because dubbing is never good. It just looks wrong.
So, when she asked me to watch at least the first episode of
the doco-series Devilsdorp on Showmax, my eyes inadvertently
rolled at the other end of the phone.
Devilsdorp covers a series of chilling murders in South Af-
rica’s Krugersdorp and kicks off with events in 2016 before link-
ing to a number of even more bizarre killings four years earlier.
The four-part series is gruesome, bloody and the truth behind it
so very convoluted I’m not sure how anyone could tell the tale
effectively. What she said
I was hooked. Based on a book by Johannesburg journalist
Jana Marx who covered the trial of the people behind the mur- Reading what the KB said, I need to clarify. The SAG vs the
ders of 11 people, Devilsdorp was so expertly produced and ed- KB rivalry and potential survival of the fittest has become a bit
ited that it’s impossible to not want more at the conclusion of of a thing between us. We have a notepad with ‘wins’ recorded
each episode. The story is so unbelievable, it’s difficult to believe on it, which usually shows that I’m right most of the time. But it
it’s true. also demonstrates that while we have different ways of looking
For once, the SAG was right with her recommendation. It’s a at things some of the time, it’s a good balance when in my fa-
rare event, especially when her viewing habits and tastes don’t vour.
typically align with mine – and I’m being polite. When I saw a bit of the trailer of Devilsdorp, the main reason
Devilsdorp is truly a must watch. The fast pace of each epi- I told the KB I wanted him to watch it was to show him a little of
sode and its structure brilliantly wove together the components what it looked like where I grew up – not Krugersdorp, but simi-
that, by the end, created a complete story. lar looking in Mafeking.
If you haven’t subscribed to Showmax, Devilsdorp is the rea- The scenery brought back memories of growing up in South
son why you should. And tell your Kiwi mates to check it out too Africa at a time when it was ok to sling a chalkboard brush at an
– this is a story that’s compelling in any country. incoherent kid’s head and steamy cooked lunches were done at
The SAG has a checklist documenting when she is right vs granddad’s table, 12pm on a Sunday in the middle of summer
when I am – she’s winning at the moment, but she shouldn’t was a thing you did not dare to protest.
count her chickens. It was so refreshing to see a bit of brown land and sand in the
background of the new Showmax 4-episode series of Devilsdorp!
True crime documentaries are not my go-to, but this series
had me hooked from the beginning. In one night, I had to watch
it all and called the KB to nearly force him to watch just 10 mi-
nutes of one episode.
The way the story was told was not the normal (I want to say
American showbiz) way. It started off with one gruesome mur-
der, then the next, before the storyline unfolds to reveal lots of
twists and turns.
The series captures a very dark time for Krugersdorp, a ter-
rible ripple effect across many people – the result of bad life
choices. A sad emotion lingered for a few days after watching it
– thinking of the families and devastation of so many lives.
All said, a very sad story told very well and a great way of get-
ting the truth out.
– page 21saba A regular column dedicated to the
South African Business Assocation detailing its development,
growth and opportunities
Introducing the South African Business Association
When business is humming, everyone A little unity and peer support together They range from nationwide associations
benefits – the owner, customers, colleagues, with networking, assistance with promotion to those that encompass businesses in spe
and employees, even the wider community. and communication can lessen that load. cific areas.
You know your business better than anyone SABA provides a platform that offers valuable Regardless of scope, a business association
and everyone’s approach to running their connections and a window to your wares. provides many benefits to members includ
business is different, but some things are It means that being a part of a larger group ing communication, marketing, networking,
true for all. of likeminded individuals with a common education, advising, startup advice, connec
Owning or managing a business is hard ground, adding communication and support tion, advocacy, peer support, mentoring and
work. Owners and managers accept the re together with active members, you open up much more.
sponsibility that comes with success, the re space for growth. While SABA will have a national focus, its
sponsibility of the expectation created and Business associations are organisations form and function is designed to support
also learn that to start a business is easy but that bring together business owners from a business in a similar way to a community as
keeping it healthy is challenging. geographical area or group. sociation.
How SABA works What SABA offers
free for the remainder of 2021 its members
There are three levels of SABA mem with individual business listing infor ✓ General and specific promotion for
bership each offering different opportuni mation will be provided to members each all SABA members
ties for engagement Bronze, Silver and month. ✓ Promotional events to drive cus
Gold and an added casual membership In the next issue of konnekt we will tomers to member businesses
for those who are just testing the waters. highlight detail about the services pro ✓ SABA website front page business
From 2022, the first month for a newly vided to SABA members. card and information presence
paid member is free. However, there is a To give new members and potential ✓ Access to SABA’s website member
requirement to join for a minimum for members a taste of what SABA will offer, ship page with vital planning information
two months. This is so SABA can ensure a membership for the rest of this year is for business growth
high degree of transparency with data free. This provides an opportunity for ✓ Directory information with external
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Monitoring website traffic will assist SABA themselves along with contributing to its ✓ Directory printed business cards in
to better meet a business’ planning growth and structure.
konnekt
needs. Please go to southafricanba.co.nz for
✓ SABA social media Facebook revolv
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Category view per month on SABA website: ✓ Monthly updates on traffic, geo
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on ads
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digital performance ✓ Promotional products from SABA
will be a vital provision 40
that can be customised for members
for all SABA members.
20 Contact us on
w: www.southafricanba.co.nz
0 e: accounts@southafricanba.co.nz
AUG '21 SEPT '21 OCT '21 NOV '21
p: +64 (0)21 070 0880
Our South African Business Association purpose:
SABA is a bridge that expands the connection between South
African business and the potential New Zealand offers. It is a
vision shared by members providing an opportunity to work
together creating a more sustainable business community.
Together we do better
page 22–You can also read
