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"Footprints of a legend"

Best way to describe him

Foot prints of a legend is not just the name of one of the books he has written about his life and success, it is also a four words to use when trying to tell a story of his life. 

Charles Ngobeni is a well-known South African business man and pastor who has written books “Unlocking the success code and footprints of a legend”. 

Charles attributes his success to tithes and giving. Year after year he sends pastors-to-be to Bible colleges and sponsors pastors on a pilgrimage in Israel. He is a bubbly individual who has a passion to inspire others and make a difference not only in his life but also in the lives of others.

Background

Charles Ngobeni is an author, entrepreneur, talk show host, business coach, and a pastor was born in Mpumalanga at a place called Thulamahashi to parents Baloyi Elinah and Saigneth Gobson Ngobeni on the 10^th of June 1965. He holds a Secondary Teacher's Diploma (STD), a Science Education Diploma (SED), a BSc (Mathematical Sciences) degree from the University of Limpopo, as well as a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) with the University of the Witwatersrand (WBS). He did his Ministerial Training with the Rhema Bible College South Africa and was ordained as a pastor of Miracle Valley Churches in 2010. He is a well sought-after international speaker who conducts motivational seminars and speaks regularly in churches and conferences.

Charles currently runs a number of his own businesses which include Transportation, Mining, Wimpy Restaurants, Fuel Station, Skincare products, a Guesthouse and is a shareholder in a number of companies listed on the JSE. His companies have won several awards over the years in South Africa. He is also host of the talk show “Marketplace with Charles Ngobeni.” Charles attributes his success to tithing and giving.

Family Background:

Charles Ngobeni has been married twice and has 8 children whom he has had full custody of since they were still at a very young age.  He currently lives in Sandton Gauteng with all his children and runs his “Art of skin care” business from home. Throughout his years of hard work he has learnt how to balance his family life and being a big business man.

His success and achievements

His entrepreneurial journey started when he was in high school and an amateur cameraman. He has been learning since he embarked on it. Two years after releasing his autobiography titled Footprints Of A Legend (self-published), business mogul Charles Ngobeni is set to launch a new book, Unlocking the Success Code. In this new book, Ngobeni reveals the hidden code that unlocks the world of success. He further shares traits of successful people and uses the life truths that he has learnt from the word of God.

He believes the problem of many people that society refers to as “poor” is not a lack of money but ignorance. This entrepreneur, international business coach and pastor wanted to impart the knowledge gained from his wealth of experience to others.

Ngobeni is also a philanthropist and has over the years built his business empire across several industries which include transportation, seven Wimpy restaurants, fuel stations, a cosmetics company, a lodge and mining interests and is also a shareholder in a number of companies listed on the JSE. He hosts the MarketPlace with Charles Ngobeni, a weekly TV talk show that features men and women from all walks of life in a bid to install an entrepreneurial spirit in audiences across Africa and the world.

His achievements include:

• 2006/2007: Wimpy second top percentage growth
• 2007: Sasol franchisee of the year 2^nd position
• 2008: Business partners entrepreneur of the year finalist
• 2010: Wimpy legend, the highest form of honor within the Wimpy family
• 2014: Featured in many SABC radio stations including Munghana Lonene program named “ minkondzo yati ngwazi” ( footprints of a legend)
• 2014/2015: He has so far been featured in three South African national magazines and two newspapers as a successful franchisee.

Charles Ngobeni Coaching

The Charles Ngobeni Coaching Program (CNC) is an interactive coaching program designed to help you understand and apply the business success principles and concepts that are taught by the South African business tycoon Charles Ngobeni – the exact principles he has applied over the span of 34 years as the undisputed leader in the world of business (establishment, growth and sustainability).

His 6 strategies to help you overcome your fear of failure as a startup entrepreneur:

• ·         Redefine what it means to fail
• ·         Stop comparing yourself to others
• ·         Just keep going
• ·         Don’t focus on problems, find solutions
• ·         Stay positive
• ·         Start small and count your successes

Generosity

Charles Ngobeni is not only a business man swimming in wealth but he has been working with different churches by funding their projects like EThekwini Community Church by supporting the Centre of HOPE which takes care of people infected and affected by HIV. He has established himself as a true entrepreneur by faith and has become one of the few successful Black entrepreneurs not dependent on Government Tenders in South Africa. Yes, The Government has enabled him to be where he is through its enabling legal framework that repealed laws that prevented Black people from owning businesses.

Ngobeni’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs:

• Tough times never last, but tough people do.

• It is a dream for some people to eat at my restaurants. Make the customer’s experience a memorable one.

• Don’t go for the money, but for people. Find a need and meet it. Money will just be your reward.

“Authorities beat around the bush in bringing an end to State capture”

Government officials are seen as the leaders of the state, they are the people who are meant to steer the economy to the land of milk and honey for the benefit of all citizens. But once one of these leaders goes wrong, all the others are affected. In parables “one rotten apple spoils the whole bunch”.

It is the role of authorities to ensure that standards and protocols are followed by government officials and punishment is brought to people who didn’t stand by the duties and rules assigned to them.

Ever since news about state capture surfaced, the justice system has been beating around the bush than calling a spade a spade not a garden tool. Many investigations like the state capture report have been conducted yet the committers of state capture have been avoiding justice. This is mainly because the justice system (being members of parliament) are the actual puppets of the Gupta empire. Many discoveries that members of parliament are on the Gupta’s pay roll were made showing how much control this family had on the leaders of this economy at the expense of citizens.

Thousands gathered outside Union Building in Pretoria in support of the motion the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) stood for on the 2th of November 2016 after the state capture report had been released. In a statement given by EFF leader Julius Malema, The EFF demanded the former president Jacob Zuma and his NDPP Shaun Abrahams to step down with immediate effect as well as the Gupta family to be disconnected from all state contracts and leave South Africa immediately. Yet after all this, South African’s tears were swept under the rug of justice.

Jacob Zuma answered questions connecting him to state capture at the state capture debate at Cape Town Parliament in 2017. He went on to state the fact that even those that are the most corrupt stand to point fingers to others to say that they are corrupt, showing how much corruption is within government.

Despite the state capture report which showed his connection to the matter, the former president still went on denying having received any money during his presidency but the #GuptaLeaks suggested otherwise.

According to a report on “BIZ NEWS” Journalists at amaBhungane found that SARS officials were giving the Gupta family confidential information on tax investigations. Writing for the Daily Maverick, Constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos says there is enough in the #GuptaLeaks to prove the following:

• Several government ministers in particular Faith Muthambi, Mosebenzi Zwane, Lynne Brown, Malusi Gigaba have been captured by the Guptas.
• Several high ranking officials in state owned enterprises have been doing the bidding of the Guptas, helping them to extract billions of Rand from various state owned enterprises.
• The fact that boards have not suspended these officials provides further evidence that the boards of state owned enterprises support the capturing of the state by the Guptas and are willing to protect those involved in it.

Even after these findings, the president just conducted endless cabinet reshuffles to simply prolong their influence in capturing the state. These people were given high and important positions in government not because they were qualified but because of the purpose the Gupta family had for them.

“All Africa” says the damaging content revealing Gupta influence includes:

• One email showing that the Gupta family was given the Minister of Mineral Resources Mosebenzi Zwane’s CV, a month before he was appointed by President Zuma.
•    An email confirming that Minister Des van Rooyen, who was appointed by Zuma to replace Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene and removed after four days when the economy took a nose dive, had his trip to Dubai fully paid for by the Guptas.
•  Communication between former Communications Minister Faith Muthambi and the Guptas on government’s policy plans.

Instead of the South African authorities using these reports as information to confront the Gupta brothers which connected the Gupta family, Jacob Zuma and other government officials to state capture, there was still no justice because the Gupta family got their assets unfrozen and were able to get away with their crimes yet again. I think this is because other members of the ANC are afraid that he would expose their dirty corrupt linen for all to see, after he made threats to deal with them accordingly at a meeting and he repeated these threats when he appeared in court before he stepped down.

All these state capture reports and leaks as well as scandals show how much danger South Africa was in at the leadership of these people. The authorities took their time to prolong the case of state capture so that the family and its puppets could find a way of escaping the law.

Mnghana Lonene at Rhulani Secondary School in Soshanguve

Avicii's Sudden passing

“Blind rights day”

The 21st of March is a day which commemorates Human rights day, which is used to pay respect to all those who lost their lives in the fight for democracy. On this day in 1960 the Sharpeville Massacre happened. Police attacked a group of peaceful protesters in a town outside Johannesburg known as the Vaal area in Sharpeville.

The protesters were protesting against the oppression by the white government which made laws that kept black South Africans bound. Laws like the carrying of the dompas which was an identity document that was very heavy but black people had to carry it around as it determined where they were allowed to go and where they were allowed to live so failure to provide a dompas meant an immediate arrest. At the Sharpeville Massacre, 69 protesters were killed and around 180 were injured. After the Sharpeville Massacre in 1966 the UN declared 21 March International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

As we celebrate 52 years since the elimination of racial discrimination, we shed light to people who are blind in South Africa’s communities with the aim of creating blind awareness on our very own TUT Soshanguve campus. Most cases of people who are suffering from this terrible condition are often ignored, are not properly taken care of and are not given equal opportunities like every other human being.

Families who are from disadvantaged communities and are living with a person who is blind, don’t always see ways in which they can give their friend, brother, sister or cousin a better life and a better future. This is due to the lack of knowledge of opportunities which are aimed at empowering people who cannot not see. Blind SA, institute for the blind South Africa and the South African national council for the blind aims to Promote and facilitate the dignity and independence of blind and visually impaired South Africans.

As it is still the month of human rights let’s not exclude blind people from the rights which every South African has. They two have the right to education, health and freedom to express themselves or their views.

Not having a relative or friend that is visually impaired doesn’t mean we should ignore the people around us who are living with this disability. In this campus as well as our communities, we have and know a few people who are blind yet they are living a normal life like everyone else. It is because they are normal people like us and deserve as much respect. We can offer to help whenever we can but let’s make sure to remember that there is a difference between being generous and being offensively impolite.

We can help them by offering a helping hand when they are carrying something heavy, by offering a guiding arm, helping the person sit down if needed, help the person when they are taking the stairs and other ways we can think of to make their lives a little easier.

On Friday students took part in an initiative regarding blind awareness in our campuses at Soshanguve North campus, they experienced what a blind person goes through on a daily bases and realized the burden that a blind person has on their shoulders. After this they saw the need to not ignore a blind person but to help them instead. Let us learn to educate ourselves by empowering those that are suffering with a disability.

Being visually impaired

"Anti-xenophobia initiatives taking SA by storm"

By Accra Maweya            ntlhari.accra@Gmail.com

                                                                       photo by ireport.cnn.com

Apartheid was an ideology which was introduced in South Africa in 1948 by the national government. Apartheid  did not only separate development of the different racial groups in South Africa but it also resulted in the loss of lives of both young, old south African man, women and children who fought for freedom. During the apartheid era heroes and heroines like the late president Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo, Govan Mbeki, Ahmed Kathrada, Albert Lutuli, Ruth First, Albertina Sisulu and the list goes on, fought for the freedom we take for granted today.

The national party (NP) government made laws and forced different racial groups to live separately and develop separately while in the papers they made it look like they were striving for a better and equal life for all South Africans. These laws made it impossible for equality and development to happen for black people in townships and rural areas.

Laws like the population Registration Act of 1950 demanded that people should be registered according to their racial group just so the Department of Home affairs would have a record of people according to whether they were white, coloured, black, Indian or Asian. People would be treated differently because of their population group. The Group Areas Act of 1950 was the act that physically separated people by race. This act was also used to remove people of certain groups into areas set aside for their racial group.

photo by Amalia Svejgaard 

Now everyone in South Africa has freedom to speak to whoever they like, be in a relationship with anyone regardless of gender or race simply because of the rights emended in the bill. Although we have overcome apartheid and its laws, people in South Africa still find themselves victim of oppression and violation of the irrevocable rights that every human has. The issue of xenophobia is not one that is new or shocking in South Africa. Foreigners in Gauteng and other parts of the country find themselves victim of attacks by black people in townships and city centres. 

Between 2000 up until recently, many cases of these attacks have been reported and a march was started in February last year by south African citizens all because Nigerians are stereotyped for being drug lords, prostitute pimps and thugs in Pretoria CBD. They are mostly attacked by South African citizens because they claim that foreigners are taking their jobs and are over populating their city.

Over the past few years, non-governmental organizations and anti-xenophobic violence initiative were formed to help stop xenophobia in the country. aXaSA was formed by the South African Council of Churches with the aim of eradicating xenophobia in South Africa. AXaSA is a coordinating body that works on national scale by providing a shared technologically based infrastructure to help its member organisations work more effectively both individually and collectively. Its mission is to become a national initiative to increase civil society efforts to fight xenophobic violence, to bring organizations together to add value to their work. It will seek to create infrastructure and overarching systems for more effective responses; and co-ordinate proactive reactive strategies and actions to ensure a reduction in violent attacks.

As black people of South Africa we still feel the cracks of apartheid in our lives today but the fact that the same weapon which tore apart families and ended the lives of our loved once is still used to cause segregation between people in this country is heart-breaking. It has been 24 years since the abolishment of apartheid but we have forgotten too soon. Just as much as we wanted to feel equal and have a life that was not less than that which white people had, foreigners do want the same for themselves and their children. Regardless of their country of origin ,the same human rights that a south African black, coloured, Indian or white man has are the same for anyone living in this country.

The sooner we stand united as a country regardless of citizenship, race, gender or age we stand a better chance of creating the South Africa we want to live in and a South Africa which the blood of every victim of apartheid was shared for.

photo by Krugers News

“Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man”

“Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man”

Photos by HarperCollins publishers 

By Accra Maweya                ntlhari.accra@Gmail.com

Since this is my first book review, I decided to go for a book that has not only changed my view about relationships and intimacy but has also helped many women all around the world.

“Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man” is a book which was written by well-known Comedian, radio host, television host, producer, radio personality, actor and author. The book’s first edition was published in 2009 by HaperLuxe at the Unites States of America.The book describes for women Harvey's concept of what men really think about love, relationships, intimacy and commitment. For most women we tend to forget that our view or understanding of these concepts aren’t the same as our male species.

The differences between women and men are not only documented but they are often used as jokes. This is because people just want to see the funny part of our gender differences. Although they are sometimes funny, they can have serious impacts in a person’s life regardless of their gender.

 Experts have discovered that there are actually differences in the way women’s and men’s brains are structured and in the way they react to situations.This book has made these differences easier to understand by the way he showed the reader how we women think when it comes to relationships vs how men think about it. This book has made it easier for me to understand the man in my life. I remember spending time with my girlfriends and we would spend hours discussing the male specie and their thinking capacity which was very dull by the way.

We would go on for hours trying to advice each other about our relationships and the challenges we faced. The most asked question once one of our men pissed us off that we all had no answer to was “what was he thinking and why?”

I do not believe in soul mates or perfect connections from the beginning. All bonds take time to develop. Men are usually the ones who approach a women and it is very rare to find the game played opposite (a women approaching a man). Women forget the saying “first impressions last forever” Many times women just think about what they want to say and do. Steve Harvey’s book is good for helping women improve their surveying process by revealing to them some basic motives of men. It shows us whether a man sees a women as a keeper or just someone he can toy around with.

This book is aimed directly for a woman who truly wants a solid relationship but just can’t figure out how to get one and for those who are already in a relationship but are trying to figure out how to make it better, For a woman who is trying to forget everything she’s ever been taught about men (the myths, the heresy, everything her mother told her, everything her girlfriends told her including all the advice she read in magazines and seen on television).In the book he advices woman to stop heaping their own definition of love on men and recognize that men love differently.”          

This book clearly shows women that we don’t have to go into relationships with a blind fold over our eyes simply because of the tricks men play. We can know their tactics so we are able to identify a guy who is worth our time and a guy who just wants to play with our cake just to break our hearts in return.

 Although many men believe Steve sold them out on the book, it is not only based on women knowing more about a man’s mind, instead it for men as well. This book is for any person who is either dating and he/she is tired of being played with, a person who wants to get the ring and even people who have remarried and wish to gain control and sustain the bond in their marriage/ relationship. As a man the book can help you understand your partner’s mind.

He has gone as far as even making a feature film based on the book titled “Think Like a Man”. It was released by Sony Pictures' Screen Gems subsidiary on 20 April 2012 and this was when the book got noticed. He was an executive producer on the film and made a cameo appearance as himself.

                                                               

“Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man”

By Accra Maweya                   ntlhari.accra@Gmail.com

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man is a book which was written by well-known Comedian, radio host, television host, producer, radio personality, actor and author. The book’s first edition was published in 2009 by HaperLuxe at the Unites States of America.

Photo by Harper Collins publishers

The book describes for women Harvey's concept of what men really think about love, relationships,intimacy, and commitment. 

He quotes “Men can cheat because there are so many women willing to give themselves to a man who doesn’t belong to them.”

In his book he mentions that he realized the need for a book which is aimed directly for us woman who truly wants a solid relationship but just can’t figure out how to get one and for those who are already in a relationship but are trying to figure out how to make it better.

 For a woman who is trying to forget everything she’s ever been taught about men and the myths, the heresy, everything her mother told her, everything her girlfriends told her, all the advice she read in magazines and seen on television.In the book he advises woman to stop heaping their own definition of love on men and recognize that men love differently.”  

Photo by Harper Collins publishers

 He writes:

"If you’re dating and you want to find out how to take it to another level, this book is for you. If you’re in a committed relationship, and you want to get the ring, this book is for you. If you ‘remarried and you want to regain control and strengthen your bond, or if you’re tired of being played with, then I want you to use this book as a tool to take each of the principles, rules, and tips in this no-nonsense guide and use them to anticipate a man’s game plan, and to counter with an offense and defenses."

He has gone as far as even making a feature film based on the book titled “Think Like a Man”. It was released by Sony Pictures' Screen Gems subsidiary on 20 April 2012. He was an executive producer on the film and made a cameo appearance as himself.                                                                 

                                             

“Job creation a hoax or a promise?”

catoon: Mzansi memes

Accra Maweya          ntlhari.accra@gmail.com                      @ntlhari_accra

The issue of unemployment is not something new in South Africa, it has been a major challenge that government has been fighting to reduce for many years. In the past our fathers would have to leave their homes to Gauteng all in search for a better source of income to provide for their families at home. Back then employment wasn’t determined by your level of education but by the skills life has forced you to learn like hard labour.

South African president by SA people news

Since 1994 we have been raised to believe that education holds the key to success. In order to get a good job one needs to have gone to school or some form of qualification but the number of unemployed college and university graduates is hard to comprehend.

On the 19^th of February 2018, the newly elected president of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa gave his speech at the state of the nation address. He states that young people are already forming a greater proportion of the labour force on the infrastructure projects and are the primary beneficiaries of programmes such as the installation of solar water heaters and the war on leaks.

He said the government will be working in partnership with business, organised labour and community representatives to creating opportunities for young people to be exposed to the world of work through internships, apprenticeships, mentorship and entrepreneurship to draw young people in far greater numbers into productive economic activity through programmes such as the Employment Tax Incentive.

photo: SA people news

In March the government will launch the” Youth Employment Service initiative which will place unemployed youth in paid internships in companies across the economy. The government aims to create a million such internships in the next three years.

The news of a more sustainable plan to create jobs for the youth and other empowerment programs aimed at the youth were received positively by majority of the youth in South Africa. People expressed their joy all over social media from the time Cyril Ramaphosa won the ANC presidency elections in December last year to when the former South African president Jacob Zuma announced his resignation on valentines day.

Oratile mhlongo says “he thinks Cyril Ramaphosa will bring change to the economy, he will be able to create and govern better because he is already a good business man.”

Although the news brought joy to some, there are still a few people who are not anti- Cyril but they simply don’t think much will change about government.

“Many presidents have been preaching of job creation yet there are still not enough jobs in South Africa but we hope for the best” says kagiso Mashilo.

photo: SA people news