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Men's Health Magazine Articles
The
Rape of The Stock (edited)
Best Life Special Report,
October 2008
Since being denied his favourite
fish at a local seafood restaurant, one outraged consumer embarks
on a journey to explore what is going in our oceans - and what this
means for you.
“I’m sorry, sir,”
the waiter said with a shake of his head. “We’re out of
kingklip.” My mouth fell open. “What?”
I was at my local seafood spot, Hout Bay’s Dunes restaurant,
and had interrupted the waiter’s recital of the specials to
order my hometown favourite: a succulent portion of Genypterus capensis,
aka kingklip, grilled with lemon butter.
“There’s been a shortage,” the waiter continued.
“Kingklip isn’t on the menu.”
Damn! I’d heard about “overfishing” and “dwindling
stocks” so was vaguely aware there was something fishy going
on in our seas. But in all my years of eating kingklip never been
denied it. What had happened to this species always thought was teeming
in the ocean?
At a braai a few days later, I mention my experience to a friend,
Grant Spooner, a recreational fisherman. He whistles softly and lowers
a spade-like hand below his knee. “I’ve been catching
fish since was that big. I started in Gordon’s Bay catching
harders and then white steenbras. But now white steenbras is five
percent of what it should be on our coastline.”
According to Spooner, illegal fishing methods, fuelled by greed, are
factors in the decline of all fish stocks. This counts both internationally,
especially in the North Atlantic where once abundant species such
as halibut and cod have collapsed, as well as in our waters, where
many species are under threat or overexploited.
The authorities introduced quotas, but dodgy fishermen have found
a way around that by dumping smaller fish in favour of more lucrative
larger ones. Apart from wasting many fish (especially the deep-sea
species, which are usually returned to the ocean dead), this dumping
has the added negative effect of not being recorded on the fishing
quota.
The compound effect of this is that unscrupulous fishermen can still
fulfil their permit conditions and remove an equivalent amount of
fish from the sea, effectively doubling their impact on the resource.
Spooner has watched uncaring fishermen dump bycatch species, catch
endangered fish, shellfish and crustaceans, fin sharks, shoot seals
and birds, and pollute the ocean.
That’s over and above allegations of false recording of catches
and ineffective policing by our coastal authority, Marine and Coastal
Management (MCM). It’s no wonder the ocean is in such a mess.
These are all major problems that adversely affect ocean food chains
and the long-term sustainability of ocean resources. “We’ve
played with those ecosystems to a point where we have totally disrupted
them,” says Spooner.
At the root of the problem, adds Spooner, is the world’s increasing
appetite for seafood. After all, these fishermen are not raiding the
ocean’s bounty for themselves alone. The health benefits of
seafood have resulted in the shortages of fish stocks. “Look
at how fashionable it has become with sushi,” says Grant. “It’s
become cool to eat fish.” And even though our fish is under
threat, we dunk our sashimi in soy sauce at alarming rates.
FISH FRAUD
Quenton Spickernel plates up the Catch of the Day at Dunes, gives
instructions to his sous-chef and carries the fish to the table. It
isn’t kingklip, but it will do. Tastes will change. They have
to. No one knows that better than Spickernel, Dunes’ manager.
Across the bay, a fleet of fully laden fishing boats chug home into
the harbour. “I’ve seen our indigenous stocks decreasing
at an alarming rate,” he says. More than three decades spent
in the ocean as a fisherman, diver and purveying seafood have led
Spickernel to become deeply concerned about the state of southern
Africa’s fish resources.
“People don’t understand how plentiful these stocks once
were. All your reef and bank species like grunter and seventy-four,
musselcrackers, romans and stumps, all of those are gone; well, not
gone, but threatened, and now the same thing is happening with your
core restaurant-listed items: kob, Cape salmon and kingklip.”
When it came to why the kingklip didn’t land on my plate, Spickernel
says kingklip was taken off the menu partly because of economics,
as scarcity had pushed up the cost (“We used to pay R50 a kilo
for kingklip, now it’s more than doubled”), but also out
of a moral duty. Dunes, which goes through up to 50kg of fish a day,
felt they had to help reduce demand for this and other exploited local
fish species.
It’s one of the few fish restaurants to join the Southern African
Sustainable Seafood Initiative (Sassi), which has launched a red-orange-green
fish campaign to educate consumers and sellers of fish. Fish on the
red list are illegal, fish on the orange list are best avoided and
fish on the green list can be eaten at will. SASSI hopes to create
an army of informed consumers, wielding pocket guides distinguishing
between green, orange and red.
2002 Sassi study found that 92 percent of seafood outlets in KZN contravened
at least one aspect of our Marine Living Resources Act. These were
mainly focused on trading in red-listed or undersized fish, but also
touched on duplicity.
According to Spickernel, many seafood outlets dupe their customers
into assuming they are consuming one fish species when they are eating
another. “They’ll take blue fish trawled out of Saldanha
and call it musselcracker.”
Jaco Barendse is a passionate environmentalist
and Sassi researcher, who I met in the coffee shop at the Two Oceans
Aquarium, says that a small – but significant – group
of dishonest operators among the hundreds of seafood outlets countrywide
con their customers.
“They think consumers don’t know any better. The ‘local’
kingklip we think we’re eating is more often than not ling or
cusk eel, shipped in from Argentina or New Zealand.” Closely
related to kingklip, these species are virtual gastronomic doppelgangers
to the genuine article and, as they are imported cheaper than it costs
to obtain domestic kingklip, are sold at a higher profit.
According to Sassi credo, this fraud exerts unnecessary consumer pressure
on overexploited species, as in the case of kingklip; even though
they’re caught legally (mainly as a bycatch by deep-sea trawlers
and longliners), the true status of these stocks is masked from an
unsuspecting public. Understandably, we then still think they are
more plentiful than they really are. “Which,” adds Barendse,
“kind of undermines what we’re doing.”
And if selling goldfish as marlin to an unsuspecting public wasn’t
enough, Barendse reveals that over 100 SA fish stocks are in serious
jeopardy. Linefish, caught commercially or by SA’s 500 000 recreational
fishermen, form the majority of the most exploited or depleted stocks
on the Sassi danger lists.
Seventy-four is the prime example of a red-listed fish stock that
has recently collapsed. A favourite in seafood curries, this fish
once made up 70 percent of the total catch in KZN. In 1910, more than
1 000 tons a year were landed, but by 1997 the total reported catch
had plummeted to 1.4 tons a year. A decade on, seventy-four has barely
recovered and is still illegal to catch.
Barendse warns that kob (kabeljou) is under immense pressure. “Silver
and dusky kob are below five percent of their historical breeding
stock, which is a crisis.”
The catch rates of many of South Africa’s commercial stocks
have declined over the years. The numbers don’t lie. Even our
most plentiful marine resource, the fast-breeding hake stockfish,
has been reduced from a catch of more than a million tons a year in
the Seventies, to 165 tons in the Nineties, which has further decreased
by an average of 10 percent a year for the last few years.
Kingklip is not in as much peril as the orange-listed kob, but uncertainty
regarding the numbers of its stocks has necessitated a cautionary
approach to its fishery. Says Barendse: “The total allowable
catch for kingklip as a bycatch is 3 500 tons a year compared to hake,
which is 130 000 tons, so it’s unrealistic to think that kingklip
can be in every restaurant.”
Kingklip wasn’t always so scarce. Sea Harvest trawler skipper,
Louis Coetzee, a stocky, silver-haired fisherman with fading seaman’s
tattoos on his forearms, has spent more than 40 years over the horizon.
On his company’s bustling wharf in Saldanha on the West Coast,
he remembers how kingklip was once so plentiful it often filled up
the entire deck of his boat. “Then they allowed the longliners
to come in, which was a disaster,” he groans.
Traditionally the preserve of hake trawlers, who had always caught
kingklip as an unrestricted incidental bycatch in their nets over
“soft” sandy seabed in the early to mid-Eighties, longliners
were permitted by then marine management authority Sea Fisheries (later
MCM) to start casting their multiple-hooked lines for kingklip. Within
a few years, the catch rates of kingklip dropped dramatically.
“Longline fishing was new to South Africa and skippers had motivated
for a trial period on utilising longline fishing for hake,”
explains Dave Japp of fisheries consultancy Capfish. “But when
they found they could catch kingklip quite quickly, the whole emphasis
moved onto kingklip. Then [in 1989] we realised it was more than likely
going to damage the stock, so the fishery was stopped.”
Apart from affecting a sharp decline in kingklip, this “experiment”
contributed to the animosity between longliners and trawlers. And
this feud continues to fester, since longliners were again allowed
to catch hake along with a bycatch quota of kingklip in the Nineties.
If you speak to trawl skippers like Coetzee, it’s the longliners
who are causing the most damage to fish stocks, some by illegally
targeting bycatch species such as kingklip. You’ll also hear
how longliners, who are able to fish over “hard” or rocky
ground (where kingklip congregate) and soft ground, impinge on traditional
trawl grounds and drag their lines through trawl nets, destroying
them.
Josie Fransico, a longline skipper with four decades of fishing to
his name, is vociferous in his rage towards trawlers and the big fishing
companies they supply, which, he claims, are out to ruin longliners,
who are mostly small, independent operators.
He accuses trawlers of ruining longlines by dragging their nets across
them and says trawlers are illegally targeting overexploited bycatch
species. “They are working on hard bottom, they are working
on semi-bottom, they go over your gear, they trawl anywhere.”
Overseas vessels aggravate the problem. “They’ve got a
couple of foreign trawlers coming here and destroying the bycatch,”
he says. In 1977, SA declared a 200 nautical mile exclusive economic
zone and banned foreign boats. Overseas fleets have intruded illegally
since then, but most are Spanish trawlers who have entered into joint
agreements with fishermen and companies, many of them empowerment
quota holders who don’t own vessels. These foreign boats, accused
of the most wicked fishing practices, are then “re-flagged”
South African to get around our marine law.
At Capfish HQ, Japp remains neutral. While there are questionable
practices on both sides, the biggest issue is the compound effect
of having so many people fishing a finite resource.
The pressure of political transformation to more evenly distribute
our marine resources among the fishing industry, subsistence fishers
and hobbyists, means there is a huge demand for commercial and recreational
fishing permits, while at the same time MCM struggles to police our
3 000km coastline.
Once only a handful of operators plied their trade in hake fishery;
now there are hundreds. “The pressure comes onto the spawning
stock. The fish can’t spawn properly, they can’t breed,
and you can’t get your recovery,” explains Japp.
Despite improvements in technology, the setting of limits and assessments
of all fish stock is an “inexact science”. ocean is a
vast three-dimensional entity and most independent assessments are
at best a close guesstimate.
Regarding the actual status of stock such as hake and kingklip, many
feel environmental factors also play a role and that recent declines
are less to do with the fisheries and more to do with global warming,
which, some experts believe, has affected ocean currents, causing
many fish in the food chain to move away from their traditional grounds
to find food.
CAST THE NET WIDER
Added to all of this is economic pressure. As the cost of fishing
increases, so does the price of all fish products. This is compounded
by the fact that most of our hake and much of our trawled kingklip
is exported, further affecting their spread locally. Like our fruit
and wine, these products fetch a higher price on the international
market, which affects its price and availability at home. “If
you had 10 000 tons of good quality hake and the best money is the
Spanish market, you’re going to sell [to the Spanish],”
says Japp.
Spickernel believes many restaurants lack imagination when it comes
to promoting more plentiful, if less well-known, species. “The
chefs are still stuck in a rut of offering the same three species
when we’ve got access to 30 or 40 different species. You’d
think all chefs would key into this because it represents variety
and different cooking techniques, but it’s just the same old
kob, Cape salmon, kingklip, lemon butter sauce, klaar!” Fish
eaters should be more adventurous, he says. “It’s demand,
and demand is going to cripple these stocks.”
But the tide is turning. There have been thousands of responses to
Sassi’s SMS service, which indicates public awareness is on
the increase. Many retailers and restaurants are refusing to trade
in red-listed fish.
Chris Kasten of Robberg Seafoods, one of the few independent retailers
signed up with Sassi, says: “US scientist once said people will
go into a fish store and even if they see red-list species, they don’t
seem too concerned, but if they go into a butchery and see tiger chops
or rhino steaks they’ll do something about it. You can’t
expect people to make choices without information. You have to take
a role in influencing consumer trends, as it will also have an impact
on the longevity of your business.”
If nothing else, like the ocean itself, the complexities of not only
our local but international fisheries are myriad, as are the challenges
facing the human race when it comes to preserving the world’s
fish stocks.
The next time go into a seafood restaurant, I’ll take the Sassi
list. I’ve come to realise that it’s the consumers who
really hold the power; one by one, we have to take responsibility
to ensure our local fish stocks survive.
Sidebar: Become an Empowered Fish
Consumer
Find out more about our fish stocks and which species are on Sassi’s
green, orange and red lists (panda.org.za/sassi). Keep the guide in
your wallet.
Spread awareness among your family and friends and local restaurants.
Eat more fish on the green list and less on the orange, which will
reduce demand on overexploited stocks. Never eat red-listed fish.
Assume your rights as a consumer and ask restaurant managers if the
seafood is actually what they claim it is and where it came from.
If you suspect restaurants/retailers of questionable practices, use
Sassi’s “FishMS” SMS service (079 499 8795) to find
out if their fish is legit.
Report any exploitation of marine resources to MCM on its anonymous
hotline: 0800 116 110.
Become a fish reservist. MCM is developing a programme to take on
honorary fishery patrol officers (similar to police reservists) as
extra eyes and ears in its fight against poachers and other transgressors
of marine law. Contact MCM on 0861 123 626 for more information.
Contribute funds to the WWF or similar organisations to help with
the quest to preserve our fish stocks for future generations.
Sidebar: The Kingklip “Chain
of Custody”
Kingklip is primarily landed as an “incidental bycatch”
of the SA “demersal” (bottom dwelling) targeted hake fishery.
Participants in these fisheries require a permit of total allowable
catch (TAC) quota.
For kingklip, this is usually about three to five percent of the hake
TAC, within a current total sector bycatch limit of 3 500 tons. Hake
and kingklip are mostly trawled, while 10 percent are caught by longline.
Some large trawl companies have factory vessels that process, package
and freeze their catch at sea. But on the smaller “wetfish”
trawlers and longline vessels, fresh hake, kingklip and other valuable
quota bycatch reach the shore on ice, where they are then offloaded
for processing at shore-based factories and distributed to markets.
The bigger fisheries own their own fleets and despatch this fish within
their internal networks.
The fish is then either vacuum-packed in fillet form and packaged
for local supermarkets or for the export market, and to a lesser degree
sold on to independent retailers and restaurants. Some trawlers and
longliners sell their catch on to the big companies or to retailers,
and some have their own retail outlets and sell their catch themselves.
This is how most “fresh” fish finds its way to local fishmongers
and restaurants.
Depending on availability, at the first point of sale kingklip can
fetch anywhere from R30/kg from the independent boats through the
middlemen to R65/kg. It then climbs to between R90/kg and R180/kg
in subsequent retail outlets and supermarkets. Once it’s on
your plate, kingklip can then fetch up to R200/kg, depending on the
restaurant.
Copyright Miles Masterson Media
2009 click here for menu
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Spa Me A Moment: You don’t
need it you want it – The Thermal Spa/Jacuzzi
Mens Health Living July 2008
For some, the concept of a Jacuzzi might conjure images of a
cheesy soft-porn film set. The clichéd use of the effervescent,
swirling hot water tub, is in many ways is the ultimate instrument
for the nefarious art of sexual seduction.
But being the proud owner of a Jacuzzi is not all about things
carnal, as, like its steamy cousin the sauna, the positives of
hydrotherapy have been known for centuries. The health benefits
of Jacuzzis add weight to the cause for getting one - be they
for convincing oneself, or a sceptical partner or bank manager.
Firstly, the soothing effects of a hot bath are much augmented
in a Jacuzzi. The massaging effects of the circulating, bubbly
water – stimulating nerve endings just beneath the skin
and aiding circulation - will literally wash your stress away
after a long day.
Many people also use them to detox or to relax muscles after a
workout. Thermal spas are also used to relieve chronic pain. Indeed,
an Italian-American, Candido Jacuzzi, invented the water pump
system to make life easier for his son, who suffered from rheumatoid
arthritis.
All true Jacuzzis pumps thus carry an official US trademark, hence
the word usually being spelt with a capital “J”. In
South Africa, similar home thermal baths are thus referred to
as “Spa Baths”.
As far as what kind of spa bath to install and how many jets one
requires, are matter of personal taste, as is the size of the
spa. Logic goes against installing a large spa (anything from
a four to 10 seater) on anywhere but the ground floor, although
there are many models of spa around the same size as a conventional
bath, which can be fitted in almost any bathroom. Indoor spas
require at least one small window for ventilation.
Ideally, spas are fitted outdoors, especially if they are to be
used for entertainment or families. The spas themselves are made
from various plastics, and can be sunken or free standing, surrounded
by wood, resin or tiles. They can be customised or bought in kit
form and installed DIY. Small pools made from suitably heat-resistant
material can also be converted into spas.
Finally, whilst some experts advise those with heart conditions
to check with a physician before entering – or installing
– a home spa bath, as the warmth can cause problems. Otherwise,
just make sure you don’t turn the heat up too much –
unless that is what you and the person you have enticed into your
spa are after…
Prices range from R15000 to R25000 for thermal spas and around
R12000 to R16000 for second-hand spas (although experts advise
against the latter).
Check out www.penguinpools.co.za or www.paradisespa.co.za for
more info.
Copyright Miles Masterson Media 2008 click
here for menu
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Private Property Sales
Mens Health Living April 2007
Following the success of burgeoning private rental market, selling
your home online - without utilising the services of an estate
agent - is becoming increasingly popular, and for good reason.
Take the case of Greg Jones for example. He and his new wife Fiona
decided to move from Cape Town to Durban. They found a lovely
property there, crunched the numbers and went for it, placing
their suburban home on a sole mandate with a local agent, whilst
simultaneously putting in an offer on the new place. Bad mistake.
Unknown to them, their neighbour wanted to add another property
to his portfolio and only realised they were selling next door
when he saw the for sale sign. He immediately spoke to them and
one quick negotiation later, agreed the price was reasonable and
put in an offer. Greg then went to the estate agent to try to
cancel the sole mandate before the ink was even dry. No luck.
He contacted a lawyer who told him the same thing. He had signed
the dotted line and now there was no turning back. He pleaded
his case to the agent again, appealing to her sense of fairness,
which, understandably, turned out to be non-existent.
In the meantime, Greg and Fiona found out their offer on the new
home near the sea in KZN had been accepted, but they had to make
a snappy decision or they would lose the chance to purchase, as
there were many more interested would-be buyers. Under pressure,
Greg had to make a call or wait until the mandate expired and
probably lose the option on the new place, and so he relented
and the agent processed their neighbour’s purchase, which
understandably hurt. “The estate agent made R90 000 for
doing NOTHING,” says the now much-wiser Greg. “But
now I’ve learned my lesson and I will never use an agent,
much less sign up for a sole mandate again.”
Whilst this story illustrates the disadvantages of using an agent,
had the neighbour not been interested and the agent found a buyer
within a week or two – and had he been able to still purchase
his new home - Greg’s attitude would probably be different.
So, is not using an agent really the better option? Thousands
of residential property sellers around the world would answer
a resounding yes to that question. Why? Well it’s mostly
money, let’s be honest. Recent independent research in the
US has shown that there is no difference in the amount sellers
of residential properties obtained for their homes, when compared
to those who used agents. Indeed, in many cases it was shown that
the “owner-seller” actually received more for their
property when they sold by themselves. So once you consider the
average of 5 to 7% commission agents typically charge on the selling
amount of a private sale (with trusts etc. this can be up to 10%),
you could stand to make a considerable additional savings potential.
Of course the US National Association of Realtors disputes this,
citing their own conflicting researched data, as no doubt do agents
everywhere (no formal research has been done in SA, where the
concept is still quite new), and the debate continues.
But the fact remains that more people are feeling that estate
agent commissions are exorbitant and realising that there is a
potential for major savings if they go it alone. Moreover, some
less-reputable agents will present you with buyers who have not
yet qualified for a bond, and in doing so drag out the sales process
unnecessarily, sometimes wasting the seller’s time as the
deal then eventually falls through (although the recent National
Credit Act has gone someway to prevent this practice). The habit
of a few of these corrupt estate steering sellers towards a low
offer made by someone in cahoots with them (pretending to be an
independent buyer), is another reason to mistrust agents.
So how do you potentially earn more (and of course avoid the above
potential pitfalls) by becoming a successful “owner-seller”?
The two most effective options here are either going the online
or auction routes. There are a number of websites in South Africa
that facilitate this process, and whilst auctioning of commercial
real estate has been happening for some time, the auctioning of
residential properties that are not part of some liquidation has
also become increasingly popular in recent years (and will be
the subject of a future MHL feature).
Independent sellers can register online for free at sites such
as www.onlineshopping.co.za/property and in doing so can have
their property exposed to scores of potential registered buyers,
sometimes even further through a network of affiliated websites.
Sites such as www.noagent.co.za can even help you find a bond
for your next purchase and in doing so will waiver registration
fees. Or for a small extra fee (a fraction of the potential commission
regardless) you can sign up for a few additional options. Part
of this arrangement can include a mini webpage listing containing
up to eight photographs of the house for sale, as well as all
relevant details. As many sales are still made this way, sites
such as noagent.co.za also recommend running an open show house
in addition to the web pages though, as they concede this combination
remains one of the best ways to sell your home (and they even
provide small signs pointing the way through the neighbourhood
to your home at a nominal fee). Used in conjunction with your
Internet posting, says noagent.co.za director Ian Ward, you should
sell your house as fast if not faster than if you had used a registered
agent. That’s not to say these sites don’t offer all
the services a real life agent might. Included in your registration
fee is the offer to purchase document that must be completed when
once a serious offer is made on your property, advice on how to
run a show house, and the services of attorneys – who they
state will handle the legal aspects of the sale at no additional
cost to the seller (although you will still have to pay the registration
and transfer fees).
Another area these sites are helpful is in valuation. Different
to the municipal valuations, the true “market value”
is defined as the most likely price that an informed purchaser
will pay a seller in a normal open market transaction (voetstoot,
within a reasonable amount of time since the latest valuation).
Most of us have a rough idea of how much our property is worth,
but probably don’t know exactly what the real market value
actually is. The risk of overvaluing the sale price of a property
is that it could dissuade potential buyers, who might have immediately
made an offer at a more realistic price. And should a property
sit on the market for too long (what in property industry parlance
is referred to as “stale”), this also may put off
further potential purchasers, as they will wonder what is wrong
with it and why it hasn’t been sold yet.
Options available to independent sellers include online automatic
valuation models (ARVs) and market related property valuations
(MRVPs). The advantage of the former is of course the lesser cost
(noagent.co.za charge R200, for example) than the latter and the
speed. The disadvantage of ARVs (also known as Desktop Valuations)
though, is that many in the real estate industry feel these valuations
are not always accurate i.e., a rundown house in an expensive
neighbourhood might be overpriced, and on the flipside, a well-renovated
place in less desirable location might be underpriced, using these
computer models. Independent valuations of residential homes can
be done using a personal on-site assessment as well as taking
into account other variables, (location, demand etc.) and although
these are largely considered more accurate, they do cost more.
Noagent.co.za charge R400 for this service, a valuation on a property
worth R500 000 will cost you R850 from SA Home Loans and some
valuations can go up to R1500 depending on the circumstances,
such as location and what additional services the valuation company
offers. For R34.00 www.privateproperty also offer access to the
SPI (sold property index), a reliable report that shows what has
been sold in a particular area, street or complex within a specified
timeframe, what the sale prices were, who the owners are and whether
the properties are bonded.
Of course, once your home has been valued and placed online, then
apart from hosting the (optional) show days if you want to, your
work is done and you can kick back and wait for referrals, which
similar to the rental market, you have to deal with on your own.
“If you have the time to deal with potential buyers then
I would recommend it,” says Sam van Dijk of Cape Town, who
placed her small Southern Suburbs flat privateproperty.co.za recently
and saved R18000 on the commission. “If you are young and
inexperienced like I was, the negotiating part can be a bit intimidating;
but all in all, the sale went smoothly and didn't cost anything
more than the registration fee.”
For some, using a real life estate agent still has its advantages,
particularly for those who don’t have the time to deal with
the above admin or hosting show days. Plus you may also be one
of those people who feel that the human element and trained sales
expertise provided by a reputable realtor is more of a guarantee,
and is thus worth the commission they ask for this service.
For the rest of us who don’t agree, it’s at least
comforting to know there are other options to explore, before
we sign our soul over to their mandate.
Leads:
www.noagent.co.za
www.privateproperty.co.za
www.sundaytimesproperty.co.za
www.ananzi.co.za
www.cyberprop.com
www.real-estate-south-africa.com
www.cellproperty.co.za
www.onlineshopping.co.za
Sidebar: Selling Your House Online
1.Choose a reputable website and register your property.
2.Determine a reasonable selling price.
3.Finalise your property’s web page, complete with photos.
4.Host open days and deal with prospective referrals.
5.Close the sale and process the relevant documents.
6.Hand over the keys to the new owner.
7.Treat yourself to something nice with the commission saved.
Sidebar: Five Ways The New Credit Act Affects House Buyers
1.Expect applications for loans to take longer as banks learn
to deal with the new processes, and through them determine whether
you are creditworthy.
2.Make sure you have all the right paperwork and try to calculate
whether you will qualify for the loan amount required beforehand,
or you will be wasting everyone’s time.
3.If you have a poor credit profile you will be deemed to have
a higher credit risk, and could expect a higher interest rate
in order to qualify for a property or home loan.
4.The criteria for credit have been tightened so be prepared for
rejection (you are of course free to try further banking institutions).
5.You are no longer obliged to take out your bank’s own
insurance cover to qualify for a home loan, and can now shop around
for a cheaper option.
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MHBL Herbal Supplement
Feature Sidebar Nov 2007
The Debate Surrounding Herbal Supplements
Aside from the myriad of vitamins and other generic and branded
dietary supplements available, there are also many natural “herbal”
options, usually taken in pill form, or as tinctures or teas.
Extracted from various plant components, these can be rich in
vitamins, minerals, bioflavonoids, amino acids, and other active
plant ingredients.
“Herbal remedies can enhance and improve your health when
taken in the right dosages at the right time and for the correct
duration, to properly treat specific ailments,” says Joburg-based
Dr Arien van der Merwe, medical doctor, author and specialist
in natural medicine. “They can have medicinal, aromatic
or culinary properties and herbs that fulfil all three (e.g. rosemary,
thyme, garlic, ginger etc.), can be used freely to enhance food
and health in the home.”
Moreover, many such supplements, such as Devil’s Claw, a
herb indigenous to Southern Africa and discovered by the Khoi
people long before the West adopted it, have for example been
proven to be affective through research overseas. The universities
of Toronto, Sydney, Frieberg in Germany and Maryland in the US,
jointly concluded that there is good evidence that Devil’s
Claw is suitable for the treatment of osteoarthritis and chronic
lower back pain.
However, there is a dearth of scientific evidence to support the
claims of the health benefits for many other herbal supplements.
Case in point, international studies on the benefits of Buchu,
another herb found locally and reported to assist in ailments
from bladder problems to colds and flu, have been inconclusive
at best. Indeed, some researchers have found there is no direct
evidence that ingesting regular dosages of this herb is at all
beneficial, and in some cases, such as Buchu apparently containing
toxic constituents, claim it can actually be detrimental to one’s
health.
Other herbal remedies are subject to conflicting results. Gingko,
for example is purported to improve blood flow, and thus nutrient
supply to the brain and extremities, enhancing brainpower and
helping with impotence. A 2003 study at UCLA in the US did show
that middle-aged subjects who took Gingko showed improved recall
and brain function, but other similar studies dispute the claim
that the herb improves mental capacity, blood flow or sexual performance.
Whilst there has been a fair bit of investigation into the properties
of herbs as supplements internationally, not a lot of research
has been conducted on these supplements in South Africa (and most
of it by PHD students in labs and on animals and not humans),
says Dr Roy Jobson, MD and Associate Professor of Pharmacology
in the Faculty of Pharmacy at Rhodes University. Thus there is
much debate in medical circles as to the effectiveness of many
of these supplements, which are known academically as “complementary
medicines”. “Part of the problem is that people are
not monitoring the side effects,” adds Dr Robson,”
and it is actually a huge issue at the moment.”
It is thus with good reason that Dr. van Merwe warns: “Herbs
with only medicinal properties, for example St John’s Wort,
should be taken under supervision of a knowledgeable health practitioner,
and also in the place of medicine, not together with prescription
drugs. It is also important to have a correct diagnosis made,
and not to self treat before you really know what’s ailing
you.”
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