Hunk tops rhino in WWF fundraiser bids
I spent another long night with Donovan Goliath at the other event I attended for this week’s column. But this time around, the Mthatha-born comedian teamed up with Nomzamo Mbatha’s ex to fetch the highest bid in a charity auction. The event? The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) 50th anniversary gala dinner, held at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton last Saturday.
Sipping on champers before heading into the hotel’s ballroom, I spot Valli Moosa in deep conversation with two men who, unlike the former tourism and environmental affairs minister, had stuck to the night’s black-tie dress code.
“That’s a very nice tie,” said Mark Read of the Everard Read Gallery, pointing to Valli’s red neckwear.
“Yes, it’s like an old schoolboy’s tie,” chipped in Mike Brown, the Nedbank CEO.
Ball gowns abounded, worn by Xandra Alexander, who bought hers from Bride&Co, and Catherine Constantinides, who shared compère responsibilities with Donovan.
“This is a huge honour for me,” said Donovan, in opening the event. “When they asked me to MC this event, I immediately said I am a huge fan — I’ve been watching wrestling my whole life,” he quipped, to gales of laughter.
The jokes continued thick and fast — a welcome relief in between speeches by WWF SA representatives, led by CEO Morné du Plessis, which were moving but a tad too long for a Saturday night out.
Throw in a talk by Riaan Manser, the first person to circumnavigate the African coastline by bicycle, and a virtualreality experience of what the world could look like in 50 years, and by the time we were served our mains the clock read 9.45pm.
Luckily, our mains (Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified Norwegian salmon with lemongrass and coconut velouté for me, and beef fillet medallion with wild mushroom and potato gratin for pics man John), followed by a lekker dessert of mini pumpkin fritters, milk tart and rooibos panna cotta, hit the spot. Dining entertainment in the form of the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra also helped put us in the right frame of mind. You’ll want to know about that auction, though, and a surprise item on the block, having Maps Maponyane speak at a corporate event, came up tops after the spectacled hunk roped in Donovan as part of the prize.
That attorney with a penchant for art, Pulane Kingston, made the R80,000 top bid for the Donovan and Maps double act — R20,000 more than a rare opportunity to witness the notching of a black rhino’s ear, for monitoring purposes.
In all, close to R250,000 was raised on the night.