Ready, set… rugby!
Tomorrow night is the opening match of the Rugby World Cup, with the finals on Saturday October 28. But as things stood at the time of going to press, it was likely that many South Africans would not be able to watch the World Cup campaign of three-times world champions, the Springboks.
This is because MultiChoice has exclusive rights to broadcast all the RWC matches live on its SuperSport channel. As things stand, only DSTV subscribers with the R900-odd a month premium package can watch.
According to BusinessLive, that amounts to 1.3-million people.
Whether the intercession by sport minister Zizi Kodwa will see SA’s matches on SABC channels had yet to be determined by late yesterday.
Kodwa has called for a permanent solution to deadlocks between the public broadcaster and SuperSport about broadcast rights.
But either way, all is not lost: on page 15 of this edition, please find the full RWC schedule and where you can watch the matches in Port Alfred.
If you are a premium subscriber and prefer to watch from the comfort of your home, you definitely don’t want to be caught in the dark in the middle of an exciting match.
Port Alfred/ Makhanda dual citizen Simon Pamphilon explains how to read the “forever” load-shedding schedule so you can plan to either get backup power, or be in a place where there already is electricity.
Find this useful public service information on talkofthetown.co.za by putting #RWC2023 in the search bar.
Port Alfred will again become an international destination next week as StendenSA and Rhodes University host the TIEMS 2023 Hybrid Annual Conference. Members of the International Emergency Management Society from all over the world will be welcomed by local hospitality providers for the organisation’s 30th anniversary event. According to the programme, there will be a full week with presentations from emergency management practitioners and researchers from 30 countries.
Presentations and panel discussions range from the relationship between fire brigades and fire protection associations, to disaster management in a pandemic and its implications for democracy, adapting rescue and response forces in response to climate change, cybersecurity, and the implications of nursing shortage on global healthcare continuity. Talk of the Town will be reporting on some of these discussions.
Port Alfred has already been abuzz with students and their support teams from across the country in town for the Rand Merchant Bank Universities Boat Races that start today, with the A finals on Saturday afternoon. More on page 1 and a report in next week’s Talk of the Town.
The TOTT team will keep you updated on Facebook.
Meanwhile, the department of tourism and Airbnb recently signed an MoU.
“As government, if we want to significantly grow tourism and its contribution to the economy and job creation, collaboration with the private sector is vital,” tourism minister Patricia de Lille said.
This Sunday, September 10, is World Suicide Prevention Day. The World Health Organisation states that every year close on 800,000 people take their own lives. According to the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), 60% of the people who commit suicide are depressed. In 2016, it was reported that suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15- to 29-yearolds.
Visit SADAG’s website
SADAG’s suicide crisis helpline is 0800-567-567.