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With the excitement, I actually forgot I won so much money – Miss SA Tamaryn Green

Newly crowned Miss South Africa, Tamaryn Green didn’t get a wink of sleep last night because of the “excitement and adrenalin” that came with scooping the coveted crown.

Tamaryn who is a 23-year-old medical student from Paarl in the Western Cape beat 11 other young women, when she went home with the Miss SA title at Sun Arena in Pretoria on Sunday night.

An elated Tamaryn told TshisaLIVE on Monday that she battled to find words to express the way she was feeling.

“To be honest I didn’t sleep at all because of the excitement and adrenalin, but it all hit me when I watched a video of the moment my name was called out. It all happened so fast that I didn’t have time to process the emotions, so when I watched the video I became emotional. I can’t believe that a dream I had for so long became a reality, and that I am living my dream.”

The beauty queen will also represent the country at the Miss Universe pageant later this year, while runner up Thulisa Keyi walked away with the Miss World SA title and will strut her stuff at that competition.

Tamaryn walked away with a prize package worth R3-million and includes a R1-million cash prize, a swanky Sandton apartment for the year of her reign and a Nissan Qashqai.

When asked about what she was going to do with all that guap, Tamaryn said she honestly didn’t have a clue yet.

“I actually forgot that I had won so much money and someone reminded me this morning. I have no idea what I’m going to do with it, but I want to give something back to my parents for putting me through my studies and being there.”

Before the Miss SA pageant, Tamaryn said life was all about studying and that her entire life changed the moment the crown was placed on her head.

She said she was looking forward to meeting new people and the exciting journey that lay ahead of her.

“I am passionate about children’s health and educating mothers on how to prevent child illness and diseases because it is prevalent in South Africa, so this is definitely something I will use this new platform to focus on.”

It’s all up to Babes, says dad on abuse allegations

DURBAN – Babes Wodumo’s father has spoken out for the first time on allegations that his chart- topping daughter was allegedly abused by her ex-lover, fellow musician Mampintsha.

Wodumo’s father, Reverend Welcome Simelane, said: “She is older than 21 now. She is independent and a grown woman, she knows what is wrong or right for her. Even if she was to get married without my knowledge, it doesn’t matter because she makes her own decisions.

“As a bishop I always preach about such things. There’s no relationship without problems but it’s up to people to make their own decisions based on what they deem as right. I raised Babes and she is above 21 years old now, she must take a right decision for herself.”

Wodumo, whose real name is Bongekile Simelane, was on Metro FM’s The Drive show with Mo Flava and Masechaba Ndlovu on Friday when the claims were made by Ndlovu. Wodumo said very little and nodded as Ndlovu called out Mandla “Mampintsha” Maphumulo for allegedly physically abusing her.

Case of culpable homicide opened after pedestrian killed on N2

King William’s Town – Msobomvu police are investigating a case of culpable homicide after a pedestrian died when he was hit by a car on the N2 at Butterworth on Saturday evening, Eastern Cape police said.

“It is alleged that a vehicle hit a pedestrian on Saturday 19 May 2018 at about [5.40pm] along [the] N2 road not far from Walter Sisulu University, Butterworth,” Captain Jackson Manatha said.

The male pedestrian was rushed to Butterworth Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. He had not yet been identified and police appealed to anyone who could assist in identifying the man to contact Msobomvu police at 047-492-0180, Manatha said.

Miriam Makeba ‘not for sale’

Johannesburg – The family of the late Miriam Makeba and her business manager are expected to square off in court on Monday over the control of the music icon’s legacy.
Makeba’s family have vowed to expose the “fraudulent” activities of Graeme Gilfillan, whom they accuse of using deceitful means to claim Makeba’s intellectual property rights – and the royalties that go with them from her more than 30 albums.

The matter, which is due to be heard in the high court in Pretoria on Monday, is expected to shine the spotlight on the contentious issue of ownership royalties that often pits artists against their managing companies.

In October last year, Gilfillan through his company, Siyandisa Music, filed an application to interdict Makeba’s grandchildren Lumumba and Zenzile Lee from acting as the proprietors of the intellectual property rights of Makeba without approval.

The news that the South African Hall of Fame planned to induct Makeba in November set in motion an acrimonious legal battle that has been raging since 2004. Makeba’s family had earlier learnt that the Grammy award-winning artist had signed “a fictitious” licence contract, called ZM Makeba Trust, with Siyandisa. The alleged contract was signed by Makeba and one of her grandchildren, Dumisani, according to Zenzile.

At the time, Gilfillan was Makeba’s trustee. The singer, who was affectionately known as “Mama Africa”, collapsed after a performance in Italy in 2008 and died from a heart attack a short while later in hospital. She was 76.

“The licence agreement they (Siyandisa) are using to claim the rights is illegal. The name of the trust is not recorded as a trust deed instrument at the Master (of Court) Office. They have no letter of authority, but even if they had one, the issue of Miriam Makeba licensing is illegal,” Zenzile said.

“They made her (Makeba) sign a fictitious Miriam Makeba Trust that doesn’t exist, claiming exclusive rights on that basis.”

As the dispute escalated, the Makeba family started considering taking action against Siyandisa but couldn’t afford the legal fees. While they were still mulling over the matter, Gilfillan slapped them with legal action, claiming that they were not the rightful owners of Makeba’s intellectual property rights and interdicted the grandchildren from using the rights without approval.

According to Gilfillan’s founding affidavit, Siyandisa has “unconditional, exclusive rights throughout the world to use, simulate and portray Makeba’s personality, personal identification and personal experiences, incidents and events”, which occurred in her life arising out of her “theatrical, feature film TV and/or musical stage production or any sound recordings, publications”.

The papers further state that law firm Webber Wentzel had in 2004, on behalf of Makeba, registered a trust on the insistence and at the request of the singer, not as the Miriam Makeba Trust but the ZM Makeba Trust.

“In terms of the licence agreement, Makeba granted Siyandisa the sole and exclusive right throughout the world and from August 28, 2004 in perpetuity, to sue licence and sub-licence the international property rights.”

The Makebas have been left seething, and are accusing Siyandisa directors of resorting to unscrupulous means to claim the rights over the anti-apartheid music icon. Zenzile said Siyandisa was using a licence agreement with “a fictional” Miriam Makeba Trust as their legal document.

Also illogical, she said, was the fact that Siyandisa claim that ZM Makeba Trust and the Miriam Makeba Trust on the licence agreement are the same trust registered. She said, however, that based on the records at the office of the Master of Court, there were only three trust deed instruments relating to Mama (Makeba), the Mama Centre for Girls, Dolly Rathebe Miriam Makeba Charitable Trust and ZM Makeba Trust.

“We have the rights to Mama’s European trademarks. Mama’s legacy is not for sale. We have blood and legal rights and don’t have to explain to anybody,” Zenzile said. In the responding affidavit, she accuses Siyandisa of making defamatory remarks about her and Lumumba “without directly dealing with the unassailable legal flaw”.

She also wanted Gilfillan to register his resignation as trustee of ZM Makeba Trust

Murdered #ZolileKhumalo’s screams for help haunt student

DURBAN – Screams of “help, help me, help me in room 101”, still linger in the mind of a student who lived next door to Mangosuthu University of Technology student Zolile Khumalo who was shot dead, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend, Thabani Mzolo, this month.
The female student, who did not want to be named, spoke to The Independent on Saturday this week when the Deputy Minister of Police Bongani Mkongi was on a walkabout at the Lonsdale residency after Mzolo’s appearance at the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

The student said she had difficulty being alone and could not sleep in her room by herself.

“I can only fall asleep if someone is with me. When I am not asleep, I get a fright and jump if there’s a knock at the door,” she said.

Mzolo, who was rumoured to have been a bodyguard to an Estcourt councillor in the past, is charged with murder and possession of a prohibited firearm. He is expected to apply for bail on June 19.