When we heard Zama’s empowering story of her entrepreneurship and her drive for business, we knew we wanted to be involved!

Read all about Zama’s new surprise shop, Zee + Fi's Cupcake Co that will be opening at Piggly Wiggly (rent free for a whole year!).

After receiving a weekend away to the beach, Kyrah invited her child-carer to join the family on holiday... but the story quickly evolved to the young couple opening a surprise cupcake business for Zama instead

“We would LOVE to set up a cupcake shop for Zama and her family at Piggly Wiggly – a popular local shopping village. The owners of the centre have made contact and generously offered to sponsor the rental for a shop for an entire year for Zama. All we have to do is revamp and set up the shop with all the equipment Zama will need to run her cupcake business.

Zama doesn’t know about this at all. Once we have set up the shop, we would like to present the shop to her and her family as a surprise. We will make an event on Facebook and open it up to the public to be present at the opening and handing over of the keys.

This business will be owned by Zama, and we will coach and guide her in this business venture. The profits from the business will afford her the opportunity to send her children to good schools and give them all a BRIGHT future.

We have no doubt that Zama will grow the business, and we cannot wait to see her face when she is presented with her shop.”

Already Kyrah has managed to inspire with Zama’s story. The rent for the shop for one year has been donated by Piggly Wiggly. The signage, as well as a website, have also been donated. If you would like to contribute contact Piggly Wiggly..

News supplied by Piggly Wiggly.

Many of the young children first joining the Funda Nenja programme are accompanied by their parents or grandparents, especially for the first lesson.

Sometimes it is because the guardians would like to learn more about the programme and dog training themselves, other times it is because the children are very young and/or shy and unsure about joining dog school.

Amongst all the children accompanied by their families this week was 7 year old Philangezwi Ngcobo and his new puppy Cutie.

Philangezwi’s father, Victor, said that "Philangezwi was nervous to come here on his own… and this is the first dog that I have ever had in my life so I also need to be educated about how to care for the dog… that is why we are both coming here to learn how to be good to Cutie together”.

Philangezwi was super proud of his young puppy, and spent most of the first lesson cuddling or holding sweet little Cutie. “Cutie is too cute... that is why I give him the name Cutie… he is the cutie of all the dogs”.

We are so happy to have the lovely Ngcobo family join our dog school and we are really looking forward to watching these boys progress through the year.

Pictured below from Left : Victor, Philangezwi and Cutie.

News supplied by Funda Nenja.

Howick High School were the hosts of the Annual Co-Ed Inter-school gala this year and we were honoured to host Voortrekker Hoer Skool, Treverton College, Grace College, Umvoti Schools and East Griqualand.

We are extremely excited to be the overall winner of this gala for the 4th year in a row!! Our Girls' team were placed 1st and our boys' team placed 2nd after Voortrekker.

We congratulate Sinead Gibbs and Carmel Lombard who were both age group Champions. Congratulations to our Swimming Squad on an excellent season.

Age Quod Agis!

News supplied by Howick High School.

Our annual Schools’ Expo is fast approaching and we are excited for all prospective parents and students to be welcomed by the many wonderful schools that will be represented this year. Be sure to pop in and learn everything you can about KZN’s top schools.

Glenwood High School, Hermansberg, Wartburg Kirchdorf School, Cowan House Prep School, The Wykeham Collegiate, Epworth School, Merchiston Preparatory School, King's School KZN and Clifton School.

News supplied by Piggly Wiggly Midlands.

Join Mac in celebrating his Irish heritage, the craft beer way. From March, the beergarden will be open until 5.30pm every Friday. The last hour is happy hour, all craft beers will be R30 instead of R45.

Join us for an evening under the stars on 14 March at Old Kilgobbin Farm Cottages and on 22 March for the Craft Fest, at Shongweni Farmers Market.

Bring and braai at the beergarden, just bring meat and sides. Live music every 1st and 3rd Saturday. Call +27(0)33 234 4432 (answering service) or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

News supplied by Lion's River Craft Brewery.

The Lions River Brewery stout is a dark, silky number with a bold flavour and pairs well with our country fresh platter. Stout is thought of as a cold-weather sipper. However, few beers are as sessionable as the majestic stout.

Bring that special someone for a romantic walk along Lions River, get cosy with a picnic basket filled with country fresh goodies and a pitcher of craftbeer. Spoil your loved one with one of our kzncraftbeer gift packs. Or, bring 4 friends for one of our epic brewery tours.

News supplied by Lion's River Craft Brewery.

Although Midmar Building Supplies provides building materials, DIY and hardware to our customers, as a company we view our products as much more than building supplies.

Each day we see our blocks, bricks & cement being used to build structures of new homes, our stone & aggregates becoming the foundation of new roads, our ceiling boards and tiles creating shelter as roofing, and our hardware and supplies being used to tie everything together.

Because of this we always strive to provide the best products to our customers, whether it be for estates in Hilton or housing units in Impendle.

To check out some of the construction projects that we've been involved in, click the link https://midmarbuildingsupplies.co.za/latest-developments/

News supplied by Midmar Building Supplies.

This past weekend, the WILDSERIES calendar got off to a storming start with the 11^th edition of the Three Cranes Challenge. Hosted in the heart of the Natal Midlands, the Karkloof, this year’s challenge attracted a lot of first-time participants along with old familiar faces who never miss the opportunity to take on some forest running for a good cause.

The Karkloof boasts a unique mixture of indigenous and mistbelt forest which include Yellowwood and Stinkwood trees and a wide variety of wildlife which includes the Samango Monkey, Blue Duiker, Bushbuck and Crowned eagles just to name a few. The rolling misty hills and farmlands form a great part of the trails and the course that the runners traverse over the three days of the challenge. Most importantly this area is the Crane capital of KwaZulu Natal during the winter months and is an important breeding ground for this flagship species which the Challenge raises funds for.

The Chairman of the Karkloof Conservation Centre, Charlie McGillivray said, “The Karkloof is the cornerstone of the environment you seek to enjoy, that we seek to conserve. We are doing this for future generations; we hope to pass on smaller bonds and a greater heritage. That is what conservation is about.”

Ruan van der Merwe defended his title with an overall finishing time of 8:40:42, with Matt Dove closely behind him taking second place with a time of 8:50:48 and Paul Snyman completed the men’s podium coming in at 9:19:03.

The women’s competition tightened when Jo Keppler ran hard and won the third stage of the challenge with an overall time of 10:05:07. Unfortunately, her overall time was not enough to remove the 2019 South African Trail Champion Nicolette Griffioen from the top spot. Nicolette remained in the number one position to claim her first Three Cranes title in her first appearance at the Challenge with a time of 9:53:44. Veteran road runner and activist Karoline Hanks ran a steady race and took third place in the women’s category finishing in 11:33:00.

Day one’s weather conditions were perfect, with warm temperatures sweeping over the valley. The runners took their time and saved their legs for the remaining two days and the longer 40km distance that awaited them on the following day. Ruan and Matt ran side by side and were tied by the end of the first stage, Nicolette and Jo also ran a tight race with only three minutes setting them apart at the end of day one.

Day two of the Three Cranes is the longest and most scenic stage of the challenge. The runners track through Mbona Private Nature Reserve and have a unique tea and cake setting at Benvie Botanical Gardens where they can also enjoy a time out to recoup before taking on the remainder of the course. This day also kicks off The Two Cranes (mini challenge) as it has been nicknamed by participants. This is a shorter version of the race which offers a 25km option instead of the traditional 40km. It was introduced to make the event more accessible to shorter distance runners and other runners that couldn’t make it for the full three days.  

After an amazing two days in the Natal Midlands, we wrapped up the Three Cranes Challenge in classical Karkloof style, after all what would the Three Cranes be without a bit of rain and mud to bid our participants farewell. An early 4:30am start sent our participants into a dark and wet adventure which took them to the top of Mount Gilboa, the highest point in the Karkloof, giving them breath-taking views of the Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall.

Conservation is always the winner at the WILDSERIES. Participants help us raise funds through their race entries and also helped up raise an additional R4000 through a raffle competition. We also receive a huge boost through other contributing sponsors like Jonsson Workwear for the garments and the Karkloof Conservancy as our conservation partner.

Roelie Kloppers, WILDLANDS Executive Director, put his hand up and participated in the event for the first time ever. “It was an awe inspiring 3 days. Meeting and talking to runners who have such a deep love for conservation reminded me of why WILDLANDS continues to raise funds in this manner. People want to make a difference and how much better to do it by doing what you love? Thank you to all the partners, participants, sponsors and vendors who help us work towards a sustainable future for all and conserve our pristine environments for future generations.”

 We would like to thank all of our runners for being with us this weekend and a special thank you goes  to the Karkloof Conservancy for all the conservation work that they do to ensure that we have a pristine environment to relish ourselves in. A huge thank you once again to KZNTR who put on a seamless event in aid of our cause. See you all on the 15^th August at the Royal Natal National Park for the Mont-Aux-Sources Challenge.

To find out more about our WILDSERIES events, please visit www.wildseries.co.za or like our social media pages @WildseriesSA on Twitter, FB or Instagram.

Pictured above: Nicolette Griffioen, 2020 WILDSERIES Three Cranes Challenge champion as well as the 2019 female South African Trail champion

Photo Credit to Phonix Capture.

As many of you will know, a family lost their home due to the storm on Saturday in Mpophomeni. The response was overwhelming a few people reached out and together we decided that the trauma and financial burden is too much to deal with alone. We need the community to help once again. 

Rob Ducasse, the manager from Build it Howick offered to open an account for the family at the store. He also offered all the materials needed at cost price. So anyone can make a financial donation towards the building fees or material we need to rebuild their home. One can also buy the material as a donation and the material and money will be used towards the MAHLABA FAMILY- REBUILD PROJECT.  

So far we have a builder in mind to help with this project but this also comes at a cost as the previous builder did not do a great job at all. 

This is a family of 7 who's all single mothers with 3 children amongst them who are in desperate need of safety and security. If in any way you can help them with the building project please do. 

Please ask for Rob if you would like to make a contribution at Build it, Howick.

Bank details:- 

Bank: FNB

Account Name: Build It Howick

Account Number: 62838434489

Branch: 210554

Ref: MAHLABA FAMILY REBUILD PROJECT

News supplied.

Home care for seniors is health and personal care support that's provided in the comfort of your own home. It is designed to assist and enable the patient to remain in their own home while being cared for.

Start preparing for tomorrow, today, with Nightingales Home Based Care Services.

News supplied by Nightingales Home Based Care Services.

Umgeni Waterfall Bowling Club events in March

Wednesday, 11 March: 13h15: Halfway Toyota Howick /The Treatery/Dr Alan Sara Tabs In Competition.

Saturday, 14 March: 13h15: Greendale Superspar/Giovision Tabs In Competition.

Tuesday, 17 March: 08h15: J Leslie Smith Drawn 2-4-2. Entries by Saturday, 14 March.

Sunday, 22 March: All day Nominated Trips Competition sponsored by Woodstone Craft Café and St John’s Village Shopping Centre Merchants. Enter your teams as soon as possible to the Comp. Sec of Umgeni Waterfall by email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or by SMS/Whatsapp to 071 164 3162 If any member of your team has a specific dietary request, please let us know when you send in your entry.

Friday, 27 March: 08.30: Woodstone Craft Café 2-bowl Trips at 08h30 for 09h00. Entries by Wednesday, 25 March

Members are requested to support our sponsors and to check the club notice boards for club and outside competitions.
Regular Tabs-In Times: Tuesdays at 08h15 - casual dress
Wednesday and Saturday at 13h15 – bowls attire.

Prospective new members and visitors are always welcome to join us.
Coaching and skills training: By arrangement, contact 071 164 3162 and leave a message or WhatsApp/Message.

News supplied by Umgeni Waterfall Bowling Club.

Working with ToPS Species (Threatened or Protected Species).

This was a beautiful snake we released this week...caught and removed from someones residence, we decided to release on the nearby Gwahumbe Game Lodge & Spa reserve where there is a naturally occurring population (one of the most important criteria for a FreeMe Wildlife selected release site).

This Python measured almost 3m in length and weighed in at 11kg's...this is rather small as far as Southern African Pythons go...they are known to reach 5,5m in length and weigh as much as 65kg!!

Would you like to be a part of our family, inspiring an educated empathy for our wildlife and the environment?

We would love you on board as a Custodian...and yes, businesses can join too as a Corporate Custodian.

News supplied by FreeMe Wildlife.

This week’s Passion Profile highlights Liane Aadnesgaard, a passionate and avid farmer herself, she finds the uniqueness of each farm and farmer’s style fascinating.

She loves the fast-paced nature of property, regularly starting new projects and being able to spend a lot of her time around people.

Liane says that passionate means doing something you love, as well as you can, all the time.

News supplied by Dormehl Phalane Property Group Midlands

Thank you to Jill Mitchell who has joined the Love Howick Team, giving one day a week to oversee our ‘New Gardens Project’. Our vision is to fill the Main Street of Howick, and it’s various flower beds with water-wise indigenous plants to make Howick Beautiful.

She is looking for the support of Howick and appealing for donations of the following equipment and plants:

- Donation of gloves (sizes medium/large)
- Garden Forks/Spades/Pick
- Indigenous plants
- Dietes
- Aloes and Succulents
- Gazania
- Agapanthus

Donations can be dropped off at the Love Howick Dream Centre, 17 Bell Street and and ‘green fingers’ looking to lend a hand can put their names down at the Dream Centre.

Pictured above: Jill Mitchel and members of the Love Howick team.

News supplied by Love Howick.

There were a number of break-ins where the alarms were not armed or linked to outbuildings, sheds or cottages these past 10 days. Please be vigilant about setting your alarm and please secure verandas, outbuildings, sheds and cottages. If you have no alarm system or an old alarm system, please consider an upgrade. For more information and advice call Gary on 0828947628 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Keshen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 0833935265.

Don’t provide cover for would be criminals (cut back foliage)
-Deter criminals from targeting your house by ensuring you cut back trees and bushes. Investigate installing movement sensor lights and report broken street lights.

Clear foliage away from your PIR beams
-Excessive foliage and pot plants placed in front of external PIR beams will not only result in possible false alarms, but also render them useless in detecting criminal’s approaching your house. If you have invested in these external PIR beams, please ensure that they remain unobscured.

News supplied by Knight Security Solutions.

Bring 4 friends and join us for a brewery tour.

It’s no secret that Ronald McClelland loves his craftbeer so why not book a brewery tour to soak up some of his knowledge? Tours are R80 and you get a wealth of information and 6 tasters.

Bring that special someone for a romantic walk along Lions River, get cosy with a picnic basket filled with country fresh goodies and a pitcher of KZN craft beer.

News supplied by Lions River Craft Brewery.

Howick Hospice patients ARV's and TB medications often have unpleasant side effects that are minimised when they have eaten something. In addition, many of our patients have very poor appetites due to their diseases. Morvite or Futurelife is an ideal product as they can make up just enough to tolerate and are able to use just water to mix the porridge so they are able to take their medications.

Our porridge stock is currently very low and we unfortunately do not know at this stage where we will be getting more from.

We would like to ask the community if they would assist with donations of Futurelife or Morevite so we can continue to distribute this much needed staple to our patients.

Donations can be dropped off at 7 Mansfield Road, Greendale Park, Howick.

Thank you for your support from the Team at Howick Hospice.

CrossFit Howick are moving!!

Don't miss out on this amazing re-launch special.

For the month of March 2020 join our community at a never to be repeated rate of R600 For an unlimited package.

Email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or whatsapp 0825502861.

News supplied by CrossFit Howick.