North and east: week of bling, brains

WHAT a week of contrasts: some intellectual stimulation and a bit of glam. On Tuesday night I found myself at the Michelangelo Hotel in Sandton at the launch of a book about artist Dumile Feni, who died in 1991 in exile in New York. The Beauty of the Line: Life and Times of Dumile Feni was written by Professor Chabani Manganyi of the University of Pretoria. As expected, some intellectual and political heavyweights attended, especially those who knew Feni from his exile days, first in London and then New York.

Guests and contributors to the book included political commentator and the book's publisher, Moeletsi Mbeki; film producer Mfundi Vundla; former ambassador to the US Barbara Masekela; and Zanele Mbeki. I hear she met Feni while she and former president Thabo Mbeki were in London. She looked elegant in her tailored skirt and double-breasted jacket. She was also one of the first in line to get her copy signed.

Manganyi's daughter Nkhensani Nkosi and hubby Zam came out to support her father.

Poet Laureate Professor Keorapetse Kgositsile described Feni as having been "misunderstood" in life. "He walked through exile without compromising himself ... consistently allergic to nonsense."

In his speech, Manganyi described looking at Feni from "various angles: his life in South Africa, New York and London and used those voices to arrive at a point of who Feni was".

See Page 6, main body

Back to the glam life

After engaging in deep intellectual conversations, it was back to high heels, bling and blowing kisses on Thursday night when I attended the second Virgin Active Sport Industry Awards at Emperors Palace, east of Johannesburg.

This event is really a place where business meets sports, with corporates receiving awards for their contribution to the industry. Outstanding performers in marketing, public relations, advertising, and community investment all came out to play in their tuxedos and evening gowns.

Spotted on the red carpet was former rugby player and master of ceremonies for the night, Bob Skinstad; models Kerry McGregor and Shashi Naidoo; soccer stalwarts Doctor Khumalo, Lucas Radebe and Danny Jordaan; rugby man Butch James; marketer Happy Ntshingila; Justice Minister Jeff Radebe and his lovely wife Bridgette; and lots of other greats from the world of sports.

Former Pirates player Mark Fish broke the rules and arrived in jeans, although his leggy partner, Salome van Rensburg, dressed the part in a little peach number from Robot. She told me it was their little girl's second birthday. "Shame, ... but mummy and daddy have to work," said Van Rensburg.

There were lots of couples posing for photographers on the red carpet. Former Miss SA Nicole Flint looked stunning in her pink gown from Vanilla Fashions in Centurion. When I asked her boyfriend, David van Heerden, when he would be popping the question, he just blushed. So did model and surfer Roxy Louw's muscular boyfriend, Marco-Pierre van Eeden. Clearly these dudes are enjoying having the milk without buying the cow.

My favourite couple were newlyweds ex-swimmer Lyndon Ferns and his wife, former Miss SA finalist Cara. I suspect the off-white shoes - which matched her cream and navy dress quite well - are the same ones she wore at her wedding last September. A strange combo for the night was Kaizer Chiefs' princess Jessica Motaung and Irvin Khoza's tight buddy Peter "Squire" Mancer, who were joined at the hip all night.

The big winners were Gary Player, who walked away with a lifetime achievement award, and "blade runner" Oscar Pistorius, who won for his outstanding contribution to South African sport.

Venue: 5/10 - Emperors Palace is a great venue but trying to beat the traffic to make a function on time is always a mission.

Décor 6/10 - The black-and-white theme was given an added touch of class by the white lambs as centrepieces on red bases.

Vibe 8/10 - The party went on until 2am. Need I say more?

Menu 5/10 - We had a plated starter of tuna, a boiled egg with worcestershire/ginger dressing and a flaked tuna phyllo on pineapple chilli relish. The main course was a char-grilled fillet of beef with potato gratin and a light shiitake-mushroom sauce. The dessert was definitely for those with a serious sweet tooth. A chocolate cone layered with a dark chocolate mousse served with red-cherry and rooibos syrup.