Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - October 31, 2004

BIG business took its charitable heart out to supper on Monday to support a Nurturing Orphans of Aids for Humanity (Noah) fundraiser.

The Sandton Sun's ballroom was wall-to-wall schleb faces from the business pages - about 550 of them - whose companies had bought tables for what was probably not the most exciting night of all time but which raised R650000 for the charity.

It also gave people a chance to say, "I had dinner with Danny Glover" the next day.

Everyone networked madly in the ballroom foyer before dinner, and had the bonus treat of seeing the new Springbok rugby team move from one hotel function room to another through the black-tied crowd.

Chatted to Percy Montgomery (once voted 'worst hairdo in rugby' by a UK Internet site) who's got better looking with age. He tells me there's another little Monty on the way. Said hello as well to Jake White who was upbeat despite the criticism of his squad selections.

PHLY AND MIGHTY

GUESTS included Transport Minister Jeff Radebe (whose wife Bridgette is a Noah patron, but is in the US at present); Brait chairman Mervyn King; Russell Loubser of the JSE (a Noah director); Mutli Mogase; Lynette Finlay, CEO of Noah, who brought husband Marshall, owner of the Park Hyatt Hotel; deputy CEO of SAA, Oyama Mabandla; and Gauteng first lady Wendy Luhabe,

Wendy Appelbaum, president of the Women's PGA, talked excitedly about February's Women's World Cup of Golf (still a few million rand sponsorship needed, you business leaders trying to impress the strong golf-playing women of Africa).

Also supporting the cause were Noah board member Pulane Kingston (probably best dressed in a Marianne Fassler dress and coat in the designer's shade du jour, light green) with husband Martin of Deutsche Bank; lawyer Michael Judin and his attractive wife June; outgoing Businesswomen's Association CEO Niven Postma; Hyatt GM Michael and Helen McBain; not to mention Ukhamba's charming Veli and Mamsie Mokoena.

He's a cousin of the more famous Albert and had been surprised to read about his relative's unsuspected lifestyle in the press recently.

Speeches (from Russell, artist and mum Medri Durr who had recently raised, with her committee, R300000 for the fund at a pre-primary school, and a particularly nice one from Noah deputy president Dr Greg Ash) dominated the evening which otherwise tended towards the tedious. A bit of fun wouldn't have gone amiss.

Then came Drawcard Danny (on his fifteenth trip here since 1994).

He told us ... um, er, not quite sure what he told us, certainly nothing even remotely riveting - but looked handsome while he said nothing. He's a good oke though - only economy seats were available on his flight from Atlanta, and he sat with the peasants during the trip (Derek Watts would have thrown a wobbly!).

MC Gerry Rantseli looked pretty in an orange frock by Norman Callan, but she does gush so, and irritated some guests by talking about Danny "coming home" to SA. In her favour she does Noah gigs for free.

FOOD: 6/10 - the food was pleasant if boring. The mozzarella had been put through a taste extractor, but I enjoyed the linefish main course.

FLOWERS: 3/10 - a few roses and assorted greenery which were utterly dull and hid the candles.

MC: 5/10.

VIBE: 7/10 û better than expected at a speechifying do, because guests enjoyed each other's company.

QUESTIONS OF STYLE

SOUTH Africa's pretty people came out to play at the 2004 SA Style Awards last weekend.

The publicity for the bash, held at Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton, said it was "dedicated to future trend-setters and fashion makers", and the 10 winners are presumably the current hotties of Planet Style.

It's all in the eye of the beholder, of course, and there were a couple of loose-cannon schleb guests who thought having a rich husband helped. Maybe they're right - wealthy hubby equals wonderful wardrobe but you can't buy that elusive word "style".

For the second year running, the overall winner was a stylist who does "style" for a living and therefore ought to be good. This year it was the little-known Bianca Lambert who was wearing a short silver dress bought overseas, with a Swan Lake-type feathered hat, a funny combo.

Two women with rich husbands did crack awards and they did have wonderful wardrobes and look stylish. They are Durban's lovely Vanashree Singh, wife of Anant, who won the Most Stylish Lifestyle title (imagine a KZNer winning that title) and stunning Cape Town model/swimsuit designer Gretha Scholtz, voted Most Stylish Model.

Gretha recently married Mogens Tholstrup who is not an English aristocrat as the programme described him but a Danish restaurateur and property developer from London. Brit aristos don't usually have names like Mogens Tholstrup, more likely something like Charles Spencer.

THE CHIC OF IT

TALKING of whom, his ex-wife Victoria was a guest, and given an effusive welcome by MC Dion Chang. Victoria marries her new man, Polo's Jonathan Aitken, in a small garden ceremony in January, with her three daughters as bridesmaids.

For my money, the most deserving winner was the always chic and different Ephraim Molingoane (Most Stylish Designer) and I reckon judges could have looked further for winners of the Most Stylish Media Personality (Michelle Garforth), Performer (Danny K), and Couple (film-maker Eddie Bannerman and multi-tasking partner Misa Shipalana).

As for PR director, Ann Wixley (who has a rich dad) winning Most Stylish Career, haven't the judges met the awesome black career folk of both sexes who are everywhere?

Best dressed guest on the night was Most Innovative Style winner Nicky Greenwall in a perfect gold satin bias cut skirt with a slightly sparkly white cami top.

First came the winners' parade punctuated by much Mo t in one of the nicer venues in town, the Sandton Civic Gallery (where we were well entertained by Pop Idol blond bombshell Jacques Terre'Blanche). Then onto to the (stylish) L'Incontro restaurant at the Michelangelo Hotel for what was a drawn out dinner.

I had one of the better seats at the party, sitting with Tunde, former lead singer with the Lighthouse Family, who was visiting from London specially for the party. Tunde, Nigerian-born and London- bred, is a charmer de luxe whose first solo album is just out overseas.

Enjoyed chatting to him and Nigerian doctor turned banker, friend Olaolu Mudasiro who'd come along for the ride. Alas, I later had to surrender Tunde to the likes of Rosie Motene and Penny Lebyane who were all over him like a rash.

Other guests included Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Gavin Rajah, who'd dressed Vanashree and Gretha; Bianca la Grange, wearing her long blonde Cinderella panto wig; many of the magazine madams; BMG's Dave Thompson (the gruff Pop Idols judge) with his nice wife Lee, my favourite model Daniela Lavarevic and previous winners such as Josie Borain, Billie Starr and hairstylist David Gillson who camped it up in a turban.

FOOD: 7/10 - beef carpaccio with a "pressed vegetable sandwich mushroom" (don't ask), and salmon topped with (a first for function food for me) a scallop;

FLOWERS: 5/10 - pretty, but too many confusing arrangements per table. And live goldfish in bowls put many guests off their grub.

VIBE: 7/10 - very "sweetie darling".

MC: 6/10 û Dion Chang suits such occasions.

TASTY MEN

TO CAP a week of meeting goodlooking men from overseas, I joined yummy BBC Food celebrity chef Mike Robinson (he of Chalet Slaves and a safari series fame) on Sunday for a fun Ready, Steady, Cook session at the Good Food & Wine Festival.

Mike had two firsts that day. He met his first peppadew (and was impressed) and saw his first hijacking (on the Allandale N1 off-ramp in Midrand). And still managed to cook five dishes in 30 minutes!

My eccentric colleague, banking guru Richard Stovin-Bradford, reckons I should offer advice on what to wear to Tuesday's Top 100 Companies banquet.

Who am I to tell our captains of industry what to wear?

But I promise to publish a picture of whoever best fits the dress code "boardroom funky".

041031
ST041027

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