STUART TAYLOR

Stuart Taylor is probably best known to South Africans as the presenter of SABC 3’s hit travel show, “Going Nowhere Slowly”. But when this Stellenbosch University science graduate is not in front of the camera with mud-powdered face and wind styled hair, Taylor is enchanting local and international audiences with his headline, stand-up comedy and magic shows.

His award-winning formula of a meticulous fusion of comedy and magic earned him recognition as South Africa’s Comedy Magic Champion, a title he held for three years. After ditching his microscope and lab coat, Taylor’s delightful potion of enigmatic entertainment has mesmerised audiences from theatres to boardrooms across South Africa, performing for many of the country’s top companies.

Taylor’s uncanny ability to cast spells of unbridled laughter on virtually any audience, earned him the adoration of critics and fans for his performances at the Pleasace Dome at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Berlin International Comedy Festival and his sold-out comedy-magic theatre productions throughout South Africa.

His theatre production ‘Learner Husband’ played to critical acclaim across the country from the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town to the Market Theatre in Johannesburg as well as a successful run at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown and The Montecasino Main Theatre. This show was built on the success of his previous 1-man show ‘Techni-Coloured’ which had scooped some amazing reviews and awards, winning the prestigious Overall Best Comedy award at the National Arts Festival (2008) and the Show Time award (2007) for the best solo performance.  In 2012 Stuart has toured the country with his latest solo offering ‘Money’s Too Tight To Mention’ as well as ‘Learner Husband’.

AKANI SIMBINE

Akani Simbine is a South African sprinter. He competed in the 100 metres event at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics and 2016 Summer Olympics and he won the 2018 Commonwealth Games 100m final. He finished fifth in 9.94 seconds in the 100m final of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on 14 August 2016. He is the 2018 Commonwealth Games 100 metres champion.

Whilst an Information Science student at University of Pretoria, Simbine equaled the South African record while setting an event record on 9 July 2015 in his gold medal winning run at the 2015 Universiade in Gwangju, South Korea. Simbine broke the South African record in 100 m with a time of 9.89 seconds at the Gyulai István Memorial in Székesfehérvár on 18 July 2016. In the first meet of the 2017 IAAF Diamond League in Doha, Simbine won the 100m event with a time of 9.99 seconds.

Simbine started his 2020 season with a 150 m race at the University of Johannesburg Stadium on 14 February, equaling the South African record time (15.08) while jogging to the finish line. He ran his first 100 m for the season on 14 March at the University of Pretoria Tuks Stadium. Unsure whether or not he would be able to compete later in the season because of the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic, he pushed all the way to the finish line in a world-leading time of 9.91 seconds in the heats.

SEAN FITZPATRICK

Sean Fitzpatrick is a former rugby union player who represented New Zealand, and is widely regarded as one of the finest players ever to come from that country.  A product of the powerful Auckland provincial side, Fitzpatrick made his international debut as one of the “Baby Blacks” in the 1986 Test series in France.

In 1992 Fitzpatrick was awarded the captaincy of the All Blacks, a position he held until his retirement from test rugby in 1997.

The 1996 tour of South Africa was the first series win by a New Zealand side in South Africa. The 1996 All Blacks were one of the great teams in the history of the game, and the series win cemented their captain’s place among the true greats. Continued success with Auckland in the NPC and the Auckland Blues in the new Super 12 continued in the following seasons, but it was clear that Fitzpatrick’s days in the game were numbered. He was carrying an injury in the autumn of 1997, yet such was his status that coach John Hart thought it would be good for the other players to include him in the party. He made his 92nd and final test appearance on 29 November 1997 as a substitute in the 42–7 victory against Wales at Wembley

Fitzpatrick was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to rugby, in the 1997 New Year Honours.^[2] He remains an icon in New Zealand and is highly respected in South Africa. He was part of two of the finest frontrow combinations in rugby history, firstly with Steve McDowell and Richard Loe, and secondly with Craig Dowd and Olo Brown.