The Department of Home Affairs has officially resumed a wider variety of services, now that the country is back at Level 1 lockdown.
On Thursday, March 4 the Department began allowing South Africans to apply for and collect their passports, as well as register their marriages among other services. This comes after marriage services were temporarily suspended on January 12.
The following services will be resumed during Alert Level 1 lockdown:
• Re-issues of Smart ID Cards and identity documents
• Registration and solemnisation of marriages
• Amendments and rectifications
• Late registration of birth for all categories
• Applications and collections of passports for all categories
The citizenship service remains temporarily unavailable. Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi urges citizens to remain cautious and follow COVID-19 health and safety protocols when visiting a Home Affairs office.
“We do not want our offices to be super spreader sites. We urge everyone who visits our offices to observe social distancing, sanitise their hands regularly and to wear their masks properly, covering their noses and mouths,” he said.
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Some meet their future partner late in life, and others can say they’ve known their love since they were kids. But how often is it that you meet your future husband right at birth?
In a wild twist of fate, Courtney Mahnken and her now fiancé Nick Monguso discovered they were actually born in the same New Jersey hospital 26 years ago. In fact, their moms gave birth right next to each other.
Taking to TikTok, Mahnken shared the truly crazy coincidence. Since posting on February 18. her TikTok has been viewed over 7.7-million times.
“When I was 14 years old, I got my first boyfriend. It was the first time my mom was ever meeting one of my boyfriend’s moms, obviously,” Mahnken says in the clip. “The first thing she says to his mom is ‘Oh my god you look so familiar! Where did you give birth?’”
“Immediately I’m embarrassed, and they start talking about their birthing stories. Well, come to realize, they gave birth next to each other,” she recalls.
“My boyfriend and I are less than 24 hours apart, and my last name starts with “Ma,” his starts with “Mo,” so not only that, we were next to each other in the baby room. My mom remembered them because he was the ‘big fat baby.”
@reneemahnkie#stitch with @breecard #greenscreen I guess you can say we are actually soulmates ??♀️♬ original sound – Courtney Mahnken
Keeping up with their series of coincidences, the pair attended the same elementary school, middle school, and high school. The pair began dating as teenagers but broke up before reconnecting when they attended the same college years later.
Monguso went down on one knee to propose in November 2020, and they plan to tie the knot in June 2022.
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Just said ‘Yes’? Congratulations! What is typically an exciting moment is somewhat dampened by the global pandemic, as we cannot celebrate with one another as we used to.
If you still want to honour your big news, fear not. There are still ways to celebrate with your closest friends and family without putting them at risk amid the pandemic.
Here are a few ideas:
Hold a (virtual) celebration:
Just because you can’t be together physically does not mean you cannot celebrate! Host your festivities via online platforms like Facetime, Skype or Zoom.
You can still make it fun by decorating your home and having your ‘guests’ dress up. Planning a themed event makes it extra special and gives your friends and family something to dress up for. For an extra sweet touch, have small thank you gifts delivered to your guests’ homes after the celebration.
Drive-by party:
Your loved ones can attend your event from the safety of their cars, ensuring that all safety precautions are met while still giving you the feeling of their presence.
When choosing the location of the drive-by, ensure that it is a wide-open, public space. This will mean that everyone driving by will be able to clearly see you. You could even do it in your front yard if you have space and don’t have walls.
Set up a spot to show yourselves off, for example, you can decorate fancy chairs as thrones for you to sit on as your parade drives by. Assign a close relative or friend the role of head driver. This ensures that there is somebody leading the cars to your location, and allows for some sort of order for the drive-by.
Take engagement photos:
You’ll want to remember this moment for the rest of your life, so it makes sense to document your engagement. Photographers were hit hard by the pandemic, and hiring one is a great way to give back to small business.
Keep COVID-19 protocols in mind by having your photographer work from a safe distance with a mask on and have sanitiser on hand.
After you receive your pictures, have them printed and framed or emailed to your friends and family so that they can feel like they are a part of your special moment.
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Videography will be one of your biggest expenses and considering that it will last a lifetime, you can’t afford not to take the time to do your homework.
We’ve already highlighted a list of introductory questions you should ask your videographer before booking them. Once you’ve settled on one, there are a few more questions to ask to help finalise your perfect day. Here are some more questions to ask them before you walk down the aisle:
Have you shot a wedding at my venue before?
A good videographer will be able to efficiently identify the spots with beautiful lighting or figure out where to position themselves to get the best angle. Nevertheless, if your videographer has shot at a specific location before, they’ll know their way around and will get the job done more effectively than a videographer who has not. If your videographer has never worked at your venue before, suggest visiting the venue with them before the big day so that they have a chance to become familiar with it.
Which parts of the occasion will you shoot?
Videographers regularly specify the number of hours that they’ll shoot, but which sections of your wedding fall within those hours, isn’t always clear. It’s practically a given that major events, such as your ceremony and first dance will be shot, but if you’d like the pre-drinks gathering or a session with your photographer to be included, ask if they’ll cover that as well. If you don’t have clarity on what’ll be shot from the get-go, you may end up with a video you’re not particularly fond of.
Which equipment do you use?
Videographers arriving at weddings with colossal cameras on wheels or other equally obtrusive tools is a thing of the past. Nowadays, most videography apparatus simply consists of a camera and a tripod. You want to ensure that your guests don’t feel intruded on, so check the size and types of equipment that’ll be used.
If these are large, ensure your venue is able to accommodate this without any interruption to the celebrations taking place. It’s also a good idea to find out whether the videographer will make use of a wireless mic as wires all over the place could be hazardous while no mic could mean your vows and speeches aren’t audible.
How do you edit the footage?
You’d naturally want an exquisite final product and this can only be achieved with high-quality editing methods. Ask your videographer to describe the procedure they follow when editing. The most reliable way of editing is to upload the film negative on a computer and then make the necessary adjustments on-screen. Some videographers use an in-camera editing method that involves attempting to get flawless shots the first time around to lower production time and costs. This could, unfortunately, result in a second-rate product.
Which music will you use?
The ideal music will blend seamlessly with the visuals to inject energy and stir great emotion. Be upfront with your videographer about the kind of music you’re crazy (and not so crazy) about, so that your video is a reflection of your personal tastes. Nonetheless, bear in mind that your videographer will have a firm understanding of the type of music that will be suitable so you need to have faith in their judgment. Don’t forget to ask whether they’ll use licensed music as the use of unlicensed music could mean getting into trouble with the law.
Will the video be in high definition (HD)?
In this day and age, HD television is becoming increasingly popular. Some might even say that it’s become a norm. A video in HD will have sharper visuals that display finer detail – something you shouldn’t compromise on, especially if you’re blowing your budget on one of the best videographers in the business.
When will the final video be ready?
Apart from a skilled videographer and top-notch equipment, another necessity for producing a stellar wedding video is sufficient time. After all the footage has been placed in a suitable order, music needs to be added and colours corrected, which can be time-consuming. Each videographer will work according to a unique timeline but the entire process could take roughly eight weeks, with some videographers taking as long as a year! If you’re itching to see the final product, ask your videographer if they’ll put together a trailer so you can get a sneak peek.
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