Flux Communications

14/09/2026

Issued on behalf of SkyRun South Africa and Fynbos Money

Fynbos Money and SkyRun join forces to back the long game

South African money platform becomes presenting sponsor of SkyRun as iconic mountain race celebrates 30 years of endurance

There are some things that cannot be rushed. Building financial security takes time. So does preparing to run 100 kilometres through some of South Africa’s most unforgiving mountain terrain. Both demand discipline, resilience and the willingness to keep going long after the initial excitement has worn off.

It is this shared belief in the value of the long game that has brought South African financial platform Fynbos Money and iconic mountain running event SkyRun together, with Fynbos Money becoming the presenting sponsor of SkyRun as the legendary race celebrates its 30th year.

For Fynbos Money, the partnership represents an opportunity to support a uniquely South African event whose philosophy aligns closely with its own approach to helping people build their financial futures. “SkyRun has been going for thirty years, which tells you something about what endurance really looks like. We are a South African company backing a South African race that celebrates the long game. It is the same mindset we believe in when it comes to growing your money,” says Adrian Hope-Bailie, co-founder and CEO of Fynbos Money.

Fynbos is an investment and savings platform built to make growing and managing money simpler for South Africans. Its focus on helping people build towards the future, rather than chasing short-term wins, is a philosophy that feels particularly at home at SkyRun.

SkyRun’s origins date back to New Year's Eve in 1991, when adventurer John Michael Tawse completed a pioneering traverse of the Witteberg Mountains from Lady Grey to the Wartrail Country Club. The first official SkyRun followed in 1997, with just 15 runners taking on the challenge. Three decades later, SkyRun has become a fixture on the South African ultra-running calendar, attracting experienced mountain runners and first-time adventurers. Yet its essence remains unchanged: a demanding journey through spectacular and unpredictable mountain country, where runners must rely on preparation, judgement and determination.

The 100km SkyRun is renowned for testing far more than physical fitness. Its remote and challenging route requires runners to navigate and largely support themselves, while shorter distances offer others the opportunity to experience the same landscape and spirit of adventure.

For SkyRun race organiser Adrian Saffy, reaching the 30-year milestone is a celebration of the people and values that have sustained the event. “SkyRun has always been about the long game,” says Saffy. “It takes months of preparation to get to that start line, and then on race day it comes down to taking one step, one decision and one challenge at a time. That is what makes this partnership with Fynbos such a natural fit. We share a belief that meaningful things are built over time, through consistency, resilience and a willingness to keep going when the easy option would be to stop.”

For more information, please visit www.skyrun.co.za

ENDS

Craig Kolesky

14/09/2026

Issued on behalf of the Arrie Rautenbach Parkinson's Foundation

What Parkinson’s disease can look like – and the early signs you shouldn’t ignore

For former Absa CEO Arrie Rautenbach, one of the earliest signs that something was wrong was not a tremor. It was pain. A persistent pain in his left shoulder that eventually spread into his arm, wrist and hand. At the time, it seemed like a musculoskeletal problem. He was told he had arthritis and underwent cortisone injections in his wrist and finger joints. The relief was temporary. Looking back now, Arrie realises that this was one of the first clues that his body was trying to tell him something.

“I never suspected that I would be diagnosed with anything serious, let alone a brain disease,” he says.

Just months before his formal diagnosis in 2024, Arrie had undergone a full executive medical, with no serious health concerns identified. Yet, in hindsight, he had already been experiencing a collection of symptoms that he had never connected. His left arm was painful. His speech was changing. His voice pitch was becoming harder to control. His facial expressions had become less animated. He was experiencing bladder problems and difficulties with sleep, as well as unexplained anxiety attacks. When he walked, his left arm no longer swung naturally and his left foot dragged slightly.

Then came the diagnosis – Parkinson’s disease. Arrie’s experience highlights a crucial fact that is often lost in the public understanding of Parkinson’s – it is not simply a disease that causes people to shake.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder affecting the brain and areas involved in movement and dopamine production. While tremors are one of the best-known symptoms, Parkinson’s can affect movement, speech, sleep, mood, pain, the autonomic nervous system and cognitive function. Symptoms also differ considerably from one person to another and can develop gradually over time. The World Health Organization describes Parkinson’s as the fastest-growing neurological disorder globally. Its estimates showed that in 2019, more than 8.5 million people were living with Parkinson’s disease worldwide, having doubled over the previous 25 years.

To understand why Parkinson’s can look so different from one person to the next, it helps to understand what is happening inside the brain. At its core, Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder in which nerve cells become damaged and progressively die. One of the areas most affected is a small region deep within the brain called the substantia nigra. The neurons in this area produce dopamine, a chemical messenger that plays an important role in the brain circuits responsible for controlling and coordinating movement.

As these dopamine-producing neurons are lost, communication within these circuits becomes disrupted. The result is not simply that the brain “forgets” how to move. Rather, the finely balanced system that helps initiate, regulate and coordinate movement begins to function differently.

This is why a person may become slower, stiffer, develop a tremor or experience changes in walking and balance. The loss of dopamine alters the activity of the brain’s movement circuits, producing the characteristic motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s.

But Parkinson’s is much more than a disorder of movement. The disease affects several interconnected systems in the brain and nervous system. Researchers have also identified abnormalities involving a protein called alpha-synuclein, which can misfold and accumulate inside nerve cells. These abnormal protein deposits are a major feature of Parkinson’s and are thought to contribute to damage to neurons.

Scientists are also investigating several other processes that may play a role in the disease, including problems with mitochondria – the structures that provide energy to cells – inflammation, oxidative stress and the brain’s ability to clear damaged proteins. These mechanisms are known to be involved in Parkinson’s, but researchers are still working to understand exactly how they interact and which processes happen first.

This is one reason Parkinson’s can produce such a wide range of symptoms. The parts of the nervous system affected by the disease are involved in far more than simply moving an arm or leg. Changes in these networks can contribute to problems with sleep, speech, facial expression, mood, pain and the autonomic nervous system, which regulates functions such as blood pressure and other processes that happen largely without conscious thought.
So, while the loss of dopamine-producing neurons is central to Parkinson’s, it would be an oversimplification to say that the disease is simply about “running out of dopamine”. The deeper scientific question is why those neurons become damaged in the first place. And that is something medicine still does not fully understand.

For most people with Parkinson’s, there is no single known cause. Researchers believe the disease probably develops through a complex interaction of genetic, biological and environmental factors. Understanding how these different processes interact – and why the disease progresses differently from one person to another – remains an important area of research.

In other words, doctors understand a great deal about what Parkinson’s does to the brain. They understand which cells are affected, how dopamine is involved and why many of the symptoms occur. What they do not yet fully understand is why the process begins, why it progresses at different rates in different people, and how it might ultimately be stopped. That gap in understanding is one of the reasons Parkinson’s research remains so important. Yet recognising the disease, particularly in its early stages, can be difficult.

When most people think about Parkinson’s, they picture someone with visibly shaking hands. But not everyone with Parkinson’s has a tremor, and some of the earliest clues may have nothing to do with shaking at all. These less obvious symptoms can include:
Persistent pain or stiffness. Pain, particularly in one shoulder or limb, can sometimes appear before more obvious movement symptoms. In Arrie’s case, severe pain in his left shoulder was, in retrospect, his earliest sign.

Changes in walking or movement. One-sided changes can be significant. An arm that stops swinging naturally, a foot that begins to drag, difficulty getting out of a chair, smaller or slower movements, or a general sense that one side of the body is not moving as it once did can all warrant investigation.

Changes in facial expression. Parkinson’s can reduce spontaneous facial movement, causing what is sometimes described as a masked or less expressive face. Changes in speech and voice can also occur, including softer speech or changes in the way the voice sounds.
Sleep disturbances. Problems with sleep can be associated with Parkinson’s, and certain sleep disorders can occur before more recognisable movement symptoms emerge.

Constipation and bladder problems. Parkinson’s can affect the autonomic nervous system, which regulates functions that happen largely without conscious thought. Constipation, urinary symptoms and blood-pressure changes can therefore form part of the picture.
Changes in mood and mental wellbeing. Anxiety, depression and apathy can occur as part of Parkinson’s and should not necessarily be dismissed as unrelated emotional issues.

Changes in the sense of smell. A reduced sense of smell is another recognised non-motor symptom associated with Parkinson’s.
None of these symptoms, on their own, means that someone has Parkinson’s disease. Many have numerous possible causes. The concern arises when symptoms are persistent, unusual, unexplained or begin appearing together – particularly when there are noticeable changes on one side of the body. That is when connecting the dots becomes important.

For Arrie, the diagnosis eventually made sense of symptoms that had previously seemed disconnected.

“None of these in isolation refers to anything serious, especially if you are used to operating in a high stress environment,” he says. “But when you connect the dots you realise that there’s a systemic problem in your body.”

That observation gets to the heart of why Parkinson’s can be so difficult to identify. There is currently no single blood test, brain scan or other test that definitively diagnoses Parkinson’s disease. Diagnosis is primarily clinical, based on a person's medical history, symptoms and neurological examination. Other tests may be used to support the assessment or rule out other conditions. This means recognising patterns really matters.

A person might initially see a physiotherapist for a painful shoulder, a doctor for sleep problems, or another healthcare professional for anxiety or urinary symptoms without anyone immediately seeing how those seemingly unrelated issues might fit together. Arrie believes this is an area that needs far greater attention.

“Brain diseases aren’t high on the doctors’ lists of possible outcomes,” he says. “I believe something must be done about this.”
Research into Parkinson’s within the South African population remains limited, and there is not currently a robust national prevalence figure that can accurately tell us how many South Africans are living with the disease. South African researchers have specifically highlighted the limited epidemiological data available, while studies have also pointed to increasing Parkinson’s incidence in sub-Saharan Africa.

“We have world-class medical treatments in South Africa,” he says. “The challenge with Parkinson’s and other neurological diseases is that it requires a multidimensional and multidisciplinary approach. This implies an integrated solution, and that is not the way the medical model currently works.”

He believes there may also be people living with Parkinson’s who have not yet been correctly diagnosed or who are unable to access appropriate specialist care. The Arrie Rautenbach Parkinson’s Foundation was established to help change that landscape, with a focus on awareness, education, research, patient and caregiver support, and sustainable funding.

Arrie does not suggest that people should diagnose themselves. Rather, the message is to become more aware of changes that might otherwise be explained away as ageing, stress, arthritis, tiredness or simply “one of those things”. A tremor is not the only reason to ask questions.

“I hope to live a long and fulfilled life with Parkinson’s using my diagnosis as a ‘gift’ to firstly give me purpose and secondly, to make a sustainable difference to help others that are in a similar position.”

For Arrie, that starts with something deceptively simple: helping people understand that Parkinson’s does not always announce itself with a shaking hand, but instead through a variety of other, smaller symptoms. And sometimes, the first step is learning to connect the dots.

Those who would like to contribute to the Foundation’s work in Parkinson’s awareness, education, support and future research can make a donation:
The Arrie Rautenbach Parkinson’s Foundation
Absa Bank
Current Account: 4073783756
Branch Code: 632005

For more information, please visit https://arrieforparkinsons.com/

ENDS
This article is intended for public education and awareness and is not a substitute for medical advice. Parkinson’s disease can present differently from person to person, and symptoms described above can have many possible causes. Anyone experiencing persistent or unexplained symptoms should consult an appropriate healthcare professional.

11/09/2026

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Send a message to learn more

07/09/2026

Issued on behalf of Unu Health

South African health technology recognised internationally for making private healthcare more accessible

Unu Health receives Silver Stevie® Award - New Product of the Year in Healthcare Technology

South African digital health platform Unu Health has received international recognition for its work to make private healthcare more affordable, accessible and convenient, after being awarded Silver at the 2026 Stevie® Awards for Technology Excellence in the New Product of the Year - Healthcare Technology category – through transforming healthcare in South Africa with innovative, market-leading technology.

The award recognises the Unu Health App and its integrated approach to healthcare, which brings together affordable telemedicine, AI-assisted health assessments, preventive care, pathology testing and flexible payment options in a single digital platform.

The third annual Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence attracted more than 700 nominations from organisations of all sizes across 37 nations and territories. The 2026 winners were determined by the average scores of more than 180 professionals worldwide following a two-month judging process.

For Unu Health, the recognition comes as the platform continues to demonstrate how technology can address some of the practical barriers that prevent people from accessing private healthcare.
The judges highlighted the platform's measurable impact, including a 58% reduction in private doctor consultation costs, from R450 to R189, a 63% reduction in medication costs, and average wait time for a for a virtual doctor consultation reduced to approximately five minutes. The platform has also grown to more than 120 000 users and 3 000 B2B health plans, while maintaining a 4.8 rating on Google Play.

One judge described Unu Health’s offering as a “impactful solution addressing a critical real-world challenge”, while another highlighted the platform's ability to combine technology with a meaningful access-and-affordability mission. Judges also recognised the relevance of features such as zero-rated data on the Unu Health App and the CareCard, which allows users to gift healthcare to family members.

“These awards are ultimately about recognising technology that makes a meaningful difference, and we are incredibly proud that the Unu Health platform has been recognised in this way,” says Lance Blumeris of Unu Health. “Our focus has always been on making quality healthcare easier to access and more affordable, particularly for people who may otherwise delay seeing a doctor because of cost, convenience or the time involved. To have an international panel of technology professionals recognise the impact of what we are building in South Africa is incredibly encouraging. This Silver Stevie Award is recognition of the team behind Unu Health and, importantly, of what is possible when technology is designed around customers real healthcare needs.”
A key part of the Unu Health offering is its use of technology to simplify the journey between a person recognising a health concern and receiving appropriate care.

The app includes an AI-powered 50-second facial health scan designed to provide users with an accessible starting point for understanding aspects of their health through their smartphones. The platform also combines digital consultations with preventative healthcare services, helping users access different aspects of their healthcare journey without relying solely on traditional face-to-face healthcare models.

The judges noted that this combination of telemedicine, AI-assisted health assessments and preventive care gives Unu Health a practical role in expanding access to healthcare.

Importantly, the platform's approach extends beyond simply putting a doctor on a screen. Its pay-as-you-go model is designed to reduce the financial barrier associated with private healthcare, while features such as the CareCard voucher recognise that healthcare decisions in South Africa often extend beyond the individual to include family members.

The Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence celebrate individuals, teams and organisations shaping the future of technology across industries. For Unu Health, the Silver award is a milestone in a journey focused on making healthcare easier to access - one consultation, health check and patient interaction at a time.

For more information, please visit www.unuhealth.org

ENDS

Notes to the editor:
About Unu Health
Unu Health is a South African digital healthcare platform designed to make quality healthcare more accessible, affordable and convenient. Through the Unu Health App, users can access a range of healthcare services including telemedicine, preventive health tools, AI-assisted health assessments and pathology services, supported by flexible payment options. The platform is backed by Standard Bank and serves both individual users and businesses through B2C and B2B healthcare offerings.
About the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence
The Stevie® Awards for Technology Excellence recognise the accomplishments of individuals, teams and organisations shaping the future of technology across industries. The 2026 programme attracted more than 700 nominations from organisations in 37 nations and territories, with more than 180 professionals worldwide participating in the judging process.
The Stevie Awards are widely recognised as some of the world's premier business awards. The Stevie Awards receive more than 12 000 nominations each year from organisations in more than 70 nations, recognising outstanding achievements in workplaces around the world.

03/09/2026

Issued on behalf of Breadline Africa

Celebrating five years of PNA Funky Socks Day and the joy of showing up for children

There are partnerships that feel transactional and then there are partnerships that begin to feel like family.

This year, Breadline Africa is celebrating something truly special - five years of being part of the PNA Funky Socks Day campaign as one of the beneficiaries alongside Rally to Read and Matla a Bana.

What started as a playful idea centred around colourful socks has grown into a campaign that brings schools, families and workplaces together in support of children across Southern Africa.

It feels a little surreal to say out loud. Five years.

At Breadline Africa, we are deeply grateful to once again be part of a campaign that reminds us that doing good can also feel joyful. Because sometimes support looks serious and sometimes it looks like bright socks worn with purpose.

The 2026 campaign officially launches on 16 June, a day that holds deep significance as South Africa commemorates Youth Day. National Funky Socks Day will take place on Friday, 11 September 2026.

This year, every R10 sticker sold in South Africa will help support the work of Breadline Africa, Rally to Read and Matla a Bana – organisations united by a shared commitment to children.

For Breadline Africa, funds raised through the campaign will once again help deliver educational resource packs to early childhood development centres in under-resourced communities. Last year, support from Funky Socks Day helped make it possible to provide 50 educational resource packs filled with learning materials and stationery to help young children learn through play.

Marion Wagner, CEO of Breadline Africa, says:

"There is something incredibly joyful about Funky Socks Day. It reminds us that doing good does not always have to feel heavy. Sometimes it looks like bright socks and laughter in a classroom. Sometimes it looks like people showing up for children they may never meet, simply because they care. We are deeply thankful to PNA for walking this journey with us for five years."

Last year’s campaign raised R2 million across Southern Africa. This year, the campaign aims to raise R2.5 million through sticker sales and donations.

Getting involved is simple. Supporters can buy a R10 sticker at PNA stores nationwide or online, order stickers for schools or workplaces or simply pull on their brightest socks on Friday, 11 September.

Because when enough people choose to show up for children, meaningful change begins to feel possible.

For more information, visit https://breadlineafrica.org/celebrating-five-years-of-pna-funky-socks-day-and-the-joy-of-showing-up-for-children/

ENDS

PNA Funky Socks Day is a national fundraising campaign that brings schools, families and workplaces together in support of children in need.

03/09/2026

Issued on behalf of Breadline Africa

The fundraiser is the action. The children and the classroom are the purpose à 47.4 kilometres for a classroom: when dedication doesn't stop at 5pm

When your working day is spent helping communities create better opportunities for children, it can be difficult to switch off when you go home.

For Jaco de K**k and Gail Davids, two members of the Breadline Africa team, that commitment has found its way into something they both love doing in their spare time - running.
On 21 November, Jaco and Gail will each take on 23.7km at the EX23 trail run at RMB Ultra-Trail Cape Town. Together, they will run 47.4km to raise R48,000 towards a new classroom at Khanyisa Educare Centre in Site C, Khayelitsha.

But the story isn't really about the run. It is about the children waiting at the other end of it.

Khanyisa has been part of its community since 1999. Today, 81 young children are being cared for in a centre designed for 60. Breadline Africa has already helped the centre with a kitchen, toilets and a classroom, but more space is urgently needed. A new classroom would ease the overcrowding and give children a safer place to learn and grow.
For Jaco and Gail, this is a chance to take something they already care deeply about and put it towards something tangible.

Their fundraising target is deliberately simple: R1,000 for every kilometre they run. Every kilometre sponsored brings the centre closer to the classroom it needs.
"We work for Breadline Africa because we believe in this cause, and now we want to put our own legs on the line to prove it," says Jaco.

Gail agrees that the motivation goes far beyond crossing a finish line.

The two are hoping their run will inspire others to get involved too. A donation of any size can help turn kilometres into something that will last long after the race is over.

On 21 November, Jaco and Gail will run 47.4km.

For the children at Khanyisa, those kilometres could become a classroom.

Support their fundraiser and help build a better space for the children of Khanyisa Educare Centre: https://www.givengain.com/project/jaco-raising-funds-for-breadline-africa-127530

02/09/2026

Issued on behalf of Lolly To Make You Jolly

Every Capetonian remembers the lolly. It's time we celebrated the people behind it.

Long before smartphones, playlists and food delivery apps, Cape Town had its own soundtrack.

It floated across the beaches of Camps Bay and Clifton on hot summer afternoons, carried by charismatic beach traders whose quick wit was every bit as famous as the ice creams they sold.

"A lolly to make you jolly!"

For generations of Capetonians, those six words were enough to send children sprinting barefoot across the sand while parents searched for loose change and holidaymakers smiled in anticipation. It wasn't just a sales pitch. It was theatre. It was poetry. It was part of growing up in Cape Town.

But behind every familiar chant was a remarkable person, a family, a story and a community that helped shape the spirit of the Mother City.

Now, a new book is ensuring those stories are never forgotten.
Co-authored by former beach trader and community advocate Paul Jacobson and Vinetia Cedras, daughter of the legendary Vincent "Vinna" Cedras, A Lolly to Make You Jolly – In Memory of Our Forgotten People is a heartfelt celebration of Cape Town's beach traders and, above all, the vibrant Cape Coloured community that transformed a simple day at the beach into an unforgettable experience for generations of South Africans.

Rich with humour, heart and history, the book shines a light on the people behind one of Cape Town's most recognisable traditions. It honours their resilience, entrepreneurial spirit, colourful personalities and unwavering pride, while preserving a unique chapter of the city's cultural heritage before it fades from living memory.

For Jacobson, the book is a labour of love inspired by decades spent among people he proudly calls family.

"I traded on the beaches of Camps Bay and Clifton for twelve years, but I have spent more than thirty years among this incredible community," says Jacobson. "People often remember the lolly, the jokes and the laughter, but they don't always remember the extraordinary people behind them. This book is about changing that. It is about celebrating a community that has contributed so much to Cape Town's identity and making sure their stories are remembered with the pride they deserve."

Long before the term "entrepreneur" became fashionable, beach traders were building successful businesses through determination, hard work and an extraordinary gift for connecting with people.
Every day they carried heavy cooler boxes through deep sand under the summer sun. They knew their regular customers by name. They entertained children with playful rhymes, greeted visitors with infectious smiles and somehow managed to make every holiday feel just a little more special.

For many families, they weren't simply vendors.

They became part of the holiday.

The familiar faces who appeared every December.

The storytellers.

The comedians.

The unofficial ambassadors of Cape Town's beaches.

The book captures these memories through the lives of unforgettable characters whose humour, kindness and resilience have become woven into the city's history. Readers discover the origins of the famous beach chants, meet larger-than-life personalities, learn about Zenobia, one of the few women to establish herself in the traditionally male world of beach trading, and uncover the remarkable story of Vinna, affectionately remembered by many as the father of Cape Town's beach traders.
Yet beneath the laughter lies something even more meaningful.
The book is a celebration of a community whose contribution to Cape Town has often gone unrecognised.

For generations, the Cape Coloured community has enriched the city's culture with its humour, creativity, resilience, entrepreneurship and deep sense of family. Through the stories of the beach traders, A Lolly to Make You Jolly pays tribute to that legacy with warmth, authenticity and enormous affection.

For co-author Vinetia Cedras, the project is both deeply personal and profoundly important.

"To many people, my father was simply Vinna, the beach trader everyone knew and loved," says Cedras. "To us, he was our father, our mentor and someone who believed in helping others succeed. Writing this book has allowed us to celebrate not only his life but also the remarkable community he was so proud to be part of.
These stories belong to all of us. They are part of our shared Cape Town heritage."

Rather than dwelling on what has been lost, the authors hope the book reminds South Africans of everything that continues to make the Cape Coloured community so special — its warmth, generosity, resilience, humour and remarkable ability to find joy even during difficult times.

"This book isn't about looking backwards with sadness," Jacobson explains. "It's about looking back with gratitude and pride. The beach traders taught us that dignity comes through hard work, that laughter can brighten anyone's day and that every person has a story worth telling. If readers finish this book feeling proud of our community and our heritage, then we've achieved exactly what we set out to do."

Beautifully illustrated with photographs, memories and poetry, the book captures a way of life that has delighted generations while reminding readers that history is not only found in museums or monuments.

Sometimes it walks barefoot across the sand carrying a cooler box.
As South Africans celebrate Heritage Month, A Lolly to Make You Jolly – In Memory of Our Forgotten People invites readers to rediscover one of Cape Town's most cherished traditions and to celebrate the remarkable people whose voices, laughter and entrepreneurial spirit became part of the soundtrack of every summer.

Because every Capetonian remembers buying the lolly.
Now it is time to remember — and celebrate — the people who made us smile.

A Lolly to Make You Jolly – In Memory of Our Forgotten People by Paul Jacobson and Vinetia Cedras is available now. More than simply a book, it is a heartfelt celebration of the Cape Coloured community, a tribute to Cape Town's legendary beach traders and a lasting reminder that some of our greatest heritage lives not in buildings or monuments, but in the everyday people whose stories deserve to be told and treasured.