Tabla de contenidos para 2021-12-14 en Star

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za THE residential property is set for another year of robust activity and shifting home-ownership trends following 18 months of unexpected recovery and rebound in the market, BetterBond chief executive Carl Coetzee said yesterday. He said semigration is back in full swing with the Western Cape once again being the go-to destination; especially for middle-class Gautengers looking to relocate. Recent data from Lightstone suggested that 35 percent of people moving provinces were going to the Western Cape, up from the 31 percent in 2020. BetterBond’s application volumes for the 12 months ending November increased 27 percent in terms of applications from the Western Cape. Four percent of semigration buyers were moving to smaller but more expensive properties in the province, Lightstone reported. According to BetterBond’s November applications, the…

Viwe Ndongeni-Ntlebi viwe.ndongeni@inl.co.za CALLS to ramp up vaccination and remain vigilant have intensified as South Africa faces the Covid-19 fourth wave. Experts have urged people not to let their guard down as numbers of those who have contracted the Omicron variant have continued to rise. Experts say the Omicron has more than 30 mutations, double those carried by Delta, and this may have an impact on how fast it spreads and the severity of the illness it causes. Most people are already preparing to go on holiday, host family gatherings and social events because the country is still under the relaxed Level 1 lockdown regulations. Experts have warned this would be the time when precautions must be adhered to. South African scientists have reported Omicron appears more likely than earlier…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za SCHOOL reports are coming out this week and the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has reminded parents and guardians that by law no school may withhold a learner’s report for any reason. Following a year disrupted by school closures and a rotational timetable, the 2021 academic year is coming to an end tomorrow. Learners from across the country will this week receive their final school reports and the DBE advised parents and guardians that no school is allowed, by law, to withhold a learner’s report. This is informed by Section 29 (12) of the National Protocol for Assessment of Grades R to 12, which prohibits public and private schools from withholding report cards. The directive states that a report card is issued as the only official document…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za A FIVE-YEAR dispute as to whether a Shoprite Checkers clerk was slapped on the backside by her manager came to head when the Labour Court ordered the retail giant to pay her R25 000 in damages. The chain appealed the findings of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) and was partly successful. The court halved the damages awarded to the woman, only identified as JL. The CCMA awarded her R50 000 but on Friday Judge Robert Lagrange ordered that R25 000 was fair. In another partial win for Shoprite, the judge overturned the finding by the arbitrator that the woman was constructively dismissed or that her dismissal was procedurally unfair. The woman was dismissed after her now former employer claimed that she…

Lehlohonolo Mashigo lehlohonolo.mashigo@inl.co.za THE Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) council has appointed new council members and is looking to create a transformed, inclusive and sustainable housing sector, under the direction of the newly-appointed chairperson Busisiwe Nzo. Nzo said SHRA was not just a social housing entity which looks at property development, they look at the bigger picture. “We bring families together, we bring people closer to work and we bring children closer to good schools. I look forward to driving the SHRA forward with this energetic new council as we continue to empower social housing institutions to create homes for our people,” said Nzo. Nzo said that there was an interest from everyone to take the organisation forward and she looked forward to seeing what the council can achieve.…

Itumeleng Mafisa itumeleng.mafisa@inl.co.za JOHANNESBURG mayor Mpho Phalatse is confident the members of her new multiparty mayoral committee are the right people to govern the city. Phalatse unveiled her team at the Johannesburg Metro Centre in Braamfontein, following intense negotiations between the DA and its coalition partners, including Action SA, the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) and the IFP. Phalatse announced the names and portfolios of the following MMCs: the DA’s Julie Suddaby, for finance; Leah Knott (DA) for group corporate and shared services; Action SA’s Funzela Ngobeni for transport; Belinda Echeozonjoku (DA) for development planning; the IFP’s Mlungisi Providence Mabaso for housing; Nkuli Mbundu (Action SA) for economic development; Franco de Lange (FF+) for health and social development; Ronald Winston Harris (ACDP) for community development; Michael Sun (DA) for…

Staff Reporter SAVED from a life-threatening condition by an advanced keyhole blood transfusion procedure at 25 weeks while still in his mother’s womb, baby Mihle’s parents could not be happier with the way everything has turned out, recently welcoming a second child – a healthy baby girl named Asimdumise. “Mihle is a very clever little boy,” says proud mother Ntombenhle Biyela. “He notices everything, wants to try everything and does not want to fail at anything. He knows all the advertisements and cartoons on television and right now he is applying his mind to speaking English, and he already speaks it well. He also knows the alphabet. I will always thank God for this happy outcome and for the way Mihle has developed.” When Mihle was born on February 12,…

Peter Bachtis | Benoni DECEMBER, a month when our beloved senior citizens anxiously await their pensions from government, to have some enjoyment on Christmas Day. Payments should be made before December 25. Instead our esteemed finance minister will only release payments on January 4, 2022. It is scandalous the pension payout is meagre, yet the fat cat politicians will be enjoying their glutinous Christmas dinners and lunches, after receiving their salaries before Christmas Day. To the president I say ... “It is time you and your inner circle develop a conscience about the plight of the elderly and their needs ... you should be embarrassed by your insensitivity, and why has your government not considered a double payment at this time of year?” There is NO excuse. ”Pay…

Joanna Masinge The year 1990 marked a turning point in South Africa’s history. Many key events took place. For instance, the many freedom fighters, who fought against the apartheid regime for a free democratic South Africa, were released from prison. This is just one of the events that paved the way for the first democratic elections in 1994. The election led to the first black president of our country and to the democratic South Africa we live in today. However, with almost 30 years since the apartheid regime ended, will racism ever come to an end? Many men, women and children lost their lives over the years, fighting for freedom. In many ways, they achieved the freedom they longed for. They succeeded to overthrow a government that was based…

Tigray rebels have recaptured the north Ethiopian town of Lalibela, home to a Unesco world heritage site, local residents said, 11 days after Ethiopian forces said they had re-taken control. The announcement marks another dramatic twist in the 13-month-old conflict that has killed thousands of people and triggered a deep humanitarian crisis in the north of Africa’s second most populous nation. Tigrayan fighters “are in the town centre, there’s no fighting”, said a resident reached by telephone on Sunday. “Yes they came back. They are already here,” said a second resident, adding that they appeared to have come from the east, in the direction of Woldiya. “The population, most of the people are scared. Some are running away. Most of the people, they already left because there might be…

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Sunday sacked Gernot Rohr as coach of the national men’s team after several weeks of speculation concerning his future due to poor performances. The 68-year-old German, who had been Super Eagles coach since August 2016, had a contract with Nigeria until December 2022. “The relationship between the Nigeria Football Federation and Mr Rohr has come to an end,” said NFF general secretary Mohammed Sanusi in a statement. “We thank him for his services to the Super Eagles and Nigeria.” Rohr led Nigeria to the 2018 World Cup and guided the team to third place at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. Rohr has also qualified the Eagles for next year’s Africa Cup in Cameroon, but he recently came under fire for poor…

HERMAN GIBBS Nkosingiphile Ngcobo produced a cameo which underpinned a Premiership match-winning performance by an under-prepared Kaizer Chiefs amid fears they would run out of steam against the hitherto high-flying Sekhukhune United on Sunday. Chiefs’ stand-in coach Arthur Zwane, in the absence of Covid-19-hit head honcho Stuart Baxter, said after his team’s 2-0 win that the match preparation was far from ideal because of an outbreak of the virus in their camp. “It is has been a very, very tough fortnight coming into this match,” said Zwane. “The players returned to training in drips and drabs. We produced a good performance this evening. I never thought they would play for 90 minutes. Credit to the boys. “I think we planned very well, and it worked for us. We had…

Sonri Naidoo sonri.naidoo@inl.co.za THE Department of Social Development, in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) launched a report on basic income support for 18-years-old to 59-years-old. The expert panel was made up of a mix of economic and related disciplines, including specialist expertise in the field of social protection and specialist expertise in microsimulation. Panel chairperson Alex van der Heever announced that a recommendation was made to the government to institutionalise the social relief of distress grant with a Basic Income Support of R1 500 monthly, aimed at 18- to 59-year-olds who are unemployed. Van der Heever said the reason for this was that more than half of the households in South Africa lived in poverty. “Nearly 12 million people and four million…

Sonri Naidoo sonri.naidoo@inl.co.za WHILE other countries within the Southern African region are doing all they can to mitigate the effects of the fourth wave of Covid-19 infections, eSwatini’s King Mswati III and his government is bucking the trend by relaxing restrictions, leaving room for a possible spike in infections. King Mswati’s government has relaxed nationwide restrictions on the movement of people by removing the 9pm curfew imposed early this year. The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) believes the reason for this decision is that the king is desperate to lure as many people as possible to his super-spreader event known as Incwala. Incwala is believed to be eSwatini’s most important cultural event which has taken place for hundreds of years. It is one of the last remaining examples of what was…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za RAPPER Cassper Nyovest was left beaming with excitement after being announced as the artist of the decade at the SA Hip Hop virtual Awards. The SA hip hop awards are an annual prestigious event that celebrates artists for their hard work in the hip hop industry. The award-winning star faced off with other great artists such as Khuli Chana, KO, Kwesta, Ricky Rick, Zakwe, Gigi Lamayne, Emtee, Nadia Nakai, Nasty C, Reason, Stogie T, Youngstacpt, A Reece, Da Les and AKA. After receiving the news on Saturday night, Refiloe Phoolo took to his social platforms with excitement and thanked his fans. “Come on now, call me Artist of the Decade, or else I am not responding. Thank you so much to all the fans. My team. God.…

FAROUK ARAIE | Johannesburg MANKIND watches in anguish and trepidation as a dramatic and virus-infested, both digital and biological, 2021 comes to an end. A global disaster such as a full scale nuclear conflict, a new pandemic in 2022 or a new generation of Artificial Intelligence could have grave consequences for the well-being of humanity in the years ahead. Man’s quest for superiority has made this era of Earth’s history the most perilous ever. 2021 was a brutal year for humanity. Covid-19 snatched the lives of 5.3 million people globally. We lost our loved ones under harrowing circumstances. Livelihoods were lost, economies were shattered, poverty enveloped the world. The weapons of war, continued to dismember innocent civilians in an orgy of destruction that graphically displayed man’s savagery. 2021…

“DID you really leave him for threatening to beat you?” I was once asked. I was in a relationship with a man for almost seven years. Throughout hat time, he would threaten to beat me up. “I will f*** you up one day,” he would say. Then one day, when he couldn’t reach me on my phone, he camped outside the building where I lived. I was working as a cashier at a clothing store and we had stocktaking that day. I was always unreachable while at work and he knew that. What happened to anger him that day, left me puzzled. For safety reasons, my manager was dropping off my female colleagues and I. It was just after 9pm when I climbed out of his car. I heard a…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Indonesia yesterday, kicking off a visit to Southeast Asia aimed at strengthening ties in a region that has become a strategic battleground between Washington and Beijing. Blinken will be in Malaysia and Thailand after visiting Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, where he will today give a speech on US Indo-Pacific strategy. Blinken will pursue US President Joe Biden’s aim of elevating engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc. | Reuters…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za Schoolboy rugby games in South Africa quite often draw bigger crowds than Currie Cup games due to an incredible passion that has been bred over many decades – many historic schools are well over a hundred years old – and with each unfolding year, legacies continue to grow and blossom. The point has been reached where there is a growing criticism that the desperation to win has distorted the ethos of schoolboy rugby and that the players are, in fact, junior professionals before they have left school. The merit of that criticism is an argument for another day and for now, this beautifully displayed coffee table book celebrates the remarkable history of the game at school level, a history that in some cases goes back more than…

All Blacks fullback Jordie Barrett said he would be interested in making a short-term code switch to play in Australia’s National Rugby League. “To be honest, every off-season or every time I’m sitting there watching a rugby league game, I think I’d love to go over there and play some league just for a season,” the 24-year-old with 36 caps for New Zealand told the What A Lad podcast. “I’m not sure what position I’d play, but I’d love to go over there and give it a crack, who knows.” Several current All Blacks have previously expressed an interest in playing in the competition. Ardie Savea said he was keen to test himself in the 13-man code but then signed a new four-year contract with New Zealand Rugby last month.…

Paris Saint-Germain will play Real Madrid while Liverpool take on Inter Milan in two of the standout ties in the last 16 of the Champions League after an embarrassed Uefa was forced to redo yesterday’s draw following a “technical problem”. PSG had initially been paired with Manchester United, but the reworked draw sees them play Real, while the Old Trafford side will face Spanish champions Atletico Madrid. Uefa had earlier blamed a “material error” due to a “technical problem with the software of an external service provider” as it announced that the draw for the first knockout round of its flagship competition would have to be redone. With the draw being streamed live from Uefa’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, the problem was made evident when United’s name was drawn to…

England have spoken to officials about speeding up their play after being docked five World Test Championship (WTC) points and their entire match fee for failing to get through their required overs against Australia in the first Ashes Test. Joe Root’s side were ruled to be five overs short in the nine-wicket defeat at the Gabba in Brisbane after time allowances were taken into consideration, with match referee David Boon, the former Australia Test opener, imposing the sanction. Players are fined 20% of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, while the team is penalised one point for each over short. “What hurts most is the Test championship points,” England coach Chris Silverwood told British media. “This hits the lads in the…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker is hoping to remedy his team’s recent lack of scoring at training this week ahead of their Premiership clash against Baroka FC on Saturday. Stellenbosch were riding the crest of a wave at the beginning of the season when they went on an 11-game unbeaten run. Although still in a credible fifth place on the league standings - level on 23 points with third-placed Orlando Pirates - they have only picked up two points from their last five matches. Stellenbosch have always been a team that creates chances even when they just avoided relegation last season. Their early-season form also showed what they are capable of after the arrival of quality strikers such as Judas Moseamedi and Waseem Isaacs. But now not…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za MAMELODI Sundowns wing-back Aubrey Modiba is wary of the threat posed by strugglers Baroka FC, saying that the Ga-Mphahlele-based outfit will throw everything at them in their bid to turn around their fortunes in the Premiership today. At the halfway mark in the league, Sundowns are at the summit of the standings with 37 points thanks to 11 wins and four draws. That is in stark contrast to Baroka, who are at the foot of the table with 10 points. The teams head into their six-pointer on the back of contrasting fortunes, Sundowns defeating SuperSport United on Saturday, and Baroka drawing 0-0 with Cape Town City. But Modiba knows that Sundowns are not untouchables. “Every team in the league is gunning for the points. They are obviously…

Kelly-Jane Turner The Department of Health is closely monitoring how the Omicron variant behaves during the beginning of the fourth wave of Covid-19 in the country as it will determine recommendations on lockdown restrictions. Health Minister Joe Phaahla said at a media briefing on Friday that the National Coronavirus Command Council is expected to meet early next week to re-evaluate the country's lockdown restrictions in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases. The Omicron variant has been driving infection rates and has been the dominant variant in the past week of sequencing, accounting for more than 80% of cases, said Phaahla. “In terms of our recommendations, we will be looking not only at the numbers, but also the impact on the health-care facilities, the economy and social activities in society,”…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za IT is likely that Oscar Pistorius will spend yet another Christmas in jail as he has not yet met with June and Barry Steenkamp – the parents of Reeva Steenkamp – as part of his victim/offender dialogue in view of his possible parole. Both Tania Koen, lawyer and spokesperson for the Steenkamp family, as well as the legal representatives of the disgraced athlete Julian Knight yesterday confirmed to The Star’s sister paper, the Pretoria News, that the parties had not yet seen each other. Pistorius was transferred to a prison in Gqebera in the Eastern Cape about two weeks ago with the purpose to meet the Steenkamp family. The meeting is for the parties to speak to each other as part of Pistorius’s forthcoming parole hearing eight…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za SOUTH Africans always welcome a chance to cheer for their own with open arms, particularly when they are well-represented along with other global stars. Twitter was left enthralled after Black Coffee appeared in a video shared by Mercedes-AMG Petronas, where several well-known international stars were sending messages of support to renowned racer Lewis Hamilton ahead of his F1 finale race battle on Sunday. What had fans bursting with pride is the appearance of their favourite Nkosinathi Maphumulo, known as Black Coffee, among the A-listers chanting “come on champ, let’s go, let's go!”. The video featured popular personalities such as legendary actor Samuel Jackson, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, singer Justin Bieber, legendary actor Robert De Niro, Gayle King and sports figures such as Dan Carter and Antony…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za POPULAR amapiano hitmaker Duduzile Ngwenya, also known as Lady Du, has spoken out on the issue of cyberbullying, which she believes also affects well-known personalities. Cyberbullying is an increasingly common problem across social media platforms, and Lady Du has decided to take a stand against it. With the challenges that people are faced with daily, celebrities also hope that they can be treated with compassion. Lady Du wrote a lengthy post about how negative comments affected well-known people. “OK, OK. I have been seeing so many people go through so much because of cyberbullying. One thing about me, I make sure that I check on all of my friends and colleagues in the piano industry. Guys, your negative comments affect people. We know the country is going…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-leigh.solomons@iinl.co.za PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa’s Covid-19 diagnosis is causing him to delay his vaccine booster shot which he was scheduled to receive this week. Despite this, the president is said to be in good spirits while fighting his mild coronavirus symptoms, said Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele. The country had been waiting with bated breath this week to hear whether the next “family meeting” could see stricter restrictions as the fourth wave looms. Ramaphosa was expected to meet with the National Coronavirus Command Council this week. Independent Media followed up with the Office of the Presidency numerous times yesterday, but had not received confirmation at the time of print. Deputy President David Mabuza has in the interim taken over Ramaphosa’s responsibilities. Ramaphosa on Sunday tested positive after…

Chantal Lascaris ALONGSIDE the special moments with loved ones, the good food, and the great memories, the festive season can sometimes be a bit… overwhelming. While having people around for a few days can be wonderful, there can come a point when enough is too much, and being a gracious host comes back to bite you. For good reason, it seems, there are a number of proverbs in multiple cultures and languages around the world that express the same sentiment: a fish and a house guest can start to smell after three days. While we’re not interpreting it literally, it invokes a familiar sense of festive stress that can arise from guests who overstay their welcome, which can make the holidays feel a little like hard work. South Africa’s own…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THE City of Cape Town’s recently gazetted animal keeping by-law, which directs that all dogs and cats over six months must be sterilised, unless the owner obtains a permit from the city, has been met with mixed reaction. It has also garnered criticism over how it would be enforced when “backyard breeders” can still use online marketplace websites and possibly bypass local authorities. The new by-law states: “Keeping, breeding, or selling any animal within the scope of business or economic activities requires an authorisation from the city. “An application to keep an unsterilised animal, must be in writing on a prescribed form, in accordance with relevant city policies and standard operating procedures and must be accompanied by the prescribed fee.” Animal Welfare Society of SA said the…

After two devastating years that decimated the lives and livelihoods of millions of people, South Africa has not learnt the lessons from global public health and economic responses to a once-in-a-century pandemic and recession. During 2021, the country reeled from the effects of two deadly variants. The premature withdrawal of an inadequate fiscal stimulus and the implementation of an over-the-top lockdown that did not allocate a cent towards relief for millions who would suffer from its ruinous impact contributed towards the July riots, which resulted in 342 deaths and wreaked havoc on the economy. An unprecedented 1 122 hours of load shedding by November 20, including during the week of the municipal polls, impeded economic recovery. The ANC’S electoral support fell to 46.1%, with 54.4% of eligible voters deciding to…

US emergency workers have been searching for survivors of ferocious tornadoes that killed dozens of people across several states and left towns in ruins, as the governor of hard-hit Kentucky warned that cadaver dogs were still finding bodies. US President Joe Biden called the rare late-season burst of twisters in the US heartland “one of the largest” storm outbreaks in American history, and has declared a major federal disaster in Kentucky. He had previously issued an emergency declaration for the hard-hit state, but upgraded it at the governor’s request to allow for additional aid. Both federal and local officials have cautioned the death toll, for now at 94, could still rise. While the heads of the Homeland Security Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) went to Kentucky to…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za The Shark Tank begins another chapter in its illustrious life on January 1 when it is renamed Hollywoodbets Kings Park, marking a significant growth in investment by the proudly Durban company in KwaZulu-Natal rugby. Hollywoodbets is a flourishing Durban company that is boldly entering the European market – you will see the name on the jerseys of English Premiership club Brentford – and with the Sharks now competing in Europe in the United Rugby Championship, it makes sense for them to build on the associate sponsorship they have held until now. The company has done a fine job of supporting club rugby in KZN. Jonsson Workwear currently holds the naming rights to Kings Park and the good news for the Sharks is that they will continue their…