Tabla de contenidos para 2021-12-23 en Star

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za SANLAM’S share price rose by 1.03 percent to R57.96 a share yesterday after it announced talks with German insurer Allianz SE about a deal that could potentially see the local assurance and financial services group exiting its African businesses. Sanlam said it was exploring “various strategic alternatives” with Allianz, Europe’s leading insurer, in relation to their respective African business units. Allianz is a leading global corporate insurance carrier providing risk consultancy, property-casualty insurance solutions and alternative risk transfer for a wide spectrum of commercial, corporate and speciality risks across 10 dedicated lines of business. It has a small operation in Africa, including in countries such as Nigeria and Senegal. Although Sanlam did not go into details, the deal will exclude Sanlam’s home operations in South Africa.…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za MAS, THROUGH its subsidiaries, is selling its hotel property and adjacent public square in Edinburgh, Scotland, which is likely to result in proceeds of about €27 million (R482m), the company said yesterday. The purchaser is Pandox Thistle, a special purpose vehicle held by Pandox AB, a leading owner of hotel properties in Northern Europe, with a focus on sizeable hotels in leisure and corporate destinations. MAS, which is some 6.47 percent held by Attacq and 7.9 percent by the Government Employees Pension Fund, has a strategy of disposing of Western European property and redeploying capital to investments in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), which it believes is now more attractive. The transaction is a result of this strategy. In a pre-close statement prior to…

THE BATTLE FOR BRITNEY: FANS, CASH AND CONSERVATORSHIP M-NET, DSTV CHANNEL 101, 7.30PM The film seeks to uncover the truth behind the conservatorship Britney Spears has been under for the past 13 years. LIE WITH ME M-NET, DSTV CHANNEL 101, 9.35PM A riveting British series. A British woman and her husband seek a fresh start in Australia after infidelity threatens their marriage. They hire a young nanny who isn’t as innocent as she appears. BOXING DAY SHOWMAX Unable to afford to bury their gogo, Vele and her hot-headed younger brother become amateur kidnappers on Christmas Day, taking a government minister hostage in exchange for ransom money they want to use to celebrate her life and give her a fitting farewell.…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za ALL the Accounting and Business Studies matric examination scripts that were affected in the storm that damaged a marking centre in Free State have been accounted for. Last week a storm tore the roof off the Albert Moroka High School marking centre in Thaba-Nchu, Free State, while marking was under way. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) said in the chaos that followed, markers on site acted swiftly to save scripts and other documents in the hall where marking was taking place. A team from DBE, the Free State Education Department led by head of department advocate Tsoarelo Malakoane, accompanied by Umalusi chief executive Dr Mafu Rakometsi and supported by school governing body members, Sadtu and Natu provincial leadership visited the damaged the school to conduct…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za A DIVORCED father of two children, aged 9 and 11, turned to court to obtain an interdict against his former wife, to prevent her using corporal punishment on the children. The father, who cannot be identified in order to protect the children, claimed that his wife smacked the children and that this is causing them emotional turmoil. He asked the High Court in Johannesburg to interdict the mother from physically disciplining the children in any manner whatsoever, pending the outcome of a forensic social worker report. The mother, on the other hand, said she has never hit her children. The father wanted the social worker to investigate whether it was not better that the children mostly lived with him. During their divorce they were given joint custody,…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za RISING star Prince Moabi, known as Young Prince, shares his journey of breaking into the industry and the challenges that come with it. The 23-year-old, originally from Botswana, said he came to South Africa to seek greener pastures and pursue his career. He shared with The Star how he had always had a knack for singing from a young age and entered competitions to showcase his talent. The star is not only a singer. In 2019, he made appearances in some of South Africa’s biggest TV dramas such as the Generations: The Legacy and The Queen. “The first time shooting Generations I felt like I was dreaming, being on set with my favourite actors and actress. The experience was amazing, I was treated like a superstar.” Moabi…

MOHAMED SAEED | Pietermaritzburg CHRISTMAS is heralded as a season of peace and goodwill, a festivity that Christian Palestinians have not known for more than 70 years. As Christians celebrate Christmas around the globe and all attention is focused on Bethlehem, the site of the Nativity (birth) of Jesus Christ, most people do not know that Bethlehem is in Palestine, separated and partitioned from Jerusalem by the apartheid or separation wall. According to Christian tradition, Bethlehem houses important historical and biblical religious sites such as the Church of the Nativity and the Shepherds’ Field – the spot where angels first announced the birth of Christ. However, due to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands, checkpoints, Israel’s mushrooming settlements in the West Bank and its wall, access to Jerusalem and…

MALCOLM MITCHELL | Hillcrest MEDIA reports on the recent investigation into the affairs of Cricket South Africa (CSA) suggest that AB de Villiers influenced the selection of Dean Elgar over another player as the opening batsman for the South African cricket team some years ago. If this is indeed correct it highlights the amazing perceptive ability of “AB” in rating cricketers. Since his selection for South Africa Elgar has had an outstanding record as a cricket test opener. There are many statistics which substantiate this viewpoint, including Elgar being currently rated only below Latham of New Zealand as the best Test opener in world cricket. He has a high test run average for an opener and in addition is a useful left hand spin bowler. A few years…

A landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar yeserday killed at least one person, injured 25 and left dozens missing, officials said. Scores die each year working in the country’s poorly regulated jade trade. The disaster struck at a mine in Hpakant township close to the Chinese border in Kachin state. Hundreds of diggers had returned there during the rainy season to dig in open-cast mines, activists said. Fading light forced Myanmar rescuers to call off the search for those feared missing. | AFP…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za ANGLO American plc yesterday re- ported a drop in rough diamond sales from De Beers ahead of the Christmas break for southern African polishing factories. De Beers is the world’s biggest diamond producer by volume and is 85 percent owned by globally diversified mining house, Anglo. De Beers expects sales value of rough diamonds for the tenth sales cycle of 2021 sold between December 6 to December 21, 2021, to dip to $332 million (about R5.25 billion) down from $438m in the ninth sales cycle of 2021 and $452m recorded in the tenth sales cycle a year ago. De Beers CEO Bruce Cleaver said: “Rough diamond demand and midstream sentiment continued to be positive in the final sales cycle of 2021, although as anticipated we…

ALEX TEDDER THERE are clear risks to global equities next year, especially since valuations are relatively extended, particularly in the US, and pricing power will be key from an investment perspective. Supply chain disruption should di- minish in most industries in 2022 The significant disruption to supply chains in 2021, largely linked to Covid-19-related capacity shutdowns and transportation bottlenecks, is likely to diminish as we move into 2022. Supply chain backlogs historically adjust rapidly after periods of stress, as the market responds to higher demand and re-builds inventory. We see no reason to assume this won’t be the case in 2022, and indeed freight shipping rates have started to fall. Global shipping indices signal easing supply pressures However, energy prices are likely to remain elevated. The economic recovery…

Shingai Darangwa shingai.darangwa@inl.co.za Despite his incredibly successful year, Cassper Nyovest can’t seem to shake off the naysayers. Last week was a huge week for the Siyathandana hitmaker as he hosted a celebrity-heavy gathering at his mansion to celebrate his birthday and the launch of his tequila, Billiato. He also bought himself a new McLaren, valued in the region of R5 million. That didn’t stop infamous internet troll Nota Baloyi, who is rapper Kwesta’s former manager, from chiming in and criticising the rapper for apparently lying about buying cars that were not really his. Nota joined the Everything SA Music podcast and said Daytona chief executive Justin Divaris gave The McLaren to Nyovest to use for a short period. “Nota reveals that Cassper Nyovest didn’t buy (a) McLaren. Apparently, that dealership…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE SOUTH African National Blood Service (SANBS) is appealing to the public to donate blood and boost blood supply ahead of the Christmas weekend, with stock at a critically low level. The SANBS said yesterday that the organisation had less than three days stock of group O blood. “The SANBS is urgently appealing to all potential and existing blood donors that are due to donate to visit a SANBS donation site to donate their precious unit blood,” the non-profit organisation said. The high number of road crashes during the holiday season results in blood being in higher demand than at any other time of the year. Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula released the preliminary festive season fatalities statistics yesterday and revealed that the country has experienced a…

Sonri Naidoo WITH Christmas just a few days away, plans to enjoy a meal on the day with family and friends are well under way. Radio 702 host Clement Manya- thela of The Clement Manyathela Show says he’ll be travelling to his home village at Vaalbank in Mpumalanga to be with family and his childhood friends. “On Christmas Day, my family and I will celebrate over a meal filled with different kinds of meat. My brother and I will prepare it,” says Manyathela. He says they enjoy their meals with bubbly and music. This will be the second festive season in a row that the country will be spending under a Covid-19 lockdown. Manyathela says he assumes South Africans are more appreciative of life now than they were a year…

KUDZAI CHIKOWORE | Human rights activist IT’S sad to note that Zimbabwean migrants are scattered across the globe. Countries with the biggest diaspora populations include South Africa, the UK, Australia, Canada and the US. The mass movement of Zimbabweans from their beloved home country has mainly hinged on poor leadership, corruption, bad governance and instability in the economic sphere. Today extreme poverty and unemployment are endemic in the country, driven by the shrinking economy and hyper-inflation. Widespread poverty and violence, including government violence to stifle political opposition, have diluted investor confidence. South Africans are tired of Zimbabwean migrants and the government has decided not to renew the Zimbabwe Special Permit. There is no end in sight to the influx of Zimbabweans into South Africa as President Emmerson…

DURING the period July 9 to 17 South Africa experienced violent protests and socio-political unrest characterised by widespread looting of shops and businesses, as well as burning and destruction of public facilities and private properties, mostly in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Gauteng. The socio-political unrest and violence were largely sparked by initial low-intensity and sporadic protests in parts of KZN against the arrest and imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma. There has been wide-ranging debate across the country on whether the “Free Zuma” protests, looting and socio-political unrest was caused by the imprisonment of Zuma or not. Political and social tensions, mostly in KZN and Gauteng, started to intensify when the former president started appearing before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and…

Singapore suspended quarantine-free travel bookings and Australia renewed its vaccination push yesterday as surging Omicron infections just days before Christmas forced authorities to impose new curbs and expedite booster shots. Governments globally have tightened social mobility restrictions and made urgent pleas for citizens to vaccinate as Omicron emerges as the dominant strain of the coronavirus, upending reopening plans that many hoped would herald the start of a post-pandemic era in 2022. The northern Chinese city of Xi’an yesterday ordered all 13 million residents to stay home in a strict lockdown as concern grows over a fresh outbreak of Covid-19. All households may only “send one household member outside once every two days to purchase necessities”, with all others ordered to remain indoors except for emergencies, the city government said in…

GIVEN Msimango deflected a Judas Moseamedi cross into his own net in the 87th minute as Stellenbosch FC stole a 1-0 victory over TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium yesterday afternoon. After a resilient performance from both defences on the day, Stellenbosch carved a way into the Galaxy box late on, Moseamedi looking to find a teammate played his cross onto the feet of Msimango who horridly toe-poked it into his own net. Both sides were looking to kick-off their last matches for the year with a victory in the scorching heat of Nelspruit. Galaxy would’ve been rubbing their hands as they welcomed a Stellies side without their influential midfield duo in Junior Mendieta and Nathan Sinkala. Sead Ramovic’s Galaxy went into this encounter on a four game…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za FOOD PRICES are set to spike following developments in the year including spiralling fuel costs, the looting and mayhem in July, Eskom blackouts, emergence of the Omicron virus as well as substantially higher insurance costs. In a notice yesterday, food producer Eskort said South Africa is facing its highest petrol price surge in history with a litre costing more than R20, which is directly impacting the price of food. The Basic Fuel Price reflects the costs of purchasing petroleum pro-ducts from international markets, and the costs related to shipping these products to South Africa. “This cost is largely influenced by the international price of crude oil, a weak rand-dollar exchange rate and high local taxes. “But while the spread of globalisation means economic tremors in one part…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za THE SPAR GROUP has set the basic salary of new chief executive Brett Botten at R7.5 million compared with the R8.6m received by predecessor Graham O’Connor, who retired in March this year, according to the group’s integrated 2021 annual report published yesterday. O’Connor moved on to become the board’s non-executive chairperson, following the retirement of Mike Hankinson, who has chaired Spar South Africa since 2004. The group said in determining Botten’s salary package, the remuneration committee considered O’Connor’s salary, the market trends and Botten’s experience. Before taking the reins as chief executive in March 2021, Botten was managing director of the Spar South Rand division from 2010. He joined the company in 1994. Botten, who is a member of the Spar Guild of Southern Africa,…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za MEDIA personality Dineo Ranaka has sparked a lot of debate on Twitter after a heated video with her ex-boyfriend, Sechaba Thole, went viral. The 38-year-old was instantly placed at the top trends with her video doing rounds across social media platforms where she was throwing verbal remarks at Thole about clout and fame.This happened in the presence of Thole’s friends. The Metro FM presenter was heard telling the man that she never loved him but she used him to heal, while he used people for his ego. “The problem is you think you know me and you know too much. I used you to heal, you use people to blow your ego. “If you got excited about my small little crush on you, I was going through…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za IT ALL started when young music sensations banded together to make a smash hit song, not knowing that later it would give rise to a much-loved dance challenge. Chicco collaborated with popular fellow South African duo Mellow and Sleazy, and created a summer anthem called Nkao Tempela (to show off). As soon as it was known by everyone, most people on TikTok and Instagram were making use of it in their reels and joining hundreds of others who took part in the challenge to recreate the dance moves seen in the viral video. The challenge saw the Scandal crew taking part, Thabsie, Cici and Linda Mtoba. Chicco, whose real name is Shiko Matlebjane, has been in the music industry for some time. Many have tagged him as…

Khotso KD Moleko | Bloemfontein PERHAPS someone might care to explain to me what could be the reason the taxi industry is policing routes and doing the job of traffic officers? Then the same taximen are able to break many rules of the road and even claim to have the ability to maintain law and order. If that is the occurrence, then we do not need the service of trained policemen and women, we just need the taxi drivers to solve crime problems and probe investigations with their knobkerries and sticks. I have tried to understand precisely where the taxi drivers get the authority to force people out of private vehicles into their taxis. On national routes, the taxi drivers have the capacity and apparently the legal right…

THE name “Christmas” goes back about 1 000 years, originally in the compound form “Cristes maesse” in Old English, supplanting the ancient pagan word “Yule”, still heard in the north of Britain. It should have survived without difficulty, but after the Reformation, anti-Catholic extremists commented that the word “carried a sting in the tail”, namely “mass”. When the Puritans came to power under Oliver Cromwell, they even banned Christmas, arguing (rightly) that conspicuous consumption of food and drink was not sanctioned by the Bible. It was around this time that the form “Xmas” arose, keeping the “mass” but using the Greek symbol “X” for “Christ”. For a few decades now, the currency of the word “Christmas” has been in decline. In societies prone to political correctness the traditional salutation “Happy…

The EU said yesterday it was launching legal action against Poland for ignoring EU law and undermining the independence of its national judiciary. The step escalates a long-running feud between Warsaw and Brussels over Poland’s perceived backsliding on EU democratic norms. Brussels is already withholding approval of Covid-19 recovery funds for Poland over the row. Poland’s Deputy Justice Minister Sebastian Kaleta hit back by calling the EU announcement an attack on Polish sovereignty. | AFP…