Table of contents for 2021-07-13 in Star

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE growth in South Africa’s industrial production has slowed as the restrictions associated with the latest wave of Covid-19 remain a risk to its third quarter performance. Data from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) showed that manufacturing production advanced 35.3 percent year-on-year in May following an upwardly revised 88.1 percent record jump in April. This was partly due to low base effects from last year when production plunged amid the initial effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. StatsSA said the main positive contributions came from the manufacture of motor vehicles, parts and accessories, and other transport equipment . Basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery; food and beverages; and wood and wood products, paper, publishing and printing also went up. Investec’s economist Lara Hodes…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za President Cyril Ramaphosa has taken a hard line against the ongoing unrest and rampant looting in South Africa, saying that the government will do everything in its power to restore law and order on the streets. Business activity ground to a halt yesterday as factories and stores closed for fear of falling victim to criminal elements after sporadic events of industrial-scale looting in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. South Africa has witnessed untold unrest that started with the torching of trucks after the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma at the Estcourt Correctional Centre for 15 months. He was found guilty of contempt of court. Addressing the nation last night, Ramaphosa said the government had mobilised all available resources and capabilities to restore order, protect property and safeguard social…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za PROSUS has released a prospectus that details the share swop transaction with its parent company Naspers, whereby Prosus will acquire no more than 197.41 million Naspers N ordinary shares. The group said the exchange offer was voluntary and was made on a pro rata basis in terms of which Naspers N shareholders were entitled to exchange their Naspers N ordinary shares for new Prosus N ordinary shares in accordance with the exchange ratio of 2.27443 new Prosus N ordinary shares for each Naspers N ordinary share tendered. The release of the prospectus follows after 90 percent of Prosus shareholders voted in favour of the deal last Friday. The intention is to reduce Naspers’s weighting on the JSE. Prosus has a 28.9 percent stake in Chinese…

Jamal Grootboom jamald.grootboom@inl.co.za Controversial poet Ntsiki Mazwai has added her voice to the drama surrounding the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma. She shared a blog post she had written on social media, pushing for for Zuma’s release. She’s been watching what’s going on and feels the Constitutional Court’s decision is ripping our “country to shreds”. She didn’t watch the State Capture Commission regularly but tuned in when, “Judge Zondo said something along the lines of the commission not being compulsory but comrades are encouraged to come,” she shared. Mazwai said she didn’t understand why Zuma was arrested for being in contempt of court after what Judge Zondo stated. She also raised questions over the Constitution and judicial system, labelling the ConCourt’s approach as “misguided” and that they need to…

BONGANI NKOSI bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za A COURIER company wants the Labour Court to uphold its decision to fire an employee for referring to its owners abelungu, a Nguni term that translates to white people. In its internal disciplinary hearing, Globeflight Worldwide Express found Namhla Ngcwenga guilty of using a racial language and axed her. Said in isiXhosa, Ngcwenga’s utterances directly translated to “abelungu (white people) do not want to pay us and want to fire us”. As heard in a voice clip Globeflight obtained, Ngcwenga further stated: “We are nicely being dismissed. This is a company of white people and you know white people do whatever they want to do in their company.” Ngcwenga, who was employed as proof of delivery supervisor at Globeflight, took the matter to review at the…

SONRI NAIDOO A FIVE-month delay in the asbestos structure at the Nancefield Primary School in Eldorado Park has caused concern as teachers and learners are teaching and learning in a non-conducive environment. The school was among 25 “asbestos schools” identified by the Gauteng Department of Education. The department has said it will replace the brick-and-mortar structures, but no action has been taken yet. Yesterday, the DA Gauteng education spokesperson Khume Ramulifho and a DA Joburg councillor, Vasco da Gama, conducted an oversight inspection at the Nancefield Primary School. “No building material was seen at the site, and claims are made from contractors who have not been paid. (There is) a lack of communication from both the Gauteng Department of Education and the Department of Infrastructure Development and Property Management,”…

IN THE end, to the relief of a watching nation, the arrest drama ended peacefully. Former president Jacob Zuma, to the surprise of many, rose to the occasion and surrendered himself with dignity to the senior policewoman who arrested him. For once, he looked like a statesman. Perhaps it was because he was not being advised by his lawyers who continue making a hash of it, or by Carl Niehaus, or even his over-emotional son, Edward, who had undertaken to die to prevent the arrest. There was not going to be a bloodbath. The people gathered outside the gate to Nkandla – who were preparing for warfare – had dwindled to a handful, led by a somewhat merry Edward. To the surprise of no one, the MKMVA contingent, those brave…

Mpiletso Motumi mpiletso.motumi@inl.co.za POPULAR chef Lesego Semenya, 39, lost his fight against Covid-19 yesterday. The talented foodie, known as LesDaChef, had been sharing his road to recovery after testing positive for the virus a week ago. The author of the best-selling cook book Dijo had told his supporters on social media that he had experienced a sore throat and went to the doctor to have a test. Semenya had been vocal about living with a comorbidity and how getting the vaccine was something he needed. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2018. Just last week, he tweeted about how the government had let down people living with comorbidities: “Gov (sic) really let us ‘non-old’ people with comorbidities down when they changed the strategy on vaccines without even trying…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za The ANC and SACP have urged law enforcement agencies to act sternly against perpetrators of acts of violence that left a trail of destruction in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. This, after some people calling themselves supporters of former president Jacob Zuma looted businesses including malls. The violence has affected the payout of social grants in these two provinces. Yesterday, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said his government remained concerned about the impact the sporadic acts of violence and lawlessness in parts of the province were having on the provision of services across the province. “The current volatile environment has seen the people of Gauteng struggling to get to their places of employment due to limited access, and services being disrupted across the province. “To this end, some provincial government…

Zwelabo Mandela Almost a year has passed as I still struggle to fathom our huge loss. Time has ticked, seasons have blossomed as much as they’ve wilted and our scabs have yet to congeal. Faith has been tested, fate has been questioned, and yet here we are still without a definitive answer as to why her departure was so sudden. My siblings and many other loved ones are now left with her spirit fragmented among ourselves, becoming crutches for pain, gathering as a whole because that’s simply how she made us feel. Zindziswa Nobutho Mandela, born on December 23, 1960, was a South African freedom fighter, diplomat, author, artist and amazing mother. As the daughter of Nelson and Winnie Mandela, one would be right to acknowledge her troubled upbringing…

Naypyidaw: Myanmar’s spiralling coronavirus count struck the trial of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday, her lawyers said, with a witness for the prosecution failing to testify after becoming infected. Cases are spiking in Myanmar, with more than 3 400 new cases Sunday, up from fewer than 50 per day in early May. A prosecution witness set to testify that Suu Kyi flouted Covid-19 restrictions during elections last year was absent on account of Covid-19 infection. Suu Kyi voiced “grave concern” for the people during the third wave of Covid-19. | AFP…

Jerusalem: Israel said yesterday it had expanded the fishing zone off Gaza and would allow additional imports into the blockaded Palestinian territory following “recent security calm”. The Jewish state regularly restricts fishing and imports for Gazans in response to unrest, including during an 11-day conflict in May that saw Islamist rulers Hamas fire thousands of rockets at Israel and Israel launch hundreds of air strikes on the enclave. Imports of medical equipment, fishing supplies, certain industrial materials and textiles will also be allowed into Gaza. Gazan agricultural products and textiles have been cleared for export. Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza since 2007, the year Hamas took power in the strip. | AFP…

Thousands of Cubans took part in rare protests on Sunday against the communist government, chanting, “Down with the dictatorship”, as President Miguel Diaz-Canel called on his supporters to confront the demonstrators. The anti-government rallies started spontaneously in several cities as the country endures its worst economic crisis in 30 years, with chronic shortages of electricity and food. Several hundred protesters marched through the capital Havana chanting, “We want liberty”, with a heavy military and police presence deployed after demonstrators massed outside the Capitol building. Police used tear gas to disperse crowds, and 10 people were arrested, while officers used plastic pipes to beat protesters Diaz-Canel delivered a combative television address: “We call on all revolutionaries of the country, all communists, to go out in the streets where these provocations occur…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za IN a day of revelations for the British & Irish Lions camp, there was word from Cardiff that original tour captain Alun Wyn Jones could make the party after all, while the South Africa ‘A’ team announced to play the Lions tomorrow had captain Conor Murray describing the match as a “fourth Test”. Coach Warren Gatland said he had received news from Wales that Wyn Jones has made a miraculous recovery from a shoulder injury sustained during the Lions’ warm-up match against Japan in Edinburgh. “Alun has been back fully training with Wales and on Tuesday he is doing a double session with them and we will just see what the outcome is,” Gatland said after naming a strong team for the SA ‘A’ game. “A few…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za THE South African business community is concerned about the economic losses amid the mayhem and unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng triggered when former president Jacob Zuma began serving his 15-month jail sentence. Business Unity South Africa (Busa) chief executive Cas Coovadia warned yesterday that the loss of jobs as a result of businesses not having the confidence to continue operating would exacerbate an already high unemployment rate. Coovadia said the protests would have a negative impact on efforts to put South Africa onto a sustainable inclusive growth path and hamper efforts to address the severe social and economic challenges faced by the country. “The impact on society of these acts of anarchy is also severe,” Coovadia said. Zuma’s supporters set trucks alight on Saturday in KwaZulu-Natal, severely…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za Renergen, the natural gas and helium producer, said yesterday that it had made another discovery of helium as high as 1.9 percent in the P12 well at its Virginia Gas Project in the Free State. The group said it was pleased to announce that the P12 well, which it previously advised would be plugged and abandoned on June 30, was observed to commence flowing gas, at low rates, in the days following rig release. “The flow rate has subsequently continued to increase with a current flow rate in excess of 30 000 standard cubic feet per day. Most significantly, the measured helium concentration in the gas stream is high at 1.9 percent,” the group said. Chief executive Stefano Marani said: “The significance of this discovery cannot be…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za SASOL South Africa said yesterday that it was selling its sodium cyanide business to a local subsidiary of Czech-based Draslovka for R1.46 billion as part of its asset divestment programme. Sasol, the JSE-listed petrochemical giant, embarked on an asset divestment programme a year ago to address its debt and mitigate against the impact of low oil prices as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns. Sasol chief executive Fleet Grobler said Sasol had made progress in its review of the business so it could be more sustainable in a low oil price environment. “Consistent with this approach, the expanded asset disposal process has yielded good interest in relation to a number of assets, despite the macro environment uncertainty,” said Grobler. The transaction, which is subject to…

HUDSON & REX UNIVERSAL TV, DSTV 117, 8PM Detective Charlie Hudson and his faithful partner, a German Shepherd named Rex, are back solving crimes in the Canadian province of Newfoundland. In the first episode, Charlie will reveal how he and Rex came together in their first case. HOW TO GARDEN WITH CAROL KLEIN THE HOME, DSTV CHANNEL 176, 9.30PM Green-fingered Carol Klein has hints and tips on how to do everything in the garden, from growing carrots in a pot, to caring for perennials, to creating beautiful borders. LAW OF THE HEART 2 TELEMUNDO, DSTV 118, 9PM Julia is hungover. Elias asks for a job at the firm. Marcos is informed that Doris’s leg may need to be amputated.…

President outlines plan to restore order SIHLE MAVUSO FACING the nation for a second consecutive day, President Cyril Ramaphosa last night announced his plan to arrest the spiralling violence and looting of businesses. He laid bare to the nation the damage that the violence and looting have done to the country, warning that food and medication challenges could be experienced in the coming days as supply chains systems were disrupted. Ramaphosa said the country was undergoing the most difficult period since it attained its freedom and named 10 people who has lost their lives. “At this hour, there are several families in our country that are in mourning. I speak of the families of Nkosikhona Chiza, Ndumiso Shezi, Khaya Mkhize, Zethembe Ndwandwe, Lindani Bhengu and Lindokuhle Gumede in…

Cometh Dube-Makholwa | Midrand THE unstoppable tsunami is now out there for everyone to see its true colours; sending out conflicting messages. On the one hand telling all and sundry how much Jacob Zuma would never be the one to cause bloodshed in the country, which is why he handed himself over to correctional services; a noble decision applauded by some – and then Justice Minister Ronald Lamola stating the ex-president will be paroled after four months. A promise that would have eased tensions under normal circumstances. On the other hand, because Zuma is presumed to be above everyone else in this country, by himself, his foundation and his supporters, his incarceration is threatening to plunge this country into unprecedented levels of bloodshed and economic sabotage, to complete…

Mpiletso Motumi mpiletso.motumi@inl.co.za BENNY Afroe is set to release his debut EP at the end of this month. The singer-songwriter recently released a remake version of the popular hit song Sana Lwami by Kwaito sensation Zola and Unathi Nkayi titled Nguwe. “It’s one song that has always been an all-time favourite for me from the time it came out in the early 2000s. It’s always been my go-to pick-me-up song. Once when I was in the studio I was listening to the sample and I decided to remake it. It brought back that nostalgia of listening to the song,” said Afroe. The song is more of a resampling than a remake of the Zola version, with Afroe and his team reproducing the rest of the song to suit his own…

The sheer acts of criminality and hooliganism we have seen play out over the past few days cannot and should never be tolerated. The country has reached a defining moment. We are at a crossroads and this period will undoubtedly go down as one of the most challenging times for South Africa and her people. What aptly began as the fundamental act of disapproval or the right to protest over the incarceration of former president Jacob Zuma, has turned into a sordid and disheartening sight. Criminals have hijacked these protests to carry out their vile acts. We all have theories of how we arrived at this burning point. Some have described this as our Arab Spring moment, while others have pinned it to lack of leadership, a rise against many…

Roberta Guerrina Parliaments and other legislative bodies are responsible for creating equality legislation – but does this apply to their own members? This is the question that British MP Stella Creasy is asking with her personal fight for maternity rights and parental leave. Creasy is challenging the decision of the UK’s Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) to not allow her to appoint maternity cover for the duration of her pregnancy. In doing so, she is fighting a battle not just for herself and her colleagues, but for changing gender roles and expectations in the workforce nationwide. This is an important case on two levels. First, it starts a discussion about the ongoing impact of motherhood, maternity leave and child care on paid employment and career opportunities. Second, it helps…

The top US general in Afghanistan relinquished command yesterday at a ceremony in the capital Kabul, the latest symbolic gesture bringing America’s longest war nearer to an end even as the Taliban continue a bloody onslaught across the country. General Austin “Scott” Miller – the highest-ranked officer on the ground in the war-torn nation – handed command to General Kenneth McKenzie, who will oversee remaining operations from a US-based headquarters. Miller has been in Afghanistan since 2018, but was charged more recently by commander-in-chief President Joe Biden with organising the final withdrawal of US troops, to be completed by the end of August. The pace of the pullout – and multiple offensives launched recently by the Taliban – have raised fears that Afghanistan’s security forces could be swiftly overwhelmed, particularly…

Madrid: Dozens of migrants scaled a fence and crossed the border from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Melilla yesterday, just weeks after a similar crisis that saw thousands cross the frontier and clash with security. Migrants routinely try to enter Melilla and Ceuta, Spanish territories near the Moroccan border – Europe’s only land crossing with Africa. “A total of 119 people got in, all of them men,” a spokesperson for the Spanish government’s delegation in Melilla said. Some 200 people had tried to make the crossing, and five officers from Spain’s Civil Guard police force and a migrant were slightly injured. Those who entered Spain were taken to a government-run centre for migrants where they will be tested for Covid-19. | APF…

A hotel collapsed in eastern China yesterday, leaving at least one person dead and 10 others missing, the local government said. Rescuers had pulled seven survivors from the rubble of the budget Siji Kaiyuan hotel in the popular tourist city of Suzhou, the city government’s official social media account said. The Suzhou government said it was “sparing no effort to treat the injured”, adding that authorities were investigating the cause of the disaster. The Siji Kaiyuan opened in 2018 and had 54 guest rooms, a banquet hall and conference rooms, according to its listing on the travel site Ctrip. CCTV images showed more than a dozen rescue workers at the site of the disaster, with the warped cladding of the hotel visible atop a mound of rubble. Broken glass was…

Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za RUGBY South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus named a star-studded SA ‘A’ team for their clash with the British & Irish Lions at Cape Town Stadium tomorrow (kick-off 8pm). The 25-man squad, which will be cut down to 23 within the next two days, features 18 World Cup winners and will be captained by Lukhanyo Am, while Eben Etzebeth will be the vice-captain. With a number of players unavailable as they are isolating due to Covid-19 protocols, Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber, who is also isolating after testing positive last week, picked the strongest-available team for what will be only their second match against international opposition in 20 months. Notable omissions include flyhalf Handre Pollard, tighthead prop Frans Malherbe, and the massively experienced Frans Steyn,…

Matshelane Mamabolo IT is no longer just about Kaizer Chiefs, but South Africa now. Will this be a boon or burden for Amakhosi as they take on Al Ahly in the Champions League final in Casablanca on Saturday? In wishing the Glamour Boys well as they prepared for an assault on the continent’s premier club knockout competition, minister of sport Nathi Mthethwa said yesterday that Chiefs’ mission extended beyond just adding a star to their jersey to emulate Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns. “Your success will bring back home much more than just the Cup,” Mthethwa said in Twitter message. “It will also offer much needed positivity in the face of the devastating Covid pandemic.” As if overcoming the reigning African champions was not too tough a mission for…

England football chiefs and police faced questions yesterday over the chaotic and violent scenes around Wembley for Sunday’s Euro 2020 final, with concerns it could affect the country’s 2030 Fifa World Cup bid. Police have launched an investigation to find the ticketless fans who stormed through security barriers and entered the stadium before the final, in which Italy beat England in a penalty shootout. Questions were raised about why so many fans without tickets had been allowed to congregate on the main thoroughfare to the famous ground, where the atmosphere became more hostile as kick-off approached. “That was the worst experience I’ve ever had as a fan at a football match,” tweeted Dail Mail football journalist Mike Keegan. “Shambolic organization, police nowhere to be seen, fans without tickets running amok…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za The RAND retreated significantly yesterday, falling to a two-month low as violent protests and industrial-scale looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng dealt a severe blow to investor confidence. Industrial activity ground to a halt yesterday as stores closed, with many businesses fearing falling prey to criminal elements. The rand plunged more than 2 percent during intraday trade, touching R14.51 to the dollar, before closing 0.17 percent weaker at R14.41 by 5pm yesterday. Market analysts said the domestic currency was heavily affected by the outbreak of violence after former president Jacob Zuma was imprisoned for 15 months. Citadel Global’s Bianca Botes said Zuma’s arrest would not affect the rand, but the violence and looting that has followed would hit the economy. Botes said it might come as a…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za MORE THAN 55 percent of commercial property owner-occupiers are believed to be selling or relocating because of financial constraints, according to the second-quarter Property Broker Survey by First National Bank (FNB), which was released yesterday. The 55.37 percent of respondents who held this view was noticeably down from the 65.2 percent in the first quarter, but was still 12.3 percentage points higher than the 43.1 percent recorded in the second quarter of last year. The survey was taken from a sample of commercial property brokers in the six major metros: Joburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, eThekwini, Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Bay. FNB Commercial Property Finance property strategist John Loos said the survey showed that financial pressure was still the single-biggest driver of movement…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za THE Constitutional Court sat yesterday for more than 10 hours when it heard former president Jacob Zuma’s application to rescind its landmark judgment that ordered his 15-month imprisonment for contempt of court. “What we are saying is that this court made fundamentally rescindable errors,” Zuma’s lawyer, Dali Mpofu, argued in an online hearing before nine of the court’s 11 justices. Zuma had been treated unfairly and his ’’right to mitigation was limited’’, he said. Mpofu told the Bench of Constitutional Court judges that he would advise Zuma to appear before the State Capture Commission and called for them to release the former president. Mpofu said that since the term of the inquiry had been extended to September, Zuma could still appear before it – even though he…

Thabile Mange | Johannesburg WHERE is President Cyril Ramaphosa when the country is burning? He issued a statement saying people should desist from using violence to express their grievances. Then he went back to his hiding hole. A day after Jacob Zuma was arrested, Minister of Police Bheki Cele bragged that the police had apprehended him without shedding blood. Since Zuma was incarcerated, violence has erupted in KZN. It has now spilled over to Gauteng. And Cele is nowhere to be seen. Our country is being held to ransom by unruly people demanding that Msholozi be released from jail. They should not be allowed to bring our country down, in the name of a man who has no respect for the rule of law. Our police are reactionaries.…

DR THABISI HOEANE | Pretoria WITH Covid’s third wave continuing to cause havoc and the consequent inconvenience we are suffering with lockdowns, it is time difficult decisions are taken if we are to stop this pandemic. One way is to revisit the right of people to refuse vaccinations. We justify this on the basis of freedom to choose and sanctity of individual rights. This is all well and fine in normal times, but we are faced with a unique situation where individual rights have to be balanced against the survival of society. Vaccination refusal is unfair, dangerous and selfish as the individual choices of others puts all our lives at risk. Make vaccination compulsory. It is recognised some people may be allergic to some vaccines but not to…

ITUMELENG MAFISA NELSON Mandela’s grandson, Chief Mandla Mandela, has called for calm following acts of looting and destruction that have gone viral all over the country. The looting followed Free Zuma protests that seem to have gained criminal elements in them. Mandela said the incarceration of former president Jacob Zuma should not be used by criminal elements to pursue their criminal agendas. He called for an end to vigilantism and the destruction of property. “Those who wish to protest must do so in the confines of peaceful protest. The incarceration of former president Zuma can never be used as an excuse to incite civil unrest and foment public violence. “We vehemently condemn such irresponsible actions and those who perpetuate such actions must face the full consequences of legal prosecution,”…

Today marks the first anniversary since the untimely passing of ambassador, activist, poet and writer Zindziswa Nobutho Mandela. Zindzi came of age during the apartheid era. She was among the generation of 1976 who took a stand against the NP regime, reviving fierce open defiance after a decade of underground political activity. As part of honouring her remarkable life, her son Zondwa Mandela remembers what she stood for. The Mandela Legacy Foundation will also host and curate a series of events in celebration of her contribution to the liberation movement, to politics and to literature The irony and wonder that was my mother’s enchanted existence, extended itself in the identity and composition of her crew of friends. My mother’s friends call themselves Roshatu … this too, in recognition of…

STOCKHOLM; Climate activist Greta Thunberg has caused a stir after posing for a vaccination campaign ad with a criminal Somali-born gangster rapper, who is a convicted felon. In the picture, part of the “Roll up your sleeve” campaign, which urges Swedes to vaccinate themselves against Covid-19, Thunberg is seen in the embrace of rapper 1.Cuz, a star of the Swedish rap scene. He admitted having served two years in prison, but declined to reveal his conviction. His music videos tend to focus on crime, drug trafficking and hatred of police. | Sputnik…

NEW DELHI: Several people reportedly taking selfies near a historical fort in northern India were among nearly 80 killed by lightning strikes during the early stages of the annual monsoon season, officials said yesterday. Of the 76 killed in the region, at least 23 people died in the mostly desert state of Rajasthan, including a dozen who were watching a storm cross Jaipur city from watch towers near the famous 12th-century Amer Fort late on Sunday. Police said up to 30 people were on the towers when the lightning struck. Emergency teams were checking if any victims had fallen into a deep moat on one side of the towers. People had been flocking to Amer Fort, which provides a panoramic view of Jaipur, a tourist city, after weeks of intense…

Brussels: The EU yesterday formally established a military mission for Mozambique to help train its armed forces battling jihadists in the north of the country. A deadly insurgency by militants linked to the Islamic State group has ravaged the gas-rich Cabo Delgado province since late 2017, claiming some 3 000 lives and displacing 800 000 people. Portugal is already providing training for Mozambican troops. Lisbon’s military instructors are expected to make up some half of the new EU mission. “The mandate of the mission will initially last two years,” said the EU. Regional powers are also looking to bolster support for Mozambique’s fight to crush the insurgency. Last month, the SADC bloc approved the deployment of forces to battle the jihadists. Rwanda said it would send 1 000 troops. |…

With a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title secured, Novak Djokovic has time and winning momentum on his side in the race to be crowned the greatest player of all time. The world No 1 went level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 majors with a sixth Wimbledon title thanks to his four-set win over Italy’s Matteo Berrettini on Sunday. The 34-year-old has won eight majors and appeared in nine Grand Slam finals since turning 30. Incredibly, when Federer secured his 20th at the 2018 Australian Open, Djokovic was still way back on 12. “He’s amazing. He’s like in the movies. You have to kill the guy 27 times and still he gets up and you have to kill him again and he gets up,” said Goran Ivanisevic, one…