Table of contents for 2023-01-10 in Star

After a decade of declining patent filings the South African Patent Office became the fastest growing intellectual property (IP) agency in the world over the past two years, according to the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC). The number of local filings increased by 73%, and this growth was largely due to China. The number of patent filings per year increased from 8 099 to just under 14 000. In 2022 China also overtook the US as the largest filer of South African patents, and became the dominant filer of Nigerian patents as well, according to IdeaNav, a research firm specialising in IP commercialisation. “Over the past two years, China increased its focus on Africa and now accounts for about 40% of South African patents filed,” it said.…

For the franchise sector, last year was a year to regroup, re-strategise and come back stronger after being badly impacted by two years of the pandemic, followed by the July, 2021 riots and later the floods in KwaZulu-Natal, says Freddy Makgato, CEO of the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA). He said franchises in particular, by virtue of their “strength in numbers” and their solid support mechanisms were showing signs of recovery, and the sector remained one of the most resilient. Makgato said that out of adversity came opportunities, and the franchise sector could expect to see new business models emerge that have adapted to the new normal, and will thrive going into the new year. “This is both a good thing for entrepreneurs looking to start new franchise…

Jen Shah has been sentenced to 78 months in prison. The 49-year-old reality star – known for appearing on the hit Bravo show The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (RHOSLC)– was arrested in March 2021 on wire fraud and money laundering charges in connection with a telemarketing scheme and finally sentenced to six and a half years behind bars on Friday after pleading guilty in July 2022, according to E! News. Shah – who is married to football coach Sharrieff Shah and has children Sharrieff jr, 28, and Omar, 19, with him – is said to have defrauded “the elderly and vulnerable” through her telemarketing scheme, along with assistant Stuart Smith, who is expected to be sentenced in March. Lawyer Priya Chaudhry said: “Jen has spent a month reading…

The Boksburg tanker explosion has claimed yet another life, bringing the death toll to 38. The mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni, Tania Campbell, confirmed the death toll and said the city was investigating the cause of the accident. “On December 24, 2022, an LPG tanker exploded in Boksburg, which to date has claimed the lives of 38 people. “The city is exploring its legal options to act against both the company that owns the truck, and the driver. We are of the opinion that there is sufficient evidence to do so. More information in this regard will be communicated in due course. “We will show no fear or favour in holding those responsible to account. I want to take this opportunity once again to pass on my sincere condolences…

MINISTER of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande has warned students and parents to be wary of illegal or fly-by-night colleges looking to take advantage of the last-minute rush to register for studying further this year. With the results of the 923 460 full- and part-time learners who wrote the 2022 National Senior Certificate exams being released less than two weeks away, scores of hopeful learners, parents and guardians, will be looking for spaces in higher education. The minister said that was often the time bogus institutions took advantage of desperate parents. “These institutions lure and mislead future students into believing that these colleges offer qualifications that are recognised by the SA Qualifications Authority. These illegal colleges offer compromised qualifications which are not recognised for…

FOR decades, the ideology and politics of the ANC have had no resemblance to the organisation called the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) founded 111 years ago. The founders of the SANNC were politically moderate and embraced middle-class values. Their aim was to provide a voice for the voiceless indigenous who were excluded politically in the newly formed Union of South Africa. In that quest, they did not embrace socialism and their ranks included clergymen, teachers and other professionals. Unfortunately, in the wake of the seizure of power by communists in Russia, the SANNC became a target of communism’s quest for world revolution. From 1928, having abbreviated its name, the ANC began a permanent alliance with the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA). By 1947 the ANC had become…

The International Day of Education on January 24 is a reminder of the crucial need to ensure that education is provided for every child – as a basic human right. Despite many efforts internationally towards universal education, according to the data released by the UN Children’s Fund, “244 million children and youth between the ages of 6 and 18 worldwide are still out of school”. Education is the only way for the development of God-given talents and capacities of our children. “Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit there from,” states Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. Therefore, are we not denying all those millions of children the chance to develop…

THERE have been a few encounters between humans and seals in Cape Town over the summer holidays. First, there was the seal that was spotted crossing the busy Jakes Gerwel Drive in Bonteheuwel just before Christmas. Fortunately no harm came to the Cape Fur seal, nicknamed Santa, who was rescued by the SPCA and safely dropped off at Milnerton Lagoon. It isn’t clear how the sea mammal made its way nearly 20km inland, but authorities suspect Santa had been captured and then abandoned. Then just after new year, another pup made headlines when it attacked beachgoers at Clifton 4th beach. In a video of the incident, the aggressive animal is seen nipping at a child and then a woman in the surf. The incident has confounded marine conservationists, who say…

Lagos: Gunmen attacked a train station in southern Nigeria, kidnapping around 30 people and wounding others, police and officials said, nearly a year after a bomb assault on a train travelling from the capital. Kidnapping for ransom is a major problem in Nigeria where gunmen have attacked and abducted people in large groups, but mostly in the northwestern and central states. The train station attack in Edo state, 360km east of Lagos, took place at the weekend. Gunmen opened fire before abducting passengers who were waiting for a train to Warri in southern Delta state, police said. | AFP…

The heavy series defeat in Australia has not deterred Proteas interim Men’s coach Malibongwe Maketa from wanting to continue in the role on a permanent basis. Maketa was appointed interim coach in November after Mark Boucher’s sudden resignation to join the Mumbai Indians in the India Premier League. The 42-year-old endured a baptism of fire in Australia with the hosts dominating the series, which they eventually won 2-0. The Proteas managed to hang on for a draw in the final Test in Sydney, but that was primarily due to almost two days of play being lost to rain and bad light. Maketa, though, remains committed to the Proteas and is hoping to continue in the position after submitting his application to Cricket South Africa (CSA). “Most definitely,” he said. “I…

Chippa United coach Morgan Mammila will have the perfect opportunity to prove why Mamelodi Sundowns are the “simplest team to play” when his side travel to Loftus Versfeld tonight. The 51-year-old surprised many recently when he claimed a test against the defending champions is not one that requires much planning, but went on to later explain that it was a compliment towards the way they play. Mammila praised the Sundowns camp for their ability to instil a sustainable model of success that the players have bought into. “Sundowns are the simplest team to play against, very simple, even a Diski Challenge player will tell you how Sundowns play. Very easy team to play against,” he said. “Very easy team to play against, but the only difference is that they are…

JSE All-Share Index rose by more than 2%, surging to 78 500 points South African stocks rallied to a record high yesterday, mainly buoyed by tech stocks after the Chinese government reopened its borders and hopes of the US Federal Reserve slowing the pace of interest rate hikes. The JSE All-Share Index rose more than 2% yesterday to surge 78 500 points, the highest on record, as China reopened its borders after three years of Covid-related restrictions and indicated it could end its crackdown on the domestic tech sector. This was a significant improvement from advancing 1.9% to close at 76 858 on Friday, building up on positive sentiment as it ended 2022 in positive territory at 4.5% year on year, after reaching a peak of 78…

Who would argue? The world sends South Africa favourable grants and favourable loans to meet its CO₂ net zero targets for green energy, and at the same time buys all the coal we can export at prices 250% higher than two years ago. Financing worth $8.5 billion (about R144bn) from the US, the EU and Britain was given to South Africa. It sounds too good to be true and we all know what that means. But currently there are other strange assumptions that are not easy to explain. The production of a solar farm requires three times more mineral resources than a similar-sized coal plant, and constructing a wind farm needs 13 times as much as a comparable gas-fired plant. South Africa needs to spend $250bn over the next three…

THE former owner of a Rastafarian vegetarian restaurant in Yeoville, Joburg, has had his hopes dashed in a bid to be awarded more than R9 million in compensation from the police. Leonard Phekani was mistaken for a drug dealer and shot in the chest by police more than 10 years ago. He instituted the multimillion claim against the minister of police and two law-enforcement officers in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg. The police, from the start, admitted to shooting Phekani, and shooting and killing his chef. The chef was a passenger in the vehicle driven by Phekani which was chased by police. The police had earlier paid Phekani R100 000 for unlawful arrest and detention, as well as R400 000 as an interim amount pending the second…

The mayor of the City of Joburg, Mpho Phalatse, has been accused of concealing the arrest of acting city manager Bryne Maduka after a dispute with a ratepayer. Maduka was allegedly arrested and taken to a local prison and the Midrand police station. Al-Jama-Ah leader Thapelo Amad told The Star that he had it on good authority that Maduka was arrested last Thursday and held for a day before he was released. “We have been informed on good authority, and we have been waiting for her to say something. She has to take the residents into confidence about what happened; we are worried that the city is going through chaos and the mayor seems to be absent from what is happening,” Amad said. Amad said he had been informed that…

Ingredients: 1 puff pastry sheet 150g cream cheese 1 tbs sweet chilli sauce (optional) 80g white cheddar cheese, grated 250g button mushrooms, sliced 2 large onions, sliced in thin halves 2 tbs olive oil 1 egg Salt to taste Garnish with chopped parsley method Preheat your oven to 200°C. In a medium-sized pan, add the olive oil, mushrooms and onions. Sauté on medium-high heat for around 15 minutes or until soft, brown and caramelised. Place your defrosted puff pastry on a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper. Lightly line a border with a butter knife – this will help the edges to puff up while baking. Add the sweet chilli (if you choose to use it) to the cream cheese in a small bowl and mix well.…

UDM leader, general Bantu Holomisa has decried the lack of depth with which the Zondo Commission has treated some important state capture-related crimes. In a letter dated January 9 (yesterday), Holomisa wants the Speaker of the National Assembly to address this issue by establishing another separate commission to probe evidence that was overlooked by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. In the letter to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Holomisa pointed out the issue involving Iqbal Sharma, saying he missed out on yet another dossier that involves the true nature of state capture. He said the recent article by the Sunday Independent accuses the chairperson of the commission into allegations of state capture, Chief Justice Zondo, of ignoring key evidence brought to his attention that exposes…

WHAT is shocking about the assassination attempt of the vice-chancellor of Fort Hare University, Sakhela Buhlungu, is there was an attempt on his life. It must be recognised that this is not a unique situation – criminal syndicates have for years, infiltrated the higher education landscape. The criminal gangs comprise critical stakeholders in the institutions, such as students, especially SRC members, trade unions, academics, university management and even outside bodies such as political parties and other powerful public figures. Those in the sector know this open secret, but the state seems ignorant of what is happening. The syndicates have brazenly taken over the institutions to institute corrupt practices, the most visible being influencing the many tenders at their disposal. No wonder most management structures of the institutions are…

About 38 million people across the world are living with HIV. About 70% of them live in Africa. This shows that there is no solution to the HIV/Aids pandemic without a solution in Africa. In 2021, there were 1.5 million new cases of HIV – just over 4 000 cases a day across the world. At the same time, close to 700 000 people died. The big challenge is to address the dual realities of people dying from HIV in large numbers, and the large numbers of new infections. The upside is that there is a clear plan with clear goals on how to address this. In 2016, countries came together at the UN to agree on what the world’s strategy should be. The goal is to end…

Brazilian security forces locked down the area around Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court yesterday, a day after supporters of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the seat of power in riots that triggered an international outcry. In stunning scenes reminiscent of the January 6, 2021 invasion of the US Capitol building by supporters of then-president Donald Trump, backers of Bolsonaro broke through police cordons and overran the seats of power in Brasilia, smashing windows and doors and ransacking offices. Initially overwhelmed security forces used tear gas, stun grenades and water cannon to fight back the rioters until they finally subdued them. Newly inaugurated President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the veteran leftist who narrowly won Brazil’s bitter, divisive October elections, condemned the invasions as a “fascist” attack. The far-right…

Ramallah: Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has described a raft of Israeli measures as a “new war” against the Palestinian Authority aimed at pushing it “to the brink”. Israel’s right-wing government said last week it would withhold $40 million (R678m) in tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority. This followed the Authority’s successful lobbying for a UN General Assembly vote referring Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories to the International Court of Justice. The money will be distributed to “families of victims murdered in Palestinian terrorist attacks”, the Israeli government said. | AFP…

Chelsea manager Graham Potter said Sunday night’s 4-0 FA Cup loss to Manchester City was “painful” and he understood the supporters’ reaction as the London side suffered a sixth loss in nine games to pile on more misery in the Englishman’s short tenure. Chelsea were booed at half-time when they went into the break 3-0 down before they lost to City for a third time in as many months this season. The defeat marked the first time in 25 years that Chelsea had exited the FA Cup in the third round, while they are also out of the League Cup after losing to City in November. “I thought we were second best to a very good side. Obviously, we’re not in a great moment,” Potter said. “Manchester City did really…

Mergers and acquisitions are expected to increase in 2023 and drive up foreign direct investment in the Sub-Saharan African region, in spite of the looming global economic recession. This is the view of corporate and advisory firm Deal Leaders International, which yesterday remained bullish about the regional economic prospects, amid global turmoil. Deal Leaders chief executive Andrew Bahlmann yesterday said that while most of the forecasts predict tougher economic conditions in 2023, that does not mean there will be no profits to be made for investors. A global recession has been forecast for the Eurozone and the US economies, which would snowball to emerging markets’ economies as a result of inflationary pressures arising from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Bahlman said if a recession occurs, it won’t necessarily mean investors will…

New vehicle sales grew for a 12th consecutive month in December, as the motor industry’s recovery to pre-pandemic levels continued in spite of the many challenges it faced last year. The industry was impacted by global supply chain disruptions, floods in KwaZulu-Natal, elevated inflation, rising interest rates, record fuel prices, as well as record highs in the frequency and intensity of load shedding that weighed heavily on business and consumer confidence. The National Automobile Association of SA (Naamsa) said yesterday new vehicle sales at 41 783 units in December represented an increase of 5 839 vehicles or a gain of 16.2%, compared with the total new vehicle sales of 35 944 units in December 2021. Naamsa CEO Mike Mabasa said the December 2022 new car market and…

OPPOSITION parties have expressed disappointment in an ANC event where members of the governing party sang the national anthem to the exclusion of Afrikaans and English. In a video clip that circulated on social media, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula was visibly surprised when the members, reportedly from the ANC Youth League, brought the song to an end after the Sesotho rendition. Heckling could be heard when the song was abruptly brought to an end. The video, which has been seen more than 100 000 times under one post, and similar views for the same clip posted by others, has caused tensions. The general sentiment was that young ANC members were finally aligning with the radical stance of the EFF, who have been calling for the Die Stem to be removed…

The Independent Policing Union of South Africa (Ipusa) has expressed concern about the shortage of manpower at the SAPS 10111 call centres across the country. This came after Police Minister Bheki Cele revealed that the centres were understaffed by 4 061, out of an ideal number of 10 032 at the 10111 call centres since April last year. Cele was responding to a parliamentary question from DA police spokesperson Andrew Whitfield, who wanted to know the number of personnel that should have been employed at each 10111 call centre for the 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years, and since April last year. The union attributed staff shortages to an agreement signed by the workers’ unions and the SAPS in 2019, which essentially saw 10111 call centre workers who previously…

An alleged kidnapping kingpin, who was arrested in Pretoria recently, was due to appear in the Tembisa Magistrate’s Court yesterday where extradition processes will begin, as he is wanted in Mozambique. SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the 50-year-old was arrested at an upmarket estate in Centurion, Tshwane. She said extradition processes would “immediately commence” when the 50-year-old appeared in court. The suspect was arrested in connection with abductions cases where ransom demands were made in Mozambique. “A multidisciplinary team led by members of the Trilateral Planning Cell (TPC) and the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) pounced on an upmarket estate in Centurion where they arrested an alleged kingpin wanted for kidnapping cases where ransom demands were made in Mozambique,” said Mathe. The TPC is a structure…

HERE we go again. Headlines in the paper about the deaths and botched circumcisions at the initiation schools all over the country. I have been writing about this for the last 30 years and nothing changes. We never learn from our mistakes. What country in the world would allow the deaths yearly without trying to sort this out? I blame the traditional leaders who could stop this, but year after year, we have the same sad scenario. I also blame the parents, who should say “enough is enough” and “we won’t send our children to these killing fields”. For goodness’ sake, medicine has evolved over the years and there should be no reason for these deaths. The Jews do it and the Muslims do it and we never hear…

OUR esteemed president has decreed that the renewal process is “irreversible and irrevocable”. Strong words from a man at the helm of a party that has negatively impacted the fortunes of South Africa, over three decades. We all know the mayhem and destruction the ANC has thrust on the citizens of this country, and now the penny has finally dropped. The ANC’s power base is being eroded at a rapid rate, leaving all their cadres and tjommies who have benefited wondering where their next paycheque will come from when the party loses its draconian grip on political power. It will be a bloodbath as a wave of unhappiness grips the country. President Cyril Ramaphosa, sadly you do not have a snowball’s hope in hell of renewing a party that has…

I am happy to be back in South Africa. This is the first stop of my regional visit. African nations, despite the historical injustices and unacceptable external interferences, have shown monumental resilience. They have grown outstanding leaders, among whom Nelson Mandela has a unique place. The African continent, with its young and dynamic population, vast opportunities, rich and deep-rooted culture and history, has a great potential to shape the new century. For us in Türkiye, Africa means hope, and we are partners with Africa in this crucial journey. Türkiye’s approach to Africa is built on an inclusive and equal partnership on the basis of mutual respect and a win-win strategy. Our 44 embassies on the continent bear testimony to our growing partnership. President Erdogan ranks first in terms of the…

TEHRAN: Iran’s judiciary has sentenced three more anti-government protesters to death on charges of “waging war on God”, reports said yesterday, defying international criticism over its fierce crackdown on demonstrators. Iran hanged two other people at the weekend in its attempts to stamp out demonstrations, which have slowed since it began carrying out executions just weeks after arrests. The Basij forces, affiliated with the elite Revolutionary Guards, are at the forefront of the clampdown on unrest sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, arrested by the morality police. Pope Francis has condemned Iran for using the death penalty on demonstrators. | Reuters…

LOS ANGELES: More than 120 000 homes and businesses were still without power in California early yesterday, according to data from PowerOutage.us, after a massive storm last week that disrupted road travel with flash floods, rock slides and toppled trees. At least 12 fatalities were reported from weather-related incidents in California in the past 10 days. Forecasters with the National Weather Service warned that northern and central California were still in the path of a “relentless parade of cyclones”, promising little relief for the region until the middle of the week. | Reuters…