Inhoudsopgave van 2021-10-08 - Star

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za THE FLOODGATE of business insurance claims will open after Santam yesterday lost its appeal at the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) to pay Ma-Afrika Hotels (MAH) and Stellenbosch Kitchen for the full 18-month period of its policies during the Covid-19 lockdown regulations, which devastated the tourism and hospitality industry. The SCA dismissed the insurer’s appeal and upheld the Western Cape High Court’s finding that Santam was liable to indemnify its clients for the full period business was interrupted due to the lockdown, bringing relief for thousands of Santam’s Hospitality and Leisure division’s Business Interruption policyholders. In a matter dating back to last year, Santam argued that Covid-19 is not a notifiable disease. It rejected lockdown claims from Stellenbosch Kitchen and Ma-Afrika because whether or not there were…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za INVICTA Holdings said yesterday it had acquired a majority stake in the Dartcom Group from Tuludi Capital, an investment vehicle managed by New GX Capital Group and Kgalauwane Properties Holdings, for R565.65 million. Invicta would acquire Tuludi’s 78.03 percent shareholding in Dartcom, all of the shares and claims against Kgalauwane 2 which holds two properties key to the Dartcom operations via Kgalauwane, and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) licences held by Tuludi. Dartcom distributes communication and renewable energy technology equipment and solutions in South Africa and across Africa. Dartcom is aligned with leading global telecommunications and power solutions brands. Products and services include radio frequency technology; fibre connectivity and fibre management solutions; fibre network products and solutions; active equipment such as site…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za JASCO Electronics Holdings said yesterday that it plans a R50 million rights offer to stabilise the balance sheet, reduce short-to-medium term gearing and to pursue organic and potential niche investments, to ensure the turnaround of the group. The existing debt facilities were in the process of being restructured, which would potentially introduce a new commercial banking partner and possibly extend the repayment terms of the current debt facility with the Bank of China. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, this process is taking longer than expected. As a result, the company was not in a position to release its audited financial results for the year ended June 30, 2021, by September 30, 2021.” The company expected to release its audited financial results before October 31, 2021, it…

THE CITY of Joburg will sign a memorandum of understanding with Eskom to take over the electricity supply for Soweto, Diepsloot, Ivory Park, Orange Farm, Finetown and Sandton. “All the areas in the city of Joburg will be supplied by City Power and the Eskom board has approved that we take over from them,” new Joburg mayor Mpho Moerane said soon after being elected unopposed last week. The city of Joburg convened a council meeting last Friday to elect Moerane to lead the city 30 days before the elections. He succeeds the late mayor, Jolidee Matongo. He was elected unopposed by his ANC party and the opposition parties that make up the Government of Local Unity that runs the city of Joburg. In his acceptance speech, Moerane said it was…

DR THABISI HOEANE | Pretoria You do not need to be a lawyer to know that a court does not produce “decisions” but one “decision”, and the court operates on the basis of a majority view. A dissenting minority view is not a “decision” of the court. But Mzwanele Manyi of the Jacob Zuma Foundation and Gauteng Cogta MEC Lebogang Maile continue to seriously distort and misconstrue this fact. In decided cases in which they had an interest, they took the erroneous view, which has no basis in law, that because there is a minority opinion held by some judges, a court decision is wrong and “incomplete”. According to them, court decisions can only be legitimate when judges reach a unanimous decision. This banality is the legacy of…

Parliament’s oversight committee on intelligence recently tabled its 2019/2020 annual report. The engrossing and depressing documents highlight the failings of the country’s spy agencies in unflinching detail. If not addressed, the failings may leave the country exposed to even more serious crime and national security threats than it has faced. The spy agencies were weakened during former president Jacob Zuma’s term. The weaknesses have not been addressed adequately under President Cyril Ramaphosa. The report incorporates reports from Judge Bess Nkabinde, the judge responsible for granting the intelligence services permission to intercept communications. This is under the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-related Information Act, 2002 (Rica Act. The oversight committee’s report also included that of the auditor-general). Judge Nkabinde’s report is damning of the Rica process and…

Moderna plans to invest $500 million to build a factory in Africa to make up to 500 million doses of mRNA vaccines each year, including its Covid-19 shot. The company said it would begin the process of deciding the country and location soon. Moderna is the first company to plan its own factory on the continent. It has supplied more than 500 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine. Meanwhile, Sweden and Denmark paused Moderna’s vaccine for younger age groups after reports of rare cardiovascular side effects. | Reuters…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za FINANCIAL services group PSG Konsult increased recurring headline earnings per share by 23 percent in the six months to August 31 after its three key divisions achieved “market leading” revenue and growth in earnings. Recurring headline earnings per share of 30.6 cents were also 23 percent above pre-Covid-19 levels from the strong performances of PSG Wealth, PSG Asset Management and PSG Insure. The interim dividend was lifted to 10 cents from 8c in 2020 and 7c in 2019. Total assets under management increased 21 percent to R2.96 billion from R2.45bn in 2020. In 2019, the figure was R2.28bn. Gross premiums increased 4 percent to R2.82bn, from R2.71bn in 2020, while in 2019 the figure was R2.72bn. Chief executive Francois Gouws…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za SOUTH African business, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), are besieged by an increasing number of cyberattacks and need to invest in defensive technology while the State urgently needs to enact legislation and enforcement capabilities, cybercrime experts have warned. This is as about 43 percent of cyberattacks target small businesses, particularly those in the financial, healthcare, retail, insurance, and legal sectors. Cybercrime expert, Neil Hare-Brown, chief executive of Storm, a private enterprise dedicated to addressing issues of cybercrime in the country, said South Africa was especially vulnerable on the continent because of its advanced internet technology, advanced economy and the lack of appropriate technology and enforcement to deal with attacks, often by people safely outside the borders where they could attack with impunity. Among the most…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za THE FOSCHINI Group (TFG) yesterday flagged a doubling in headline earnings for the half-year ended September 2021 as the acquisition of profitable Jet stores paid off and the stringent Covid-19 pandemic restrictions were relaxed. TFG, whose brands include Foschini, Fabiani and sportscene, said it would report a 100 percent increase in headline earnings a share in the six months ended September up from -91 cents per share a year earlier. TFG expects earnings per share to be more than 50 percent higher than the 161.5c per share reported in 2020. The group said among others, the acquisition of certain commercially viable stores and selected assets of Jet in South Africa, Botswana, the Kingdom of Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia had impacted its earnings. It said…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za MONDI, the international packaging and paper group, said strong volume growth and higher prices offset by rising input costs had driven up earnings in the third quarter. Earnings before interest tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) increased 27 percent to €388 million for the quarter to September 30, compared to the prior year, and by 9 percent compared with the second quarter, a trading statement said yesterday. Chief executive Andrew King said Mondi delivered a strong performance with higher average prices across the business and strong volume growth year-on-year, against a backdrop of “sharply higher” costs. “Throughout this period of high demand, we remained focused on ensuring security of supply and high-quality service. Our growth is underpinned by our leading packaging portfolio and we continue…

GIVEN MAJOLA given.majola@inl.co.za SOME 47 percent of local consumers surveyed claim that more of their spend is now online, as opposed to traditional brick and mortar retail out- lets, according to the most recent industry research by OneDayOnly.co.za. The research conducted in August found these shoppers had also diversified how they spend online, with an increase seen this year from last year’s figures across all categories surveyed, including travel and experiences (up 18 percent), groceries and household (over double year-on-year, from 21 percent to 43 percent) and clothing and shoes (up 12 percent). The study showed that online shopping was booming, and this was evident in the growth reported last year. Compounded by Covid-19, e-commerce sales in South Africa increased 66 percent to R30…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za IN A bizarre set of circumstances, two strangers who had never met each other were mistaken by a victim of a robbery as being her attackers. The women, who were waiting for a bus, were arrested and had to spend several nights in jail. To make matters worse, one of the innocent victims, Cynthia Morwanqana, was eight months’ pregnant at the time. Both she and the other woman, Eunice Matshaka, sued the Minister of Police for damages. They told the Johannesburg High Court that the SAPS should have made sure that they had arrested the actual culprits before simply throwing them in a cell. Judge LR Adams agreed and said that, especially when the two women vehemently denied any knowledge of the robbery, the SAPS should…

Party backs down on controversial Phoenix posters after backlash Jehran Naidoo Jehran.Naidoo@africannewsagency.com The DA was yesterday forced to back track and pull down its controversial Phoenix posters following mounting pressure from the political parties and civil society formations. The ANC has been threatening to approach the SA Human Rights Commission to lodge a complaint against the official opposition over the posters. Controversy erupted after the DA put up the posters on the Phoenix Highway – a move which was defended by DA leader John Steenhuisen and KwaZulu-Natal provincial chairperson Dean Macpherson. But Macpherson issued an apology yesterday, saying it was unsanctioned by Steenhuisen and that the party had good intentions behind the poster. He said the DA was in the process of removing all the posters. “In my…

FAROUK ARAIE | Benoni THE next chief justice will be decided soon. Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has the superb qualities to be our legal supremo. He is known to capture the people’s imagination like no other chief justice before him. He has spawned a fan following that could be the envy of a rock star or a screen diva. Justice Zondo has litigated in cases which set the architecture of safeguarding the Constitution from desecration. As an eminent jurist and a distinguished judge, his legal career can be characterised as one that is a commitment to ideals and a dedication to purpose and service. His numerous judgments are uniform and scholarly, meticulously researched and carefully reasoned. His decisions demonstrated that he protected the constitutional rights of any…

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to move the country from alert level 2 to alert level 1 was a step in the right direction, but the mismanagement of political campaigns by flagrantly ignoring Covid-19 safety protocols is seen as a hazard to voters as well as the absence of procedural justice, particularly to faith-based organisations that have been fringed with empty pews when the politicians ostensibly adhered to scientific advice. It seems when politicians campaign for votes in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the safety of the voters is relegated to the background. Dr Angelique Coetzee, the chairperson of the South African Medical Association, said the following about the inflated mass gathering events: “What does not make sense to us is to have outdoor gatherings of 2 000 and indoor…

Chulumanco Mahamba IT WAS a historic moment as the World Health Organization (WHO) this week endorsed the use of a groundbreaking new malaria vaccine for children at risk. The WHO announced that it was recommending the widespread use of the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) malaria vaccine among children in sub-Saharan Africa and in other regions with moderate to high malaria transmission. The recommendation is based on results from an ongoing pilot programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi that has reached more than 800 000 children since 2019. “This is a historic moment. The long-awaited malaria vaccine for children is a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control. “Using this vaccine on top of existing tools to prevent malaria could save tens of thousands of young lives each year,” said WHO…

Germany has repatriated eight women who joined the IS terror group and 23 children from northern Syria in the biggest such transfer since 2019, the foreign ministry said. Three of the women were charged with membership of a terror organisation and for neglecting their children. One of the accused allegedly showed her daughter IS execution videos and raised her with the radical teachings of the group. Countries have been wrangling over how to treat captives linked to IS since its fall in 2019. | AFP…

The World Health Organization (WHO) this week endorsed the world’s first malaria vaccine for use in children. It said the vaccine could help save tens of thousands of lives each year. The life-threatening parasitic disease kills more than 400 000 people a year, and the WHO says more than 260 000 of them are African children under age 5. Most cases and deaths caused by the disease, which is transmitted through bites of infected mosquitoes, occur in sub-Saharan Africa. “This is a historic moment,” WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “The long-awaited malaria vaccine for children is a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control.” The WHO said it is recommending use of the vaccine among children in places with moderate to high malaria transmission. The guidance is…

CREDIT where credit is due! Peter Shalulile is a breath of fresh air to our football. The form he has shown for the last three seasons speaks volumes about the striker’s humility and eagerness to be better every day. We are still in the early stages of the PSL campaign but Shalulile has already shown glimpses of being the player to beat for the elite individual accolades. But, of course, that’s if he remains fully fit. In nine starts for Mamelodi Sundowns this season, Shalulile has scored seven goals. But if you thought those numbers were crazy, how about the fact that he’s scored 29 goals and registered eight assists in 48 appearances for Masandawana? This is a player that joined Sundowns just over a year ago, moving from neighbours…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za COSATU played to a muted gallery yesterday in its show of strength to press the government for fiscal policy changes, investment in State-owned enterprises (SOEs), stronger collective bargaining and stronger action against corruption. This as parties already in entanglement, the National Union of Metal Workers of SA (Numsa) and employer organisations in the metals and engineering sectors said they were talking more with mutual feeling to resolve a strike that kicked off on Tuesday. Cosatu had cautiously asked some members to stay at home in deference to Covid-19 protocols and thus saw turnouts at its marches held around major cities, including Joburg, Cape Town and Mahikeng, and in Kwazulu- Natal. Cosatu President Zingisa Losi said the four paramount issues were essential if an economic recovery would carry…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za CALGRO M3 HOLDINGS would report an increase in headline earnings a share of 224.9 to 267.7 percent for the six months to August 31 compared with the headline loss a share of 26.29 cents for the same period in 2020. Headline earnings a share were ex- pected to be between 41.48 to 44.10c, while earnings per share would be between 38.04 to 41.08c, compared to the loss per share of 30.46c for the same period in 2020, the developer, homes and memorial parks group said in a trading statement yesterday. Solid results had been delivered on the back of a successful turnaround and restructuring process with Calgro M3 executing on its #sustainable- actions initiative, the group said. The improved results were due to…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za SIPHELELE DLUDLA SOUTH Africa’s liquidity position could deteriorate slightly after gross reserves slipped in September as the ongoing global recovery reduced investors’ demand for the safe-haven commodity, gold, in favour of other riskier and high-yielding assets. The SA Reserve Bank (SARB) yesterday said foreign exchange reserves fell by $1.35 billion (R20.33bn) to $57.05bn in September, from a record of $58.41bn in August. The SARB said the decline was due to the decrease in the US dollar gold price, the appreciation of the US dollar against other currencies, and foreign exchange payments made on behalf of the government. The rand depreciated by 4.1 percent against the US dollar during the month, while gold reserves slid by $350 million to $6.96bn. Investec economist Lara…

WHILE basic needs like groceries or toiletries are important to potential Basic Income Grant (BIG) recipients, there are clear indications that consumers want to be responsible with their money, demonstrating a future-focused mindset, according to KLA consumer researcher Lee Herridge. With the introduction of BIG, a topic of much debate in government and among economic and political commentators, the KLA market research agency surveyed potential BIG recipients to ask them what they would do with a monthly grant of R1 268. Its poll included unemployed consumers aged 18 to 64. They were given a wide list of options, from buying a new cellphone to contributing to a stokvel, renovating their home, opening a savings account, or eating out at restaurants. Survey outcomes showed that the respondents were thinking…

In a plot straight out of the all-time favourite American comic book Richie Rich, the poor rich Aryan Khan has reportedly told the Narcotics Control Bureau sleuths that his father and mega-star Shah Rukh Khan remains so busy that, occasionally, he needs an appointment just to see him. Ironically, life came full circle when a couple of days ago, SRK had to get the NCB’s permission for a brief meet ing with his son in the agency lock-up. There, the 24-year-old cried in front of his celeb dad. It has since surfaced that no drugs were found on him. Aryan, along with at least 10 others, was rounded up and arrested at various times on Sunday and Monday in the NCB’s first raid on a luxury ship, the Cordelia…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za OCTOBER is known as Pride Month in South Africa. It’s when we support, celebrate and protect LGBTQIA+ rights. However, this is not limited to October but goes beyond. This pride month, award-winning transgender activist and reality TV star Yaya Mavundla partnered with Constitution Hill to launch the Pride catalogue to commemorate 31 Years of LGBTQIA+ Pride in South Africa. The 31 Years of Pride Catalogue consist of 31 voices from the members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies. Some of the voices include reigning Miss South Africa Shudu Musida, gay rights activist and former Justice of the Constitutional Court Edwin Cameron, and Miss Tasha, an openly transgender woman. Speaking of the catalogue, Mavundla said: “Besides this being a very important archive of our history published in a…

JOBURG residents can now pay their bills and access municipal customer services online after new mayor Mpho Moerane,this week launched the much-anticipated e-Joburg portal. The mayor, who launched the portal alongside Finance MMC Matshidiso Mfikoe, said the portal was a milestone step towards transforming Johannesburg into a Smart City. “The e-Joburg portal is a new tool designed for the delivery of smart municipal services in the most convenient way for Johannesburg residents,” Moerane said. “It is set to drive automation and self-service that is aimed at reducing the time and manual workload on the city’s personnel and resources that goes into customer service.” The mayor said e-Joburg was part of the city’s long-term Growth and Development Strategy – the GDS 2040 to become a smart city. “Inspired by our slogan…

WITH social activities resuming after the hard lockdown, the organiser of YaseKasi Soccer Tournament, Patrick Moroanyane, celebrated Heritage Month in style by hosting a football contest in Soweto. The football showpiece provided a platform for scouts to spot soccer talent for the Vodacom League, Glad Africa and other registered football academies in Joburg. The idea behind YaseKasi was to rally the community of Soweto around Heritage Month activities, in an effort to facilitate social cohesion. “I also wanted to create a platform for small business owners to sell services and refreshments during the soccer tournament and to provide job opportunities to most of the community members who lost their jobs due to the pandemic,” Moroanyane said. The tournament comprised 32 teams from across the region, competing in the knock-out stages…

Thami Zwane | Edenvale What a scenic beauty when standing or sitting at the edge of a flowing river’s precipice. First, you experience peace, then you see various kinds of creatures and plants that live and move past there. The water is fresh and smells good. Unlike stagnant water, where you see the same fish and other river life as well as inhale unpleasant air. Former parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko, former leader Mmusi Maimane and executive mayor of Midvaal Bongani Baloyi were all relatively unknown when brought to a public space by the DA. Now we have Dr Mpho Phalatse, a Joburg mayoral candidate. This is where the DA beats the recycling factory of the ANC. I bet you, the ANC is drooling to have both Mazibuko and…

Nyaniso Qwesha | Joburg I VIVIDLY remember how Mamelodi Sundowns rose to popularity in the 80s. They were referred to as “the piano” and the “shoeshine club” and were associated with the late businessman Zola Mahobe, who owned the soccer club. The new club owner came to disrupt what was expected in practice in those days, as the league was seemingly dominated by two teams, ie Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. The continued investment of new money into our soccer has resulted in more fierce competition in our South African league. As I write now, Mamelodi Sundowns are making moves in our local and African soccer championships. It is currently sitting at the number one position in our local league, having previously won it. One of the motivations…

Orielle Berry orielle.berry@inl.co.za THE multi-talented Lynda La Plante – acclaimed TV and stage and film actress turned writer – is back with her latest murder mystery, adding another string to her bow of more than 30 fine crime dramas. Featuring the inimitable woman detective Jane Tennison, this time round the astute investigator has one of her most chilling cases ever to tackle. It all starts when builders dig up a coffin on the grounds of an old convent in London. Inside the coffin is the body of a young man. But... there are scratch marks on the inside of the coffin pointing to the fact that Detective Tennison may have unearthed (or so she believes) something far more more complicated than anything she has ever probed in previous cases. However…

Clouds of thick ash from the erupting volcano on La Palma yesterday forced the island’s airport to close for the second time since the September 19 eruption, Spain’s airport authority said. Local airline Binter had said it was cancelling all flights in and out of La Palma, one of Spain’s Canary Islands archipelago in the Atlantic.. “This suspension will last until conditions improve and we can fly safely,” Binter said. The volcano has been blasting out jets of lava for more than two weeks, forcing the evacuation of thousands. | AFP…

HERMAN GIBBS BANYANA Banyana crashed out of the southern African Cosafa Women’s Championship after they were shocked 3-2 by Malawi in yesterday’s semi-final at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha. Malawi advanced to the final tomorrow at the same venue where they will play Tanzania, who earlier defeated Zambia 3-2 on penalties after the scores were tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation time. Banyana have won seven of the past eight editions of the competition, and were tipped for yet another victory. Instead, they will play in the third-place play-off, which is also tomorrow. Poor clearances from set-piece play proved the undoing of both teams in the first half. First, Malawi scored after defender Ruth Nyirongo flicked on a free-kick put into the Banyana penalty area. Striker…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za WITH just one win in eight starts, it has been an inauspicious start for the South African teams in the United Rugby Championship, but the Sharks can break the drought today in Cardiff against the Ospreys (8.35pm) if they can pick up where they left off against Glasgow last week. The Sharks found themselves 30 points down before half-time last weekend, but fought back to outscore the Warriors 14-7 in the second half and earn a respectable 35-24 final scoreline. Coach Sean Everitt says his team have had a shell-shocked start to the URC, but are learning fast. “It has been a very tough start to a new international competition for our teams, and I think it is because you are playing a different brand of rugby…