Inhoudsopgave van 2024-02-07 - Star

SOUTH Africa is digging in to defend fuel levy rebates for its fishing industry, which is a sticking point in the ratification of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Phase One agreement, Parliament heard yesterday. Briefing Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition yesterday, Department of Trade Industry and Competition Deputy Director General for Trade and Ambassador to the WTO, Xolelwa Mlumbi-Peters, said South Africa allowed those fishing companies that did not use the road infrastructure to claim rebates from the fuel levy. It had confirmed through legal opinion that the support should not be construed as a subsidy. The WTO deal aims to eliminate the awarding of subsidies to fishing industries because it encourages overfishing and encroachment on territorial and unregulated waters. The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies was…

THE NATIONAL Treasury has proposed further reforms to the “two-pots” retirement system, including a requirement for seed capital, after the government identified two concerns with the current regime. The Treasury yesterday briefed the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance on the draft Pension Funds Amendment Bill (PFA Bill) 2024, after it was reintroduced in the National Assembly last week. The “two-pots” system seeks to divide pension contributions into two separate pots: a savings pot and a retirement pot, with the effective date being September 1, 2024. The Bill proposes that retirement fund members be allowed to allocate one-third of their contributions from the date of implementation to an accessible portion of those members’ retirement savings. This will receive a once-off capital boost from a vested component, with a minimum of…

TOP DIAMOND producer De Beers, a unit of Anglo American, has signed three new agreements with Angola to bolster diamond processing in the country while seeking new commercial prospects, CEO Al Cook said yesterday. The agreements, including one with Angola’s State-owned diamond company Endiama, builds on exploration contracts signed in 2022 that saw De Beers return to the country for the first time since leaving in 2012. “We believe this is a real step forward in our co-operation,” Cook said during a signing ceremony on the margins of a African mining indaba in Cape Town. One agreement with Sodiam, Angola’s national diamond trading company, sought to ensure partners used the best processes for sorting and processing diamonds in Angola, leaning on expertise developed by De Beers in Botswana. Botswana and…

EMERGING new energy trading platforms are mushrooming and are set to challenge Eskom’s energy generation and supply monopoly. Last month, it was announced that renewable energy company Scatec, Standard Bank and asset management firm Stanlib had established Lyra Energy to offer a low-risk, flexible commercial proposition. This new renewable energy platform is poised to change the South African energy landscape. Pretty soon the market will be generating and supplying more than Eskom's share of energy. Trading and liberalisation of energy trading is not a new phenomena. Globally the model has been tried and tested. These firms are planning a major takeover of the energy trading business. With their combined capacity in capital, human resources and customer reach expertise they will offer an unparalleled energy service trading platform. This as South…

SHARES in fintech company Lesaka Technologies surged 15.18% on the JSE yesterday to R74.91 after the company announced the acquisition of Touchsides, a data and markets insights company, from Heineken, with a mandate retaining the global brewer’s South African unit as a client. The shares later closed 1.26% up at R68.97 on the JSE yesterday. Lesaka, with a market capitalisation of R3.7 billion, is bumping up its presence across South Africa’s informal sector. Its announcement of the acquisition of 100% of Touchsides from Heineken International further cements its strategy to increase its presence across taverns, spazas and other informal businesses. The acquisition also adds to Lesaka’s earlier acquisition of Kazang, a complementary services and payments platform for spaza shops and other small-scale to medium South African businesses. The acquisition…

South Africa has recorded 46 suspected cholera cases and five laboratory-confirmed cases between January 1 and February 1. At a briefing on Monday, Minister of Health Joe Phaahla said three of these cases were imported from Zimbabwe, which is currently battling the outbreak of the diarrhoeal disease. “The other two cases are of siblings, aged 11 and 13, with no travel history to cholera outbreak areas, which suggests the risk of contact with a known cholera case.” Phaahla said four of these cases were detected in Limpopo hospitals (Musina and Helene Frans Hospital), and the other one was confirmed in Helen Joseph Hospital in Gauteng. “A cluster of 24 diarrhoeal disease cases was also identified during outbreak response activities at a primary and high school in the Blouberg Local Municipality…

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as Hawks) in the Eastern Cape have arrested a fourth suspect in a kidnapping who is alleged to be the mastermind. The 27-year-old suspect was arrested by the Hawks’ Kidnapping Task Team in Kariega in an intelligence operation on Sunday. The Eastern Cape has seen a spate of kidnappings in recent months. The provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said the co-accused have already made their court appearances. “The additional suspect is allegedly the mastermind in this kidnapping incident. His accomplices, Sinethemba Dyantyi, 31, Vuyolwethu Kotsele, 34, and Mazen Nassar, 23, have since been arrested and appeared before Cookhouse Magistrate’s Court on November 10, for allegations of kidnapping. “The trio were arrested by the Kidnapping Task Team of the Hawks under…

IRATE residents of Salvokop in the City of Tshwane want their ward 80 councillor, Fortune Mampuru, to be axed for failing to attend to their service delivery complaints ranging from unrepaired potholes to uncollected garbage. Their call was captured in a memorandum of demands handed over to MMC Corporate and Shared Services, Kingsley Wakelin, during a march on Monday at Tshwane House. Wakelin was given a seven-day ultimatum to respond to residents’ grievances, which included failure by the councillor to convene regular community meetings. They also griped about the fact that Mampuru didn’t update them about the ongoing multi-million rand Salvokop Precinct Development Project, which include the construction of four government buildings. A group of residents lamented that they have been excluded from benefiting in the project. Speaking on behalf…

THE National Council of Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) has rescued three lions that were severely burnt during fires in Worcester, as wildfires continue to spread across the Western Cape. The lions were being held illegally at the Fairy Glen Nature Reserve. NSPCA Chief Operations Officer, Grace de Lange said one male and two female lions were left vulnerable to the raging wildfires, resulting in burns that inflicted brutal suffering. She said a team from the organisation was dispatched, including a renowned veterinary expert for big cats, Dr Peter Caldwell, to assess and assist the lions. Dr Caldwell is one of the world’s top carnivore veterinarians and has been instrumental in the wellbeing of big cats in South Africa. “Despite Fairy Glen procuring veterinary treatment for…

Moshe Ndiki’s excitement as he enters parenthood is admirable. Ndiki shared a heartfelt post announcing the arrival of his twins born via surrogacy. “Thank you, bawo. Born healthy and living, two boys. Thalanda Alexander Moshe Ndiki and Ntaba Lehlohonolo Siyolo Ndiki. This is my world,” he shared. The television host and actor has always been candid about his desire to become a father, leading to the birth of his babies. He further thanked his surrogate and egg donor. “Today we went on our final ‘can we tell people’ scan, and I couldn’t be happier. “What a journey, what a dream come true. Between keeping it a secret and getting our go-ahead, all, if not most, of my friends and family, knew because Yho Good news, Iyandisinda Mna. “I’ve prayed for…

Rassie Erasmus says the main difference between his previous role as the director of rugby and becoming the Springboks’ head coach again will be about being “more hands-on at the field sessions”. SA Rugby confirmed yesterday that the former loose forward will return to his old job of being in charge of the day-to-day responsibilities of the world champions until 2027, while also announcing the recruitment of retired No 8 Duane Vermeulen, former All Black flyhalf Tony Brown and ex-Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery as new faces in the team management. Brown will take charge of the attack and Flannery the defence to replace Jacques Nienaber and Felix Jones. Vermeulen – who was in talks with the Stormers recently about a coaching role following his retirement – has been handed a…

MINING has historically been men’s work, but the number of women employed in South Africa’s mining sector has grown strongly by 46% since 2020 to more than 73 000 by the end of 2023. Minerals Council President Nolitha Fakude said at the Mining Indaba in Cape Town, a conference that attracted some 9 500 delegates from all over the world, that although great strides had been made in women empowerment in the industry, only two-thirds of the target in the Mining Charter on gender transformation had been met. She said it was important that women were not only employees for mining companies, but that they be part of the entire value chain in the industry. She said for instance, more than 8 000 women-owned businesses had benefited…

THE YEAR 2024 will be an interesting year as we go into the national and provincial general election, with barometers of various calibration as we dissect the performance appraisal of the 6th Administration under Presi- dent Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also Chairperson of the Presidential Climate Commission. This appraisal will be about the past five years, but more about the next five years. But it will not be about how we as a country and our government has over the last five years performed in responding to the global climate crisis and its devastating impacts on our growth, development, and national security. We will be lucky if it is mainstreamed as a factor in the economic development and social cohesion elements of the manifestos of the various political parties and…

THE IMPACT on nature and community are top of mind for large mining companies that are members of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). The ICCM was founded in 2001 and is responsible for roughly a third of global mining output and its presence at this year’s African Mining Indaba 2024 in Cape Town highlights its commitment to doing the right thing. In a round table discussion yesterday, ICCM CEO Rohitesh Dhawan outlined the ICMM members’ commitment to taking action to halt and reverse nature loss and reaching global decarbonisation targets. “Many see nature loving mining as an oxymoron but where our members operate we have had a positive impact on nature and the communities surrounding the mines. We live in an environment where we need to value…

MTN HAS SIGNED deals with global payments platform Mastercard and Jumo, a mobile financial services company, to boost financial inclusion across South Africa and the rest of the continent, pivoting on revamped remittance channels and easy access to mobile loans. MTN last year recorded a 37.3% increase in fintech transaction volumes to 8.3 billion transactions compared to the previous year. Transaction values also went up 61.6% to $135.2 billion (R2.55 trillion). The South African mobile company, which also operates the MoMo wallet across Africa, has now signed “definitive agreements with Mastercard for a minority investment of up to $200 million at a valuation of $5.2 billion” on a cash and debt-free basis. The agreement complements the two firms’ commercial relationships aimed at supporting development and…

TRANSNET yesterday took delivery of Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT)- procured locomotive batteries. In a statement issued by Transnet Port Terminals acting group chief executive, Advocate Michelle Phillips, yesterday said the mutual co-operation agreement between Transnet and RBCT was paying off, with Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) taking delivery of seven full sets of batteries procured by RBCT this past weekend. The delivery of the critical spares would improve the reliability of the available locomotive fleet. Phillips said: “Procurement of loco- motive spares – batteries and compressors – is one of the joint initiatives Transnet and RBCT embarked on following the conclusion of the agreement. “In this regard, orders were placed for 50 compressors and 1 800 batteries (100 full sets of batteries). The first seven sets of batteries were…

In order for the province to thrive in becoming micro economies, with mixed industries that can provide employment for the millions who reside in all apartheid townships and labour dormitories, it must be reimagined and re-planned, the newly appointed Rise Mzansi Gauteng premier candidate Vuyiswa Ramokgopa said. “For Gauteng to be prosperous and to power the South African economy, we must enable families to have access to quality infrastructure, dignified homes, public spaces and places of care for children and the elderly. “Leaders and residents, this will not be easy. Some may call us dreamers. Some may say we don’t belong in the ‘political space. “They say this because they know the impact we are already making in communities.” Ramokgopa outlined her plans in Joubert Park, Johannesburg, yesterday morning. “Making…

Local bare-knucle fistfighting champion Thuso “Ngwazi” Ramukakati proved to all and sundry that he is still one of the best traditional fist fighters around when he beat his challengers during the Musangwe Traditional Fistfighting Tournament held at the Lumveleni ground in Ngudza village, Limpopo, on Saturday. Spurred on by a hordes of his die-hard supporters, the tough-as-steak fighting machine from the village of Matangari disposed of all his opponents. His fans ululated and jumped on to the unguarded battlefield each time the champion celebrated the brutal punishment of his opponents through his well-known “Ngwazi Dance”, in which two cellphones are placed on top his well-chiseled chest and the champion starts dancing around without them falling to the ground. Speaking to Limpopo Mirror Newspaper shortly after the tournament on Saturday,…

Ingredients 1 onion 4 medium carrots 650 g leftover meat, lamb 4 large potatoes 30 ml oil 400 ml gravy 15 ml butter, melted 50 g LANCEWOOD cheddar, finely grated 30 ml bread crumbs fresh thyme to garnish Method Preheat the oven to 200°C. Slice the onion. Peel and chop the carrots. Chop the leftover lamb into bite-sized chunks. Peel the potatoes and slice into thin slices. Mix the cheese with the breadcrumbs. Using a large ovenproof round casserole dish with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent. Add the carrots and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the lamb. Add the gravy and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and arrange the potato slices on top, starting from the…

I was puzzled by an editorial in a Johannesburg newspaper recently which listed, among other achievements South Africans should be rightly proud of, two of our Nobel Prize winners. I wondered which two the editorial writer had in mind. If the writer had the Nobel Prize for Peace in mind, then the two most recent winners would be Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk (1993). Two more names crop up: Desmond Tutu (1984) and Albert Luthuli (1960), so my puzzlement persists. I once told an audience the first South African to win the coveted Nobel was Albert Luthuli. I was later corrected by a colleague, a senior professor, who informed me it was one Max Theiler, for Medicine in 1951. The University of Google (Stop sniggering, we all go there!)…

The Joburg Super Kings have no right to be competing in Qualifier 1 of the SA20 today at the Wanderers. Faf du Plessis’s team have won just three matches all season, which included an eight-over gauntlet at Newlands, to lift them to 14 points, which edged out both the Pretoria Capitals and MI Cape Town. In fact, it was a bonus point gained in the shortened game against MI Cape Town that proved to be the difference. And that’s not to mention MI Cape Town’s almost unbelievable failure to gain their own bonus point when they reduced the Capitals to 42-6 during the run-in to the play-offs. The Capitals went on to score 214-8, which included a Kyle Verreynne century that prevented MI Cape Town from advancing. But here we…

Reason for the hikes was the rise in global fuel prices and the weakening of the rand CONSUMERS in South Africa are in for a prolonged period of rising cost of living as the price of petrol is set to rise again in March, following a hefty hike this month, as the Finance Minister hikes the general fuel levy to shore up the government’s deteriorating revenue collection. The Department of Mineral Re- sources and Energy (DMRE) yesterday announced the fuel price hike for the year, with both types of petrol rising by 75 cents per litre and diesel going up by 73c a litre. This will bring the inland price of 95 unleaded petrol to R23.24 a litre, while the coastal price will reach R22.52 a litre. The…

AECI, WHICH this year celebrates 100 years of being listed, is restructuring and also diversifying overseas in its core chemicals and mining explosives markets, recently appointed CEO Holger Riemensperger said yesterday. Interviewed on the sidelines of the Mining Indaba, he said the group is a global leader in the chemicals and mining industries, with its influence extending across Africa, Europe, South-east Asia, North America, South America, and Australia, and the aim is to continue to gain market share in these regions, as well as open up for business in other areas. In many regions, the group’s mining explosives sales growth was outstripping that of the mining sector as a whole, he said. He said they were recognised by their competitors as a pioneer of change in the mining explosives field…

“WITH COAL ALMOST any feat is possible or easy; without it we are thrown back into the laborious poverty of early times.” (The Coal Question William Stanley Jevons, 1865). Is this quote still valid, almost 160 years later? Coal is globally, and certainly for South Africa, the most important source of power. The commodity is required for almost every product and structure that we see around us and use every single day, either directly or indirectly. There is virtually no machine, cement, steel, aluminium, building, car, computer, iPhone, or even a solar panel or windmill that can be created without coal. In South Africa, the warnings of many engineers, economists and other experts within the energy sector that South Africa won’t easily walk away from coal has already played…

EARNINGS at DRDGold for the half-year period to end December 2023 are expected to spring up by between 5% and 15% after beating inflationary pressures and benefiting from higher gold prices that muzzled the impact of temporary mine delays. DRDGold reported in a trading update yesterday that its earnings per share and headline earnings per share for the period under review are likely to amount to between 65.3 cents and 71.5c compared with 62.3c over the same period a year earlier. Market analysts said yesterday that DRDGold’s performance for the half year was “overall positive, with double-digit earnings growth expected despite inflationary” pressures. They added: “Higher gold prices are benefiting DRDGold’s top line, cushioning the impact of temporary mine delays.” Interim revenues quickened 12%, or by R319.9 million,…

Get ready to be blown away by Unbreakable, which taps into the heart of pantsula. Pantsula originated in the South African townships in the 1950s as a form of protest and has a specific dress code. The hour-long show is a co-production between Soweto Skeleton Movers and Lloydscompany. It features five dancers – Topollo Ntulo, Jabulani Manyoni, Junior Hlongwane, Molefi Rakitla and Lerato Motsepe – showcasing their distinctive dance style in “skeleton pantsula”, a street dance mix of pantsula and bone-breaking. Through this performance, they convey their stories, which unpacks them overcoming setbacks and rising above temptations that could see them spiral out of control. In a quick chat with Ntulo, he shed light on his journey and being a part of Unbreakable. Born in the Free State, and raised…

THE Legacy Motor Group (LMG), an operator of BMW Joburg City, has denied claims about the alleged failure to inform employees about its impending closure as reported on social media. In response to reports shared on social media concerning the labour relations procedure, the company confirmed its closure date of February 29, 2024, and underlined that all actions were strictly in conformity with Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act. According to assertions made before the firm’s clarification, the severance package offered equivalent to one month’s wage for February, with the assumption that employees would report for duty throughout the period. LMG said employees were given written notification of their termination dates and severance packages, which were calculated under the Motor Industry Bargaining Council’s (MIBCO) main agreement. “A 48-hour notice…

Civil society groups, associations, and political parties need not fear that increasing the minimum wage will cause more harm than good, according to an economist. Negative comments were aired after Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi gazetted an increase of 8.5% in the minimum wage. The national minimum wage will increase from R25.42 to R27.58 an hour as of March 1, 2024. This increase has been welcomed by vulnerable employees, especially farm workers and domestic employees. FF+ chief spokesperson Heloïse Denner, raised concerns, saying: “Compensation ought to be fair and should be based on negotiation between the employer and employee, subject to experience and productivity. This is just another way for the ANC government to score cheap political points before the elections. Increasing the national minimum wage would result in…

South Africa’s Special Task Force (STF), which is arguably the country’s most elite unit in the SAPS, is competing with law enforcement agencies from around the world in a battle for bragging rights to become the world’s most elite unit at the UAE Swat (special weapons and tactics) Challenge. The group of highly skilled SAPS STF operatives will show off their weapons, combat and teamwork skills as they take part in the friendly exhibition aimed at sharing knowledge and tactical skills. The SAPS team is hopeful to improve after finishing 9th last year. The contest includes more than 80 teams from over 40 countries. The SAPS published a video clip of the STF team in action in Dubai, navigating the obstacle course. “Our elite Special Task Force Unit is competing…

An advisory has gone out on the “safe conduct for Nigerians in South Africa before, during and after the 2024 Afcon match”. The Nigerian High Commission said it has been made aware of potentially inflammatory online comments by a section of South Africans against Nigerians living in South Africa. “Most of the comments consist of veiled threats against ‘Nigerians cooking jollof rice’ before the match, and ‘showing pepper to Nigerians if Bafana Bafana lose to the Super Eagles’, among others,” the advisory warned. “The High Commission hereby advises the Nigerian community to be watchful of their utterances; be mindful of where they watch the match, especially in public places; and refrain from engaging in loud, riotous or provocative celebrations should the Super Eagles win the match. Additionally, Nigerians should maintain…

Staff Reporter A trade union in the health sector believes there is no political will to speedily resolve the perennial problems bedevilling South Africa’s public hospitals, including the shortage of doctors. Dr Cedric Sihlangu, chairperson of the South African Medical Association trade union said problems, including the lack of medical doctors to attend patients, cannot be resolved because the people wielding the political will are unaffected by the rot. “This requires political will. If it were for us, we would just scrap the Parmed (medical scheme) that the parliamentarians and the executives enjoy. They have these sophisticated medical schemes which, when they go to private hospitals, they get treated like royalty, and because of that, they preside over the public health, but they do not subscribe to it,” Sihlangu said.…

The 12m-tall statue of King Shaka at the airport is under wraps for now. The statue of King Shaka erected at the Durban’s King Shaka International Airport will be officially unveiled on April 27. AmaZulu’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, announced on Monday that King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has decided to unveil a statue of King Shaka 30 years after the country’s liberation. “The foundation for the Struggle against colonialism was laid by King Cetshwayo kaMpande at Isandlwana and sustained by his heir King Dinuzulu, who was imprisoned and exiled for his defence of the land. “The liberation Struggle was kept alive by King Dinuzulu’s grandson, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who kept the torch of liberation burning inside the country when other leaders were in exile and on Robben Island –…

THE Activists and Citizens Forum is calling on the government to do away with the tender system. The forum has indicated that the tender system breeds graft and violent crimes with many people losing their lives due to the rampant corruption and greed embedded in the system. Spokesperson for the forum, Dennis Bloem, said many people have lost their lives as a result of the tender system. Bloem has indicated that the killing of Rand Water executive, Teboho Joala, and his bodyguard in Zakariyya Park last week, can be attributed to the tender system. Joala and other officials, including the City of Joburg Chief Whip, Sithembiso Zungu, were shot while conducting a back-to-school campaign in the area. “Many people are killed because of the tender system of this government. If…

With the South African franchises set to return to action in the United Rugby Championship (URC) in just over a week, the next few months will be vital for players looking to impress the Springbok coaches. Back-to-back Tests against Ireland and New Zealand await, while an experimental side could feature in the one-off Test against Portugal and a possible friendly match against Wales. Here, Independent Newspapers takes a look at the players who have impressed enough so far to secure a place in the Bok squad for the international season. Today we feature the scrumhalves. It is a position the Springboks arguably have the most depth in currently. The incumbent: Faf de Klerk Before his injury and surgery, double World Cup winner Faf de Klerk had already gone head-to-head with…