Table of contents for 2021-05-17 in Star

SPEAR, the only regionally specialised Reit on the JSE focused on Western Cape property, saw its distributable income per share fall 19.94 percent to 73.38 cents in the year to end-February, 2021. The distribution per share fell 35.95 percent to 58.70c. The final dividend per share was down 37.56 percent to 29.36c, and the payout pay-out ratio was 80 percent of distributable income a share, versus 100 percent payout in the prior period. The group, which owns 32 industrial-, retail-, commercial- and hospitality-focused properties, collected 7.79 percent of billings versus the billings as measured as at April 30, 2021. Net asset value fell by 5.57 percent to 1 153c per share. Portfolio occupancy stood at 93.84 percent, and was 100 percent for the Western Cape properties. The…

Goitsemang Tlhabye goitsemang.tlhabye@inl.co.za THE Zuid-Afrikaans Hospital in Muckleneuk has chosen to earmark and commemorate the hard work of nurses who have been at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic with the installation of a unique bronze sculpture. The iconic sculpture was crafted by renowned South African sculptor Angus Taylor, known for his powerful and monumental works using a range of materials from his immediate environment. It was officially unveiled on International Nurses Day last week. The theme for this year’s International Nurses Day was Nurses: A Voice to Lead a Vision for Future Healthcare and, according to the private hospital, the sculpture honoured 117 years of nursing and was a fitting tribute and addition to one of South Africa’s oldest private hospitals. “The 2-metre-high bronze sculpture is to honour the…

T Markandan | Durban THE battle lines are drawn, the gloves are off as the ANC factions square up against each other in the open. President Cyril Ramaphosa temporarily suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule (on May 3) and then in a surprise tit-for-tat move the secretary-general unilaterally suspended the president from the ANC. This defiant stance from Magashule forced the NEC to convene another urgent meeting. On Monday, May 10, Ramaphosa delivered the NEC’s verdict that Magashule’s conduct was “completely unacceptable and a flagrant violation of the rules, norms and values of the ANC” and that it had given him an ultimatum to make a public apology to the president and also to the ANC structures, failing which disciplinary procedures would be instituted. In this open conflict between…

Khotso KD Moleko | Bloemfontein IN the context of only negative stories about certain pastors and churches, it seems as if Christianity was better off without journalism interfering. Amid disclosures about the immorality of certain pastors and churches, including the conclusion that Christianity is not good, more people are becoming detached from worship. The main goal of stories about fake and immoral black-led pastors and churches is to justify immorality and put all those who think they are religious and their majority in their place. If the media cared about protecting the public from immoral pastors, then it would report the good stories too and encourage prayer at schools and the emulation of Jesus. But since this would affect their mission, which is to promote the human…

Mutual trust, equality and respect will be celebrated in Beijing next year As most of us do, we leave things for the last minute. As result, after spending three years in Beijing, visiting the southern city of Kunming, the Terracotta Army near Xi’an, the Great Wall, and the skiing resort in Yanging, the Beijing National Stadium was on my to-do list for my last semester. However, Covid-19 happened and these plans had to be shelved. Each of these cultural sites holds a special significance in the life of Chinese people. For example, Beijing National Stadium, or the Bird’s Nest as it is informally called, is a stadium with a capacity of 91 000 and is said to be the world’s largest steel structure. The most complex stadium ever constructed, the…

Fighting between the Taliban and Afghan government forces resumed yesterday in the restive southern province of Helmand, officials said, ending a three-day ceasefire agreed by the warring sides to mark the Eid al-Fitr holiday. Violence has soared as the US military presses ahead with a plan to withdraw all of its troops by September, bringing an end to a 20-year military operation in Afghanistan. “The fighting started early today and is still ongoing,” Attaullah Afghan, head of the Helmand provincial council, said as a three-day temporary truce ended late on Saturday. He said Taliban fighters attacked security checkpoints on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, and some other districts. An Afghan army spokesperson in the south confirmed fighting had resumed, and the Helmand governor’s office…

LONDON: Princess Michael of Kent has been ill for a month and is suffering from blood clots after getting two doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. “The princess has been unwell and has sought medical attention. It’s been difficult for those close to her to see her suffering,” the source said. The princess, 76, is married to Prince Michael of Kent, 78, a first cousin to Queen Elizabeth. She battled Covid in November, self-isolating at Kensington Palace after apparently catching the bug from a housekeeper.…

Sydney: The crew of an Indonesian fishing trawler that was “clinging to their vessel” in bad weather has been rescued off Australia’s west coast, a top Canberra official said yesterday. The boat had started sinking in the Indian Ocean on Thursday with 20 crew members on board, Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said in a statement. Australian air force planes dropped life rafts for the crew, stranded 670 nautical miles west of Perth, before a Japanese fishing vessel picked them up on Saturday. Dutton said the crew had been “clinging to their vessel”. The survivors were transferred to the Australian navy ship HMAS Anzac on Saturday afternoon. “The fishermen are receiving medical support,” Dutton added.…

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has told his players he will leave the La Liga club at the end of the season, Spanish media reported late on Saturday. Radio station Onda Cero said Zidane informed the players about his decision before last weekend’s 2-2 La Liga draw at home with Sevilla, where Real missed the chance to top the table. Newspaper Marca said he addressed the team on May 8, a day before that game. Real were dumped out of the Copa del Rey by third-tier Alcoyano in January, and were defeated comfortably by Chelsea in their Uefa Champions League semi-final. When asked earlier on Saturday whether he would remain in charge next season, Zidane did not give any guarantees. “I don’t know what’ll happen. I’m here, we’re playing tomorrow…

This Is Us will reportedly come to an end after its sixth season next year. The award-winning drama series will see its final storylines play out and draw to a close with its sixth season, insiders told The Hollywood Reporter. According to the publication, broadcasters NBC will confirm the end of the programme - which stars Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley and Sterling K. Brown, when they unveil their fall schedule for the 2021-22 season, as part of new executives Frances Berwick and Susan Rovner's presentation on their vision for the network's future. The news is unlikely to come as a surprise to fans. When This Is Us was renewed for three more seasons in May 2019, it was reported at the time that it would likely…

Cometh Dube-Makholwa | Midrand DECOLONISATION is defined as the process of removing colonising processes in the educational context. Phew! I find it difficult to comprehend what this is about. The concept of education is foreign to us – it came with the colonisers. Please correct me if I am wrong. Textbooks are written in English or Afrikaans. Interestingly, I learnt in a newspaper recently that the Education Department might allow some exams to be written in the mother tongue. Our children are heading for tough times, and I hope we will be able to develop industries that will provide employment, for all who finish school, under these decolonised conditions. If anybody can provide clarity on this matter, that would be appreciated…

WHILE many countries are investing large sums of money into their economies, water is not their focal point. Unlike others, Israel has invested a lot of its money into producing and supplying water for its people. Israel is ensuring that water will be available for generations to come. When Israel was only four years old, in 1952, its leadership realised that water was going to become a scarce resource, as they were in the desert. Israel has since established itself as a laboratory to resolve the water crisis in the world. It has earned a position as a global water superpower, through its innovative technologies. According to the UN, 1.1 billion people across the world lack access to clean water, and about 2.4 billion people die from water-borne illnesses –…

Dr Yogan Pillay, Dr Kibachio Joseph Mwangi and Sandhya Singh May 17 is World Hypertension Day. The theme this year is “Measure your blood pressure, control it, live longer”. About half of all South Africans have elevated blood pressure, and this trend has increased over the past few decades. The SA Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2016 and published in 2019 reported that between 1998 and 2016 the prevalence of hypertension rose from 25% to 46% in women, and from 23% to 44% in men. The prevalence of hypertension rises steadily with increasing age, peaking at 84 among women and men 65 and older. Twenty-nine percent of women and 34% of men with hypertension were never told by their health provider that they suffered from it. Equally…

TensionS between Israel and militant groups in the Gaza Strip continued yesterday for the seventh day in a row as the death toll in the coastal enclave climbed to 181 and 1 225 others were injured, officials said. At least 33 Palestinians, including eight children, were killed yesterday in Israeli air strikes on Gaza, in the worst daily toll since bombardment started almost a week ago, local authorities said. The health ministry in Gaza said in a press statement that since last Monday, 181 Palestinians had been killed, including 52 children and 31 women, and 1 225 others had different injuries. Militant groups, led by the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), fired barrages of rockets from the Gaza Strip at cities and towns in…

HARARE: Zimbabwe’s High Court has dealt a blow to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, ruling his decision to extend Chief Justice Luke Malaba’s tenure by five years was invalid because it breached the constitution. The Judicial Service Commission (JSC), which employs all judges, said the decision means that Deputy Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza becomes acting chief justice pending the outcome of an appeal. This is a setback to Mnangagwa whose party changed the constitution to allow him to appoint senior judges without a public vetting process. The opposition accused Mnangagwa of seeking to influence the judiciary. Lawyers challenged a constitutional amendment that raised the retirement age of judges to 75 from 70, which allowed Mnangagwa to extend Malaba’s term.…

ADDIS ABABA: The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (Nebe) has decided to postpone the sixth general elections to an undetermined date. Nebe chairperson Birtukan Mideksa said on Saturday that the repeated extensions of voters’ registration dates, the delay in nominating and training of electoral staff as well as the delay in printing and distribution of ballots have forced the postponement. The new voting date will be announced soon after consultations with electoral stakeholders. The Nebe had tentatively set June 5 as the date for the sixth general elections. Earlier on Saturday, the Nebe announced it had registered more than 36.2 million potential voters out of a potential voters’ number of 50 million.…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za A 59th minute goal from Ben Malango earned Raja Casablanca a vital 1-1 draw with Orlando Pirates in their Confederation Cup quarter-final first-leg clash at Orlando Stadium yesterday. There is no doubt that that the team from Morocco will be the happier team with the outcome. Not only did they avoid defeat, but they also scored a vital away goal. Malango was gifted the ball following a defensive lapse in concentration by Nathaniel Nyauza, with Pirates defender Bongani Sam also unable to recover following his defensive partner’s error. Vincent Pule had put the Sea Robbers ahead in the 38th minute with a well-executed goal from a one-on-one situation after taking advantage of lax defending by the visitors and rolling the ball into the net. The first half…

Cricket Australia has said it was open to hearing any new information regarding the 2018 Cape Town scandal in the wake of batsman Cameron Bancroft’s comments suggesting that the team’s bowlers were aware of the ball-tampering tactics. Following an investigation, former Test opener Bancroft was banned for nine months for his role in the incident, while then-captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner were stripped of their leadership positions and handed year-long suspensions. The CA review had at that time cleared the rest of the team and the support staff from any wrongdoing or knowledge of the damaging incident, but Bancroft’s interview to The Guardian on Friday has reopened old wounds. “CA has maintained all along that if anyone is in possession of new information in regards to the…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za Rain played havoc in the early stages of the MotoGP category of the French Grand Prix yesterday at Le Mans, with the riders pitting to change to their wet-tyre set-ups, with several crashes resulting, but unfortunately the chaos was not enough to help Brad Binder break into the top 10. Binder had another weekend to forget on his KTM, starting 21nd on the grid after a poor qualifying session. With the white flags calling in the riders as early as the fourth lap, there was an opportunity for the South African to take advantage of the change-up and the wet conditions, and make something of a terrible weekend for the team. The 25-year-old did well to stay on his bike as his counterparts battled to tame the…

ITUMELENG MAFISA THE SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has urged its members at the Joburg Metrobus service to keep reporting to work. Samwu spokesperson Papikie Mohale said their members were not on strike. He said workers should report for duty but be cautious about their safety. This comes as Metrobus drivers’ strike enters its third week of disrupted operations because of a strike by the rebel Democratic Municipal and Allied Workers Union of SA (Demawusa). There are currently no negotiations between Demawusa and Metrobus because the union is not recognised. Samwu is currently busy with consultations with members following the conclusion in last week’s SA Local Government Association (Salga) meeting with unions. The municipal union is hoping to secure a R4 000 salary increase for all municipal workers. Demawusa…

| STAFF REPORTER INDEPENDENT Media has called on other South African media houses to join it in denouncing media oppression and to advocate the freedom of the press. It made the call after the bombing of the building housing the Al Jazeera and AP news agency offices in Gaza at the weekend. This, it said, was a deliberate attempt to silence the media covering the events in Palestine. “Independent Media outright denounces this action. “Independent Media stands strong in solidarity with all journalists for the right for each reporter to have access to information, convey all sides of a given story and without the fear of being cast into prison or being killed just for doing their job.” Independent Media executive chairman Dr Iqbal Survé said: “What is happening…

SA Rugby had both good and bad news for fans when they confirmed the tour itinerary for the British and Irish Lions, but it came with the rider that it is highly likely that the matches will be played in empty stadiums. All eight matches are to be played in Gauteng and Cape Town to minimise the risks of disruption that could be caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The schedule accommodates stable team bases and training venues, and significantly reduces travel. It is indeed good news that the tour is going ahead, but shortly after the confirmation reached rugby fans, they were informed that those who had bought tickets for the matches are to be refunded. This development does not come as a shock – it was mostly expected given…

Agnes Erzse, Karen Hofman and Nicola Christofides In 2017, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa voluntarily announced that it would stop supplying sugary beverages to primary school outlets. The company also pledged to remove all branding and advertising from schools. The announcement took the form of a letter noting that Coca-Cola Beverages wanted to play “an active role in addressing rising obesity rates in South Africa, especially among children”. Childhood obesity is a serious and growing problem is South Africa. More than 13% of children are either obese or overweight. The consumption of liquid sugar is particularly harmful because it is absorbed so quickly into the bloodstream. Not surprisingly, sugary drinks and their marketing have been linked to obesity, especially among children. Obesity prevention efforts are clearly needed in schools. But…

The Republic of the Congo’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso has chosen a new government that includes his son as well as an opposition leader, according to a statement read on public TV. The previous government resigned earlier this month in a procedural move after Sassou Nguesso, one of the world’s longest-serving leaders, easily won a fifth term in a March election when his main opponent died of Covid-19 on polling day. The new government has 36 members including four ministers and eight women, the statement said. The president’s son Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso will head up the newly created ministry of international co-operation and public-private partnerships. Last July, the NGO Global Witness said US federal prosecutors were probing the 46-year-old over the alleged embezzlement of several million dollars from the…

YANGON: One person was killed with about 15 others missing in a landslide in Myanmar’s Kachin state, an official said yesterday. “The landslide occurred due to a collapse of a heap of mining waste while jade pickers were scavenging tailings at a mining site in Seikmu village tract in Hpakant township of Kachin state at 8.15pm local time on Saturday, leaving eight people with injuries,” said U Kyaw Min, official of administration office in Wai Khar village.Rescue operations resumed yesterday. Many locals make a living by jade scavenging in the region and most of the landslides are caused by the partial collapse of tailings heaps and dams. A major fatal landslide occurred in the region in July 2020, causing at least 174 deaths with 54 injured.…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi believes his team were “the better team football-wise” despite losing 2-0 to Al Ahly in their Champions League quarter-final first leg in Cairo on Saturday evening. The South African champions dominated possession for long periods and created a couple of chances to score an all-important away goal, but unfortunately did not utilise their opportunities. Against a quality team like Al Ahly, it would prove suicidal as the Red Devils scored through a wonderful strike by Mohamed Taher before a calamitous mistake by Sundowns goalkeeper Denis Onyango gifted Salah Mohsen a tap-in during the closing stages and allow Pitso Mosimane’s team to take a two-goal cushion into the second leg against his former team in South Africa on Saturday. “Like I expected, it…

HER challengers stumbled at the final hurdle yesterday, and Lee-Anne Pace held on to win her fourth national open title when she won the Investec South African Women’s Open title by one stroke at Westlake Golf Club in Cape Town. Pace carded a level-par 72 in the final round after a weekend of trying conditions, and that was enough to ward off the threat posed by young German Leonie Harm, who also shot level-par in the final round. In a share of third place were another German, Karolin Lampert, and SA’s Nicole Garcia on five-over. “It’s really very special for me,” said Pace of the tournament co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Ladies Tour and Ladies European Tour. “I lost it a few years ago here on the same course and I’m…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za The Lions will surely have cursed the rugby gods for their 39-37 defeat against the Stormers at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday, but the truth of the matter is that they had every opportunity to lock out their opposition and claim victory. The Joburgers scored some wonderful tries. MJ Pelser’s try in the 22nd minute, EW Viljoen finishing off a fabulous effort from broken play in the 38th minute, and a brilliant break from Morne van den Berg in the 74th minute, which led to Rabz Maxwane diving over in the corner for what many would have believed was the triumphant act of the match. To the surprise of many, they controlled the scrum, outplaying a much more illustrious front row, and a handful of their players…