Table of contents for 2022-05-03 in Star

THERE is the risk that more countries will impose export bans on their crops amid heightened global food security concerns and elevated food prices as war rages in Ukraine. Indonesia this month prohibited the export of its palm oil exports. National Agricultural Marketing Council (Namc) agricultural economist Thabile Nkunjana said in an interview last week that between March 10 and April 28, at least 10 export bans, or trade restriction measures, had been developed by countries, all of which were for vegetable oil crops such as palm oil, sunflower, canola, and soybean. “Surging prices for cooking oil mainly prompted these prohibitions or trade restrictions, as countries attempted to manage their respective inflation. These regulations, unfortunately, have disastrous implications for importing countries,” Nkunjana added. However, exporting countries had a slim possibility…

ESKOM has its work cut out to recover R15 billion lost to state capture after Chief Justice Raymond Zondo last week released a report detailing the extent of corruption that has bought the power utility to its knees. It needs every cent to add to its kitty as it staggers under a massive debt burden of R392bn. This as it struggles to keep the lights on, spending billions on diesel recently amid bad weather and infrastructure breakdowns. Eskom, in a response to the fourth edition of Judge Zondo’s report on state capture, said that it had already taken steps to recover funds irregularly paid out to various suppliers and had over time recovered R1.1bn from McKinsey, R1.577bn from ABB, as well as from several other significant cases. Eskom said it…

MTN’s NIGERIAN network user numbers have fallen by 1.3 million during the quarter period to the end of March, dragged down by regulatory directives to disconnect subscribers not registered with National Identity Numbers (NINs), although this has not had a financial impact. The South African-based, but Pan Africa focused, telco now has 70.2 million subscribers in the populous African country. The Nigerian market has been volatile for South African and global tech companies, including MultiChoice and Twitter, but MTN chief executive Ralph Mupita believes the company will be able to make its unit there workable. Regulators in Nigeria have directed that operators bar subscribers, whose SIM cards are not registered with national identity numbers, from making outgoing calls. “By the end of April, about “60 million subscribers…

BOTH the General Council of the Bar of South Africa and the Pan African Bar Association of South Africa have called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances under which advocate Malesela Teffo was arrested on Thursday in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. The legal representative of accused number one to four in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial was dramatically arrested and cuffed in full view of the media and public seconds after the court had adjourned. The General Council of the Bar called for a thorough investigation into the matter by an independent body and for the outcome to be made public. Chairperson Craig Watt-Pringle SC said that for the police to arrest an officer of the high court within the court precinct showed a profound disrespect for the…

Google has announced a policy change that will effectively ban call recording apps from the Play Store. The change, coming on May 11, will leave Google with a monopoly on developing apps able to record phone calls. The latest Developer Program Policy Update does not prohibit call recording apps from the Play Store, but removes the functionality of the underlying Accessibility API. Application Programming Interfaces are how third-party apps interact with the Android system and this change removes the ability to access and record calls. The policy update states that this functionality is being removed as the Accessibility API was designed and intended for use by applications that improve access to those with disabilities, not audio call recording. However, there is no other way for third parties to access audio…

When a hyena wants to eat its children, it first accuses them of smelling like goats – African Proverb. The news of the passing, no – not of the passing, but the brazen gunning down of Mfundo Mokoena, a Provincial Conference Preparatory Committee (PCPC) and PWT member of the ANCYL in KwaZulu-Natal has sent shockwaves across the country. The murder of Mokoena is not an isolated incident in the province but part of the unceasing murder of activists that has rendered KZN somewhat a “killing field” of political and social justice activists. While pain does not require to be mediated by the logic of rationality, the responses by many to politically motivated killings are an indication of how people understand the problems to be. The understanding, perhaps the dominant one,…

TS GALAXY (1) 1 Hlongwane 33 ORLANDO PIRATES 0 Pirates’ CAF Champions League aspirations suffered a huge blow after Lifa Hlongwane’s lone strike saw Galaxy beat them at Mbombela Stadium yesterday. The Buccaneers are fourth on the log with 40 points, five behind second-placed Royal AM, who have a game in hand and are scheduled to play a league encounter against AmaZulu FC tomorrow. The win for Galaxy meant they moved out of the relegation zone into 13th spot. Pirates will now turn their focus to the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final, where they’ll play Al Ahli Tripoli in Libya in the first leg on Sunday. If they get a win there, they’ll have one foot in their first continental final since 2015. This game had all the makings of a…

Volkswagen’s premium brands Audi and Porsche will join Formula One, possibly as early as 2026, after the German automotive group was convinced that the move would bring in more money than what it would cost, VW chief executive Herbert Diess said yesterday. Discussions by the board of directors about the two brands’ plans had created some divisions, Diess said at an event in Wolfsburg. But ultimately, the brands, which next to VW’s China business are the group’s most important income suppliers, made the case that they would pull in more money for the Wolfsburg-based organisation with an F1 commitment rather than without one. There has been speculation for several months that the two brands were negotiating partnerships to enter the highest class of international motorsport, which for much of the…

THE COMPETITION Commission has given the green light for the acquisition of a controlling stake in Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) by Impala Platinum (Implats), which on Friday reported broad production declines from managed and joint venture operations for the quarter period to the end of March. Implats, the world’s second-largest producer of the precious metal, recorded a 3 percent decrease in total 6E concentrate volumes to 2.38 million ounces, worsened by a 4 percent lowering in volumes to 1.7 million ounces from managed operations. Volumes from joint ventures also declined 3 percent to 407 000 ounces, although there was a marginal increase of 1 percent from third-party production. Resultantly, refined production for its six elements was 6 percent lower at 2.35…

From award-winning creator Julian Fellowes comes the much-anticipated motion picture event, which reunites the beloved cast as they go on a grand journey to the South of France to uncover the mystery of the Dowager Countess’s newly inherited villa. Downton Abbey: A New Era tells a dramatic, emotional and moving story that fans cannot afford to miss. We see our favourite characters evolve and also learn more about how the family have adapted to the ever-changing times. It is very difficult to review Downton Abbey: A New Era as a standalone or even as a typical sequel. Those who have been fans and watched all six seasons of the show, the Christmas specials, and the 2019 movie, make it fairly difficult to see this second movie as just a movie.…

A CALL has been made for the clipping of the powers of the Minister of Health in the anticipated National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme. Five experts in the fields of health, law and economics have urged Parliament’s portfolio committee on health to amend the National Health Insurance Bill and limit the minister’s powers in the operations of the NHI. GC Solanki, JE Cornell, S Wild, RL Morar and V Brijlal, attached to institutions including the SA Medical Research Council, University of Cape Town and the Clinton Health Access Initiative, analysed 82 submissions made by the public on the National Health Insurance Bill. Their analysis article, published by the SA Medical Journal, detailed the general concerns about the governance powers in the functions of the NHI. In the pipeline for more…

The conflict in Ukraine has become the latest flash point for international relations and diplomatic stereotypes and innuendos against growing bi- lateral relations between China and South Africa, and China and African countries. Such diplomatic and public posture deny independent autonomous agency and existence from countries in the Global South in addressing global crisis outside Western leadership and dominancy. There is no doubt that the world faces unprecedented security uncertainty from the conflict in Ukraine requiring urgent attention from global peacemakers. After two months of the conflict, there is global consensus on one fact, that the conflict may take longer than projected by mostly Western pundits. According to the International Monetary Fund, the seismic economic tremors from the conflict in Ukraine will slash global economic growth by half, with severe…

Dave Rennie is hopeful Australia’s teams are closing the gap on their New Zealand rivals in Super Rugby as the Wallabies coach plots to win back the Bledisloe Cup from the All Blacks after a 19-year drought. Australia’s rebuilding Waratahs stunned New Zealand powerhouse the Crusaders on Saturday, their first win over Kiwi opposition since 2019, while the Brumbies were convincing winners over the Hurricanes on Sunday. “The other sides all went close… so it’s good,” Rennie said from Melbourne yesterday. “I think we’re certainly more competitive and teams can take a lot of confidence out of that. “It’s important that we do well against the Kiwi sides as it gives us confidence, gives our players confidence that playing against some of the best players in the world, they can…

Royal AM’s focus will now fully be on securing second place in the Premiership following their 2-1 Nedbank Cup semi-final elimination at the hands of league champions Mamelodi Sundowns at Chatsworth Stadium on Saturday. Thwihli Thwahla are in action tomorrow night as they make the short trip to Pietermaritzburg to face Maritzburg United at Harry Gwala Stadium. The loss against Sundowns was the Durban-based club’s first defeat in all competitions since the start of 2022. Should they finish second in the league they will qualify for the Caf Champions League next season, an impressive achievement considering that this is only their first season in the top flight. However, with Kaizer Chiefs now seemingly out of the top-four reckoning, it does look like Royal AM will face a strong challenge from…

THE WEAKENING rand/dollar exchange rate has wiped out chances of a reasonably substantial cut in the petrol price tomorrow, even though oil prices have moderated. Central Energy Fund data released last week showed the average over- recovery on 95 octane unleaded petrol was 14.96 cents a litre, meaning petrol prices might be reduced by this amount, but for diesel there was an under-recovery of 94.7c a litre, indicating motorists will pay more for diesel. While these costs will be offset by the government’s R1.50 a litre fuel price intervention, motorists hoping for a substantial drop when the prices are adjusted tomorrow after months of increases, might be in for a disappointment due to the rand’s softening stance. At mid-April, petrol was set for a 34c a litre decline,…

Actress and rapper Boity Thulo, who turned 32 last week, bought herself a mansion to celebrate her big day. Taking to Instagram, the Bakae hitmaker shared an image of herself posing next to her new home, capturing the post: “The perfect birthday gift from my underground gang to me! “I could not be more proud of myself for how far I’ve come. I’m constantly working on becoming the best version of myself in all aspects of my life and even though I haven’t got it all right, the progress has been astounding!” Fans, family and friends congratulated Boity on her new home and wished her well on her special day. “Congratulations and Happy Birthday to you! Wishing you many, many more blessed birthdays and title deeds to celebrate,” commented media…

A long-distance coach company has called for urgent intervention to stop violence directed at the industry after more than 150 violent incidents were recorded in just 13 months. Long-distance coach company Intercape has appealed to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the government to intervene urgently to stop the violence directed at the industry, allegedly by rogue taxi associations. “In the space of just 13 months, there have been more than 150 recorded violent incidents, a number of which have led to serious injuries to employees and passengers of the bus operators in the Long-Distance Coach industry,” the company said. Intercape said the attacks were mainly centred around key towns and routes in the Eastern Cape but has also seen attacks in the Cape Metropole and Gauteng. The call came after three…

Search-and-rescue teams have been stretched to their limits in KwaZulu- Natal over the past three weeks as they rescued victims and recovered the bodies of those who died in the devastating floods that hit the province. SAPS Search and Rescue, along with the Metro Police Search and Rescue and private rescue teams have been working long hours to bring a sense of closure for families. The teams have been working out of the Virginia Airport. They said they were currently focused on recovery operations and the toughest part to deal with was the recoveries of children. They were also hit with a tragedy of their own as Pietermaritzburg SAPS diver, Sergeant Busisiwe Mjwara, and police dog Leah drowned while conducting a search in the Msunduzi River for three victims who…

A day after announcing a decrease in subscribers, the incorporation of advertisements, and charges for account sharing, Netflix stock was down 35%. Reports of decreasing subscriber numbers and a subsequent stock price drop come after months of experimentation by the streaming service leader. In a world where the pandemic pressures that pushed content streaming into its dominant position have slowed, Netflix has been experimenting with ways to stay competitive. As the beginning of an effort to crack down on account sharing, with Netflix claiming that its service is shared with more than 100 million non-paying households, Netflix trialled charging users in Peru and Chile an additional fee for accounts being used across multiple locations as well as introducing two-step verification when logging in to a device outside the home. Netflix…

I wonder if there was ever a disease in the history of humankind that has been as deadly, confusing and sneaky in all its manifestations as Covid 19? Soon after its arrival, we were made to believe that it did not have much impact on children, though it was never explained to us how this conclusion was arrived at. But, on September 17 last year, it was reported in The Star that 550 deaths of children had been recorded in the country. I have two grandchildren who fall within this age group and who tested positive for Covid-19. One was hospitalised and the other was in self-isolation for two weeks. Fortunately, they both recovered. My concern arises from the fact that the ACDP and other organisations are taking steps to…

Having lost four matches in a row, Kaizer Chiefs’ aim for this season will now be on damage control rather than securing a second-place finish in the Premiership. Chiefs will be looking to return to winning ways when they face 11th placed Marumo Gallants at FNB Stadium today. After sacking Stuart Baxter two weeks ago, Amakhosi have not shown much improvement and have lost three times. Interim coach Arthur Zwane has been tipped as a potential candidate to succeed Baxter on a full-time basis, but his audition has not gone well so far. However, it must be said that Zwane has not been backed yet and that he inherits a squad in need of a rebuild. Chiefs are currently without a trophy for a seventh season and returning the club…

MAMELODI Sundowns are masters at preparing thoroughly for matches but have a date with fate at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, where this year’s Nedbank Cup final will be played. The record shows that the final between Sundowns and Marumo Gallants is a repeat of last season’s semi-final, and that it will represent an opportunity for the Brazilians to secure an impressive treble. Gallants, campaigning in 2021 as Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila, defeated their more illustrious opponents 6-5 on penalties after extra time failed to separate the teams in a 0-0 draw at Loftus Versfeld in April last year. Sundowns, nevertheless, dominated the semi-final and were impressive with intricate passing moves in midfield but failed to fashion clear-cut chances against a disciplined and well-organised TTM defence. It was much the same story…