Table of contents for 2023-06-22 in Star

The country’s consumer price index for the month of May has slowed to 6.3% from 6.8% in April IN THE MIDST of all the doom and gloom facing the South African economy, a small ray of hope was revealed yesterday when the consumer price index (CPI) for May slowed to 6.3% from 6.8% in April, which economists said pointed to flat interest rates for the remainder of this year. This is the lowest reading since April 2022 when the rate was 5.9%. At a time for consumers battling the cost of living crisis in the country, with high interest rates, see-sawing fuel prices month on month and the economy being hit hard by Eskom’s load shedding, the reprieve will be welcomed. StatsSA said that the CPI increased by 0.2% month-on-month…

THE REDUCTION in food inflation was sorely needed by cash-strapped South African consumers who continue to contend with various economic challenges. This is according to Thabile Nkunjana, the agricultural economist for Agro-Food Chains in the Markets and Economic Research Division of the National Agricultural Marketing Council (Namc) after Statistics South Africa’s consumer price inflation data showed that the annual rate for food and non-alcoholic beverages was 11.8%, lower than April’s print of 13.9%. The price index for this category increased by 0.3% between April and May, the lowest monthly reading since November 2021 (0.1%). Nkunjana said the improvement in food inflation in South Africa was due to improving market conditions. “When compared to the previous month, a ton of white maize averaged R3 587, down 4.5%, a ton of…

ANGLO American rough diamond sales value for De Beers’ fifth sales cycle of 2023 came to a provisional $450 million (R8.22 billion), slightly lower than the $479m actual value for the fourth cycle. De Beers CEO Al Cook said in a statement: “Following the JCK Show, and with ongoing global macroeconomic challenges continuing to impact end-client sentiment, the diamond industry remains cautious heading into summer. “Reflecting this, we saw demand for De Beers rough diamonds during the fifth sales cycle of the year slightly softer than in the fourth Cycle.” The fifth Cycle provisional sales were also well down from $657m actual sales in the same cycle last year. The provisional rough diamond sales figure quoted for Cycle five represented the expected sales value for the period June…

FFIRSTRAND, with subsidiaries including Wesbank, FNB and RMB, has reduced its 2023 gross domestic product growth forecast to a contraction of 0.1%, with the likelihood of further interest rate increases. It said in a trading update yesterday, however, that its forecast earlier this year of a strong full year financial performance by the group, stands. The banking group said that contrary to its initial expectations, the South African macroeconomic backdrop had weakened in the second six months of the year to June 30, 2023. “Domestic economic activity has been particularly negatively impacted by higher levels of load shedding, sticky inflation and the steeper rise in interest rates than forecast at the beginning of the year,” the group said. Markets had also reacted negatively to the government’s stance on…

SPACEX founder Elon Musk is the CEO the world is “most curious” about, according to a new study that measures the average monthly search volume for terms related to entrepreneurship. The new research, conducted by online trading experts InvestinGoal, analysed Google Keyword Planner data to determine, which entre- preneurs’ people from around the world are most interested in. After devising a list of more than 300 of the world’s most prominent CEOs, the study combined five common search terms related to entrepreneurship to reveal the average monthly search volume for entrepreneurs over the past twelve months. The businesspeople were then ranked from highest to lowest. Musk amassed an average monthly search volume of more than 10 million over the course of the past year – a figure that is…

Trevor Noah has been quite the busy man since he left his job as the host of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah last year. Not only has the comedian teamed up with Savanna for his upcoming 12-show tour of SA, he’s also hosted a number of events, most notably the Grammy Awards. Now, Spotify has announced that a New Original Podcast with Trevor Noah, whom the company noted as “one of the most successful comedians in the world and a New York Times best-selling author”, is set to be launched later this year. The weekly podcast will see Noah blend his signature humour and razor-sharp wit with his global perspective to deliver a unique take on the hottest and most captivating topics of the moment. The series will also…

Aggrieved Diepsloot residents, protesting against the rise in crime in their area, are pleading with President Cyril Ramaphosa to come to their community and provide lasting solutions to their problems. Community leaders took their concerns to Ramaphosa’s doorstep at the Union Building in Pretoria, calling for his direct intervention. The leaders said they were suspend- ing their protest in the hope that they get the green light as to when Ramaphosa will go to their community. According to the latest crime statistics, 20 people were killed in Diepsloot in the first three months of this year. Residents complained about the killings and robberies that plagued their community. Several of them said they lived in fear of violent gangs that ransack their homes of appliances, money and other valuables. The community…

After six months of rehabilitation, five African white-backed vultures were released back into the wild at the beginning of June. Wildlife ACT, alongside its collaborators Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Raptor Rescue Rehabilitation Centre, and Dr Mike Toft, oversaw the release on Manyoni Private Game Reserve. The Zululand Vulture Project, which works assiduously to conserve vultures in KwaZulu-Natal, released these vultures as part of its conservation efforts. A significant portion of this work entails responding to poisoned, injured, or otherwise compromised vultures, administering appropriate emergency care, and transporting these birds to its rehabilitation partner, Raptor Rescue Rehabilitation Centre, and wildlife veterinarian, Dr Mike Toft. This accredited rehabilitation centre administered professional treatment and care to the birds until they were ready for release. At a mass wildlife poisoning incident in December 2022, the…

The eThekwini mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, has condemned blessers who demand unprotected sex from the blessees. Kaunda said it was wrong of men to suppress the thinking of young girls just because they buy them expensive gifts. He said this during the launch of the U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) campaign. The campaign aims to educate and create awareness about the ground-breaking scientific evidence that people living with HIV, who are on treatment as prescribed, can suppress the virus and not transmit it to their partners and unborn babies. The campaign is a partnership between the city and the United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids). Kaunda said: “Men must not use their financial capacity to demand unprotected sex from young girls. I know that it’s not only men, even women with money…

DIRE Tladi, professor of International Law and Future Africa’s Research Chair of Global Equity in Africa, has been nominated as South Africa’s candidate to serve as a judge on the International Court of Justice, commonly known as the World Court. Tladi’s nomination was announced by The Future Africa Institute at the University of Pretoria, which also extended its congratulations to the academic. The nomination was officially endorsed by the Cabinet last month, marking a significant recognition of his exceptional expertise and outstanding contributions to the field of international law. The election for the International Court of Justice judges is scheduled to take place in November this year. The International Court of Justice, comprised of 15 judges elected by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council for nine-year terms,…

MUSIC sensation Lady Zamar has written a lengthy post on social media, highlighting that women need to keep their standards high in relationships. Advising women, Yamikani Janet Banda, fondly known as Lady Zamar, says they should date and marry as men do, but keep their standards high and avoid listening to comments that they will never find ideal partners. She took to Twitter to share her sentiments: “Men date according to how they see themselves. “This is why they hardly ever settle for just any woman who loves them, no matter how sexy or beautiful. However, women tend to settle and date lower than they see themselves, usually deciding to get married to men who love them and treat them well even though that man is below their standards in…

We’ve had our long-term Ford Ranger XL double cab for a couple of weeks now and it’s been doing bakkie things as intended. Carting around garden refuse, loading bulky offroad accessories, acting as a young family vehicle for regular contributor Justin Jacobs and taking a drive for a long weekend to Mpumalanga. It’s taken it all in its stride proving again you don’t need a top of the range double cab with all the bells and whistles to impress the neighbours. Sure, who wouldn’t want a V6 Ranger Wildtrak or howling Raptor? But not many people have R1 million lying around and this does the job nicely, thank you. It’s often the case when you’re driving a certain car of how many of them you then seem to see, which…

In my view, both Tina Joemat-Pettersson (may her soul repose peacefully) and Busisiwe Mkhwebane are victims of a system that lives off the subjugation of women, where women are treated very differently from men and are measured on a scale. Busi was treated with huge scepticism from day one she took the job. Unlike her predecessor, she didn’t have the wholesale support of white media and they couldn’t wait to prove themselves right; that maybe she is not “fit” for the job. That’s where she was finally entrapped with all manner of justification to establish a committee to check her fitness to do her job, and she was never going to get out of there alive. Similarly with Tina, a victim of her own compassion, maybe she thought she was…

When it comes to pressing societal issues, such as gender-based violence (GBV), Lungi Ngidi is determined to use his platform to educate the youth and play his part in eradicating the scourge of cruelty that plagues South Africa. The first time Proteas fast bowler Ngidi took a stand on a pressing, national socio-economic and political issue, things did not go too well. When the 27-year-old spoke out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, well-known public figures took to social media and created a trend that led to Ngidi being questioned for his beliefs of what is right and what is wrong. Despite being ridiculed three years ago, Ngidi stood in front of the Meadowlands Primary School learners on Monday morning in Soweto and discussed yet another important issue…

TRADE union the Solidarity Movement yesterday accused Anglo American’s iron ore producer Kumba Iron Ore of negotiating wage agreement in bad faith, saying the talks have derailed. It said that salary negotiations between itself, and the mining unions National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) and Kumba were giving rise to a dispute. Despite this, Kumba Iron Ore said: “While negotiations with Solidarity, NUM, and Amcu are ongoing, we have made good progress, and we’re committed to reaching an amicable agreement in the best interests of our colleagues and company”. The group said last year it had proactively adjusted wages upwards to respond to higher-than-expected inflation and the rising cost of living and it had again built this flexibility into its…

THE SA BRICS Business Council is looking for South Africa’s best up-and-coming tech gurus to represent the country in the (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) BRICS Future Skills Challenge. This year’s future skills Olympics will help solve problems that BRICS face around energy, water and health. Joanne Brink, the founder of TechWays and project lead at BRICS Future Skills, said in a statement yesterday that the benefits of participating in the BRICS Future Skills Challenge extended beyond recognition as one of SA’s top tech minds. “If you are selected, you will receive training and exposure to real-world case studies. You’ll receive a certificate, international experience to add to your CV and an opportunity to benchmark your skills at a global level. “Those who perform well in the…

GROWTHPOINT Properties has asked its shareholders to back a R250 million broad-based black economic empower- ment (B-BBEE) ownership scheme that will aim to fund the corporate social investment (CSI) initiatives that Growthpoint supports. The international property company is invested in real estate and communities in South Africa and across the African continent, Australia, UK and Eastern Europe. Growthpoint is 50% co-owner of the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, and the group is South Africa’s largest primary JSE-listed real estate investment trust. The transaction will see Growthpoint allocate shares to a special-purpose CSI Trust, which will use dividends from its Growthpoint shares to fund future CSI initiatives focused on education, entrepreneurship and enterprise development. These initiatives were actioned through Property Point, which delivers programmes that support growing small black…

THE COMPETITION Commission reiterated yesterday its recommendation that the proposed $68.7 billion (R1.26 trillion) transaction whereby Anchorage, a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation, intends to acquire Activision, be approved without conditions. In a hearing held by the Competition Tribunal yesterday, the commission told the tribunal that despite competitors have expressed concerns regarding the merger, the commission found that it was unlikely that the transaction would result in any substantial lessening of competition. The commission recommended that the tribunal approve the deal in South Africa without conditions in April. The acquiring group Anchorage is controlled by Microsoft. It is a global technology company that provides information technology-related services. Its gaming activities are relevant to this proposed merger. Activision develops games for computers, consoles, and mobile devices and…

The inaugural inclusive Fintech Forum focused on fostering strategies for the inclusive and sustainable development of fintech. Over the past three days, policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors, corporates and foundations gathered in Kigali, Rwanda, to align the implementation, policies and partnerships that will harness technology to accelerate greater financial inclusion. The forum was designed to bring leaders, investors and fintechs together to participate in impactful dialogues and meetings that will advance policies and regulations, as well as create meaningful long-term connections and partnerships to advance financial inclusion through Fintech for Good. I was honoured to have been invited by the Rwandan government to participate in a fireside chat to discuss Africa’s start-up unicorns and the impact they should be making in Africa to address social ills. Joining me on the panel was…

THE Flash is a film that could easily have crumbled under the weight of the expectations and hype that surrounds it but, ultimately, it delivers a solid film that honours the legacy of DC Comics’ characters on screen. There has been a lot of build-up for The Flash after numerous delays, and the movie should be commended for how it pulls off an endearing and moving story, while maintaining the fun and action people expect from superhero films. The Flash sees worlds collide after Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past, but when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Allen becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned,…

Thousands of Zulu regiments are expected to descend on the mountains of KwaCeza village between Ulundi and Nongoma in northern KwaZulu-Natal for the 135th commemoration of the historic Zulu civil war between Usuthu and Mandlakazi regiments. The event will take place on Saturday. The war, which took place in 1888, was fuelled by the British colonial army to divide and weaken the Zulus, who were resisting colonial rule even though the English army had defeated them. After their humiliating defeat at the famous battle of Isandlwana Hill in Nquthu, under King Cetshwayo in January 1879, the English army regrouped and defeated the Zulus in July of the same year and burned down Cetshwayo’s Ulundi palace. The Mandlakazi side was led by Prince Zibhebhu kaMaphitha, who was used as a traitor…

A South Coast snake catcher was not harmed when the person holding a step ladder for him while he tried to rescue a black mamba from a tree ran away before he could make it down safely with the snake. Sarel van der Merwe said recently while rescuing a black mamba from a tree in Port Edward, the person holding the step ladder for him let go of the ladder and fled towards Van der Merwe’s girlfriend. Van der Merwe said he got calls from Dave Watson, then a councillor, about six times for mambas, puff adders, boomslang, right next to his property and on his property. He owns a big property. He said the black mamba was right on his fence, but more on his neighbour’s side. Van der…

THE Law Society of South Africa has expressed concern over the treatment of legal practitioners who queued for two nights in the Pretoria CBD in a desperate bid to obtain compensation for their clients. Things ran more smoothly yesterday as a more structured approach with time slots had been implemented. Hundreds of legal practitioners queued at Sammy Marks Square on Sunday and Monday nights in order to take up the offer from the Road Accident Fund (RAF) to negotiate block settlements for accident victims. Most had to turn back as the office did not open on Monday. By Tuesday afternoon, scores of those who had camped out at the square could not be helped by the time the office closed in the late afternoon. But there was light in the…

Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha Magudumana: Are they glamorising criminality with their lavish apparel? Facebook rapist Bester and his partner in crime, Magudumana, have not only commanded attention for their actions, but their grand court appearances have become a hot topic. Luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Burberry, Nike apparel, a perfectly laid-back hairstyle and well-applied make-up are what you are most likely to see from the pair. Bester and Magudumana, who first made headlines in crime reports, have since become popular for their high-priced and elegant court fashion. This has also raised questions about whether they are contributing to the romanticisation of crime or are just showing off their deep pockets. Bester escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in 2022 by faking his death. He was on the…

The Mitsubishi Triton has always taken a somewhat unconventional approach to exterior design but the new generation model is going all ‘truck’ on us. Mitsubishi has released four new teaser images of the upcoming model ahead of its official global reveal, which we’re told will take place in Thailand on July 26. Mitsubishi describes the new design philosophy as “beefed-up” and “horizontally-themed”, particularly at the front end where we see a large upright grille and two-tier, 3D headlights designed to resemble the sharp gaze of a hawk. “The all-new Triton has been completely reimagined under the design concept Beast Mode, or audacious and daring,” said Mitsubishi Motors design GM Seiji Watanabe. “While expressing the toughness and powerfulness expected of a pick-up truck, the all-new Triton combines agility with the brand’s…

From the start of the military conflagration in Ukraine, South Africa has called for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and negotiations. Until the announcement of the African Leaders Peace Mission to Ukraine and Russia, which took place last week, there has not been any concerted attempt by a group of heads of state in the international community to find a sustainable resolution to the conflict, which has dragged on for over 15 months. South Africa has been part of a chorus of African leaders calling for a non-aligned approach to the war, arguing that developing countries should not be drawn into a contest between global powers. This stance of “active non-alignment” has often been confused with neutrality, but there is a crucial difference between non-alignment and neutrality.…

THE legendary Michael ‘Muis’ Roberts and veteran jockey Piere ‘Striker’ Strydom will be looking to enter the history books in the Hollywoodbets Durban July at Hollywoodbets Greyville on July 1. Roberts, an 11-time South African champion jockey, rode the 1997 Durban July winner Super Quality. He is now looking to enter the winner’s enclosure as a trainer of ante-post favourite See It Again. Roberts will be relying on Strydom to land the winner’s crown of Africa’s greatest horse racing event. Strydom is a four-time winner of the race (1996, 2001, 2012 and 2016), and will be looking to equal the five wins by Anton Marcus (1993, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2018). The chestnut See It Again won the Daily News last month and also has a chance to make it into…

France’s World Cup-winning midfielder N’Golo Kante has joined Saudi Arabian champions Al Ittihad, the club said in a statement yesterday, joining up with compatriot Karim Benzema. “Kante is an Ittihad player now!” the club said on Twitter, while chairman Anmar al-Hailee tweeted: “Welcome to our new tiger Kante,” a reference to the team’s nickname. The 32-year-old becomes the latest in a line of European stars choosing to ply their trade in the desert kingdom, which is making big-money moves across elite sport. A dynamic and industrious midfielder, Kante won the World Cup with France in 2018. His club career also glitters. He won the Uefa Champions League and Fifa World Club Cup with Chelsea, as well as back-to-back Premier League titles with Leicester City and Chelsea. Kante’s contract with the…

MOODY’S Investor Service yesterday cast a dim eye on South Africa’s electricity crisis and, though acknowledging current efforts in improving efficiency, was pessimistic of stability on the grid in the short term as funding, mismanagement and lack of technical skills were still prevalent. In an report on South Africa's electricity market titled “Load shedding will continue as the system remains under severe pressure”, Moody’s said assuming that the planned growth in new capacity and Eskom’s efforts to improve operations materialise, the levels and intensity of load shedding should start to reduce next year. Joanna Fic, the senior vice-president at Moody’s EMEA Infrastructure Finance team, said: “Still, there are risks to execution.” Moody noted Eskom’s poor operational performance was reflected in the deteriorating energy availability factor (EAF), which in the financial…

MAURITIUS-BASED AfrAsia Bank, which has an office in Johannesburg, has been granted a Financial Services Provider Category 1 Intermediary & Advisory licence, which should enable it to grow its representation over time to all major metropolitan areas in South Africa. This was according to Raveen Ramaklan, the head of structuring at AfrAsia Bank, who was interviewed yesterday. Ramaklan has more than 25 years of experience in treasury-related activities across institutions such as Citi- bank, Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank and Rand Merchant Bank. AfrAsia Bank offers offshore investing and expanded financial services solutions to high-net-worth individuals and corporates looking to diversify into the international financial centre of Mauritius. The bank has had a representative office in Johannesburg since 2010 and has, until now, only been offering basic financial services such…

IT LOOKS like it is D-Day for embattled businessperson Markus Jooste. The former Steinhoff CEO was hit with an arrest warrant from a German court yesterday. According to Bloomberg, the Regional Court of Oldenburg issued the warrant two weeks ago. A spokesperson for the court said prosecutors had called for Jooste’s arrest in April after he failed to appear in court for his trial. Jooste’s lawyer, Bernd Gross, has yet to comment on the arrest warrant. It should be noted that back in April, Gross told the court that Jooste could not travel as he did not have his passport. Jooste apparently had an agreement with South African authorities that he would remain in the country as he is facing multiple probes into financial misconduct. Gross told the…

The important role that small businesses play in sustaining and growing the South African economy has been well-documented. Estimates show that small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) contribute as much as 34% to the country’s total gross domestic product. These statistics paint a telling picture – one that presents a compelling case for helping more aspiring entrepreneurs get their ventures off the ground and encourage more South Africans to start their own businesses. We know that the vast majority of the country’s small businesses fail within the first five years of operation – a rate that is currently among the highest in the world. Fortunately, our country’s entrepreneurs are known for their resilience. After each successful year of operation and every milestone, they bring new meaning to the phrase “when the…

IN ADDITION to finding affordable alternative power/energy for small businesses, there is a need to support them with mental wellness, says the Township Entrepreneurship Alliance (TEA). The organisation’s founder, Bulelani Balabala, said the recent sequential events of Covid-19 lockdowns, the 2021 civil riots, flooding in KwaZulu- Natal and parts of the Cape, as well as load shedding and water shedding, had put a strain on the mental well- being of business owners. “For any business owner, there are certain challenges that you come across that you need to navigate on a daily basis. “Over and above the challenge of finding customers, sales, being entrepreneurial in your business or being able to feed into your technical or managerial aspects of the business, now you have to deal with all these socio-economic…

THE 25 AFRICAN-BASED start-ups selected for this year’s $4 million (R73m) Black Founders Fund were announced by Google for Start-ups yesterday, with three from South Africa. Selected from South Africa were: ■ Excel At Uni (South Africa): Supports student funders via digital services. ■ HealthDart (South Africa): Digital HMO providing end-to-end health services with insurance. ■ Zinacare (South Africa): Online platform for accessible, affordable healthcare services. The Black Founders Fund, now in its third year, aims to help tackle systemic racial inequality in venture capital (VC) funding by providing equity-free grants and mentoring to early stage black-led high-growth businesses across Europe and Africa. Folarin Aiyegbusi, the head of Startups Ecosystem, Africa at Google, said start-ups played a major role in advancing Africa’s digital transformation. “We look…

The Encounters South African International Documentary Festival returns today with a line-up of local and international films. Encounters aims to celebrate the creativity of African film-makers and beyond. This year’s festival focuses on amplifying diverse voices and perspectives, showcasing films directed by women. Among the films selected is All That Breathes, directed by Shaunak Sen, which was nominated for an Oscar. Set in Delhi, India, the film tells the heart-warming tale of two brothers who develop a bond with a bird and nurse it back to health. The documentary 20 Days in Mariupol, which won an award at the Sundance Festival is directed by Mstyslav Chernov, and follows a team of Ukrainian journalists who document the atrocities of war while trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol. Seven Winters in…

The Rwandan genocide suspect accused of ordering the brutal deaths of 2 000 people during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, Fulgence Kayishema, has abandoned his bail application and instead is banking on being granted political asylum in South Africa. Kayishema’s lawyer, Juan Smuts, told the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court his client had instructed him to suspend the bail application, which the State was set to oppose and to change tack. Smuts said Kayishema fled Rwanda in 1994 out of fear for his life and that before he arrived in South Africa in 2001 or there- abouts, he had attempted and failed to secure refuge in a number of other African countries. Smuts did not indicate whether his client intends to bring a bail application at a later stage. However,…

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said he is surprised why the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) is only thinking of obtaining cellphone records of MPs, citing that they should have confiscated them a long time ago. The Star reported that the late Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Section 194 inquiry chairperson Richard Dyantyi, and ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina had demanded a whopping R200 000 each to make the inquiry into suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office “go away”. It was also reported that Joemat-Pettersson flew from Cape Town for that meeting and represented Majodina and Dyantyi. Mkhwebane’s husband, Mandla Skosana, handed over all the WhatsApp messages between him and Joemat-Pettersson to support his claim that three MPs tried to extort a bribe from him. Joemat-Pettersson died on June 5,…

What began as a cross-continent love story has ended in an acrimonious divorce action, with the Western Cape High Court ordering two former lovers to finally go their separate ways. Money and a dispute over an offshore investment pushed the 71-year-old ex-wife to haul her terminally ill 74-year-old ex-husband to the high court, with the court eventually decreeing the divorce, with each bearing their own legal costs. “This highly acrimonious divorce action commenced with the plaintiff (wife) instituting proceedings against the defendant (husband) on March 7, 2016. “Save for the contributions paid by the defendant towards the plaintiff’s costs, which she may retain, each party shall pay their own costs, including any reserved costs orders,” the court ordered. The couple met in 2002 at a party in Tel Aviv, Israel,…

Things are looking up for the South African team at the Special Olympic World Games in Berlin, Germany, after Kamogelo Moncho won gold in the men’s 5 000m final. The 28-year-old SA Special Olympic athlete flew the country’s flag high in the final that took place at Olympia Stadium on Monday. Moncho, from Potchefstroom, is no stranger to gold medals as he won double gold at the 2019 Special Olympics in the United Arab Emirates. ‘’I feel so happy and proud because the 5 000m event is one that I like. I am so happy, and the weather is good. “I managed to set up my pace. I was not concentrating on anyone, I was just concentrating on myself, and that is why I managed to win the gold,…

ESKOM’s load shedding stages might have dropped to stage 3, but there is no assurance that the levels will remain low, especially with the forecast of a tough winter period for the rest of June, July and August. This was the sentiment expressed by the chairperson of the National Rationalised Specifications Association of South Africa, Vally Padayachee. He was briefing the National Press Club in Pretoria on “the further risk mitigation of the possibility of going into an electricity blackout situation and collapsing the SA national electricity grid in a state of power system emergency” yesterday in Pretoria. Padayachee said the risk of a national blackout has a low likelihood of materialising, given operating protocols and protection systems in place. The operating protocols included the existence of an Eskom system…

THE Kruger National Park has donated a R1.5 million science laboratory to Bunny Khosa High School in Ximhungwe village, Mpumalanga. The donation is part of the South African National Park’s legacy programme that connects with communities across the country. The school for underprivileged children has 724 learners, 131 of whom are orphans from the poverty-stricken village. Giving the keynote address at the handover ceremony yesterday, Kruger National Park managing executive Oscar Mthimkhulu said the programme was meant to benefit communities. “We must try to get the learners into maths and science, which are essential programmes that will facilitate access for them to do anything. What we are doing we are managing on behalf of society. “We are trying to give a message to communities that we are all in this…

Mahindra updated its brand identity last year, also boasting a new ‘Twin Peaks’ logo, which now marks a new dawn for the manufacturer. After getting behind the wheel of the XUV700 we feel it certainly is a step in the right direction. When one speaks about Mahindra as a vehicle brand, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t necessarily cutting-edge technology, premium interiors, or striking and attractive exterior designs. All these attributes, however, belong to the Mahindra XUV700. On the styling front, the XUV700 looks attractive. Up front, a striking grille takes centre stage, with the new “Twin Peaks” logo proudly housed in the centre of the grille. The grille is flanked by a set of LED clear-view headlamps which benefit from automatic boosting. LED daytime-running lights and LED…

Sergio Perez’s seat with Red Bull is safe for this Formula One season, former champion Jenson Button said this week, but if the Mexican’s struggles continue he could be looking for another team next year. Perez was in the thick of the championship hunt a month ago but has suffered a dramatic dip in performance with a run of sub-par results. He failed to reach the podium in the last three races for dominant Red Bull. Teammate Max Verstappen claimed his sixth win of the campaign at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday to open a 69-point lead over Perez in the standings, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso closing in on second and now just nine adrift. Concern has mounted. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner felt the need to…