Índex per 2021-06-01 a Star

INVICTA Holdings would dispose for R347.4 million its 51.19 percent shareholding in Singapore-based Kian Ann Group (KAG) to entities controlled by Zou Jian Liang and associates (ZOU) of 48.81 percent and to Loy Soo Chew of 2.38 percent. Agreement had also been reached to allow share subscriptions in KAG by IAH and ZOU, to facilitate an increase of KAG’s 27.6 percent stake in Kunshan Kensetsu Buhin (KKB) and its 50.01 percent shareholding in Modesty Investment Holding (MIH) to 100 percent, respectively. Invicta would cut its shareholding in KAG to 48.81 percent from 100 percent through the transaction. KAG is a global distributor of parts for heavy machinery, diesel engines and automotive, comprising wholly owned Kian Ann Engineering and Kian Ann Investment, which in…

ITUMELENG MAFISA RAND Water executive Eddie Singo has described the failure of two transformers that left thousands of people without water over the weekend as purely an “engineering glitch”. Many communities on the West Rand and parts of Soweto were left without water as their taps ran dry. Some major hospitals including Helen Joseph Academic Hospital and Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital also experienced water challenges. Rand Water has blamed this on the failure of two transformers that are essential in the supply and pumping of water. “Over the weekend we lost one of two transformers that supply the Eikenhof pumping station now those transformers belong to City power and they were called in. “As they were working on that, the second transformer also failed, which meant…

ITUMELENG MAFISA THE National Education and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) has called on the government to hire more hospital staff and increase bed capacity in anticipation of a third wave of the deadly Covid-19 virus. The union has been at the forefront of holding government to account over its handling of the pandemic. Its secretary-general, Zola Saphetha, made the call for more health-care staff to be appointed following the announcement that the country would move to level 2 lockdown. “Our call to government has been centred on the procurement of more oxygen points, ventilators, hospital beds and the hiring of more health-care workers to deal with the scourge of under-staffing,” Saphetha said. He said President Cyril Ramaphosa had failed to mention that the target of vaccinating 1.25 million front-line…

RAPULA MOATSHE rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za IN 2017, Hjalmar Rall made history when he enrolled at the University of Pretoria at the age of 14 for a BSc in physics. He recently graduated cum laude with a BSc honours in physics during this year’s graduation season and has plans to continue his studies abroad. Rall, 18, yesterday told The Star’s sister paper, the Pretoria News that his field of specialising, which is Quantum Information Theory research, was not offered in South Africa. “I am going into academia and I am going to do research in physics. I will have to go abroad, unfortunately, because my field of specialising is only offered in a few countries worldwide.” Rall, who originally hailed from Riebeek Kasteel in the Western Cape, said his love for…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za A WITS University graduate from the Eastern Cape aims to assist youngsters in his home province as he walks for 20 days to raise R1.28 million for education and sports resources. Thami Manganya, 26, began his 800km journey from Wits University to Dutywa, Eastern Cape, on Sunday, where he aims to raise R1.28m to alleviate poverty in the Eastern Cape rural areas. The Dutywa-born graduate entered Vereeniging yesterday, where he told The Star that the core of his initiative was to raise funds for the lives of the rural masses in the Eastern Cape. Manganya’s gruelling walk is expected to end on June 19. “It is for this reason that I have decided to make it my responsibility to alleviate the amount of poverty and brighten the…

I HEAR the allegation increasingly all politicians are crooks. Ordinary voters, black and white, are appalled at the almost daily revelations about corruption. Can one blame them when they are repeatedly let down by the politicians elected to represent them and the civil servants paid to serve them? After a career as an attorney stretching over 45 years and a career in public life as a city councillor, provincial councillor, member of parliament and an ambassador extending over 50 years, I can state I am not a crook. And nor were most of the people I encountered over my two lifetimes in the profession and the service of the public. I was only once in time offered a “present” I thought was improper: a very large property development company sent…

AFTER scenes of youth insurrections, which became a turning point in our political landscape 45 years ago, one of the greatest ironies of our democratic dispensation is the staggering levels of youth unemployment while the country faces a chronic skills deficit. In spite of the impressive numbers of youth completing their matric and entering institutions of higher learning, the country is still not in a position to plug the gaping hole of skills shortages. Instead of replenishing the skills to counter the chronic shortages, the challenge is continuing to fester into a serious problem. This plays itself out as increasing numbers of youth unemployment are getting out of control. Every day we are confronted by disillusioned youth who are complaining about the inability of the job market to create enough…

Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) were at loggerheads after the Chadian government accused its southern neighbour of killing six of its soldiers at a border post, five of whom were allegedly abducted and then executed, branding it a “war crime” that would “not go unpunished”. Hours after the accusation, the CAR said there had been “exchanges of fire … at the border”, with fatalities on both sides. Expressing regret for the deaths, it put the blame on rebels it said its soldiers had been pursuing and suggested Chad and the CAR – “two brotherly peoples”– hold a joint investigation. The incident has placed the spotlight on the occasionally fraught relations between Chad – ruled by a junta since its veteran ruler was killed six weeks ago – and…

ARLINGTON: US President Joe Biden used his Memorial Day speech yesterday to defend America’s “imperfect” democracy, calling for more work to deliver the promise of what he said remained “the greatest experiment” in world history. In a speech at Arlington National Cemetery to honour a million Americans who have lost their lives in military service, Biden warned that democracy was “in peril” in the US and around the world in the face of autocratic forces he did not identify. Biden said 7 036 people had died in recent US conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also stressed the need for people to have the right to vote “freely and fairly ”. | Reuters…

Addis Ababa: An Ethiopian aid worker died after being struck by a stray bullet in the country’s northern Tigray region, his Italian employer said yesterday, the ninth such death in the conflict there. Negasi Kidane, based in the Tigray town of Adigrat, was a longtime employee of the International Committee for the Development of Peoples, known by its Italian acronym CISP. Negasi Kidane was accidentally involved in a fire fight at the weekend and was hit by a stray bullet. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops into Tigray last November to detain and disarm leaders of the regional ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). As of last week, eight aid workers had been killed in Tigray, according to the UN. | Reuters…

HERMAN GIBBS South Africa's unseeded Lloyd Harris made a strong start to his French Open campaign with a solid 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 win over 26th seed and world No 28 Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in their first-round clash in Paris yesterday. World No 54 Harris was up against an opponent who has been in great form of late. Last week Sonego warmed up for the claycourt Grand Slam by taking a set off world No 1 Novak Djokovic. Harris, playing in his third French Open, will meet Britain’s Cam Norrie in the second round on Thursday. Lefthander Norrie won through after defeating American qualifier Bjorn Fratangelo 7-5, 7-6, 6-2. It is a match-up that promises so much for Harris because the winner of this match will advance to meet…

RFG HOLDINGS – which owns brands such as Rhodes, Bull Brand, Magpie, Squish, Bisto, Hinds and Pakco –announced yesterday that Bruce Henderson, who has served as chief executive of RFG for 22 years, was to retire in September and would be succeeded by Pieter Hanekom. Hanekom, 56, is the group’s deputy chief executive and would be promoted to chief executive on October 1. He joined RFG in 2015 as managing director of long life beverages and was promoted to his current position in July 2020. RFG chairperson Dr Yvonne Muthien said: “Bruce has led the group with distinction, overseeing the expansion from a single brand fruit business into a diversified, multi-brand food producer owning a portfolio of market-leading brands and a world-class production base. “During this time the group has…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE SOUTH African Reserve Bank (SARB) said yesterday that growth in private sector credit fell more than expected last month amid the downturn in the corporate sector. Data from SARB said private sector credit slid by 1.76 percent year-on-year in April following a 1.52 percent drop in March, missing market expectations of a 0.9 percent decline. The notable decrease was underpinned by the corporate sector, which comprises more than half of total credit and declined by 6.7 percent in April compared to 5.3 percent in March. The unsecured credit segment, comprising mainly general loans and advances and is the largest component within the corporate lending space, fell by 9.7 percent compared to 8.4 percent in March. A subdued economic environment…

THE SA REVENUE Service (Sars) yesterday said that the trade balance surplus shrank to R51.24 billion in April from a downward-ly revised R52.57bn in March on declining exports. The outcome was notably above Bloomberg consensus expectations of a R37.5bn surplus. April’s trade balance print suggested that the modest month-on-month decline in exports was largely broad-based, with only the precious metals category rising. Data from Sars showed that exports went down by 3.9 percent to R161.47bn weighed down by fewer shipments of mineral products, vehicles, aircraft, vessels and transport equipment. Sars said exports decreased by R6.61bn between March and April. Exports to Asia, the largest export desti- nation, declined by 1.4 percent. It said imports also fell by 4.6 percent, or R5.29bn, over the same period to R110.23bn on fewer…

BONGANI NKOSI bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za REPORTING for duty after testing positive for Covid-19 could easily result in facing attempted murder charges, police officers have been warned. National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole has warned employees of the SAPS against coming to work knowing full well that they had tested positive for the virus. “If any employee of the SAPS comes to the workplace while being aware that he or she is Covid-19-positive he or she makes him or herself guilty of not only misconduct, but also the criminal offence of attempted murder,” Sitole said in a circular. Sitole’s communication was based on a Labour Court judgment delivered in March. Judge Edwin Tlhotlhalemaje affirmed Eskort Limited’s decision to fire an employee who came to work after being informed via an SMS that he had…

ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za THE FRAUD and money laundering trial of Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary was yesterday provisionally postponed to November 1 in their absence in the high court in Pretoria. Prosecutor Alicia Roos told Judge Papi Masopa that this was pending ongoing extradition proceedings in Malawi. The case against the self-proclaimed prophet and Enlightened Christian Gathering royalty was supposed to be heard from yesterday and had been set down until June 18 following their arrest in February 2019. They are facing several charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to more than R15 million. The Bushiris were at the time released on R100 000 bail each by the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, but they sneaked out of the country and fled to Malawi. The couple…

Mpiletso Motumi mpiletso.motumi@inl.co.za AFRICA Rising International Film Festival (ARIFF) launched its showcase series with a screening of Akin Omotoso’s The Ghost and the House of Truth. The showcase took place at The Bioscope and is the first in a series of planned showcases set to take place periodically throughout the year in the lead-up to the main festival event, annually. “The themed showcases primarily aim to provide a platform for African film-makers who often struggle to access exhibition platforms at home and abroad. Moreover, ARIFF has a desire to use African storytelling as a vehicle for advancing urgent social conversations,” said festival director Ayanda Sithebe. The Ghost and the House of Truth, directed by Nigerian-born award-winning writer and actor Akin Omotoso, explores the theme of human trafficking. The film follows…

I WAS moved by the oratory that Jesse Duarte eloquently presented a short while back, when she addressed a group of ANC protesters outside the Israeli consulate. She presented a compelling case for thought and reflection. Listening to her emotive descriptions of how Israel, for no reason, launched an unprovoked and violent attack on an innocent population in Gaza, moved many to such wanton destruction and, especially, the civilian casualties that resulted. It was clear from her description that only civilians were targeted, as it seems there were no militants or combatants in Gaza during the 11 days of conflict. Just a few days after her impressive protest, Sky News (UK) aired a programme Hot Spots – In the Front Line that does investigative on-site reporting of some of the…

Stephanie Allais, Yael Shalem and Adam Cooper DEBATES on South African inequality often resort to misleading silver bullets. Education is chief among them. But as Murray Leibbrandt says, the intergenerational inequality that traps impoverished people and divides South Africa is the result of interwoven factors. He points out that the country’s inequality “results from the pernicious intersections between inequalities in access to education, health, income, employment, education and living conditions which work together to enable a few while trapping many.” Leibbrandt’s call for policy prioritisation and policy choices within a coherent policy framework should be welcomed. Education is regularly regarded as a panacea for addressing poverty and inequality, despite being bound up in the same reproductive processes caused by poverty and inequality. There are three clear blind spots in…

France warned yesterday that alleged US spying on European allies using Danish underwater cables would be “extremely serious” if confirmed, as questions mounted over whether Denmark knew what the US was doing. In an investigative report on Sunday, Danish public broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR) revealed together with several other European media outlets that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had eavesdropped on Danish underwater internet cables from 2012 to 2014 to spy on top politicians in Germany, Sweden, Norway and France. The NSA was able to access text messages, telephone calls and internet traffic including searches, chats and messaging services – including those of Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, then-foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and then-opposition leader Peer Steinbruck, DR said. “It is extremely serious,” France’s Europe Minister Clement Beaune told France…

Beirut: French investigators started interrogating former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn yesterday in Lebanon, where he has sought refuge since a dramatic escape from Japan. Ghosn, 67, his defence team, a Lebanese prosecutor and the visiting French judges entered the Court of Cassation where the interrogation over alleged fraudulent activities got under way. A judicial source said Ghosn would be interrogated for five days, every day, with a lunch break. He faces scrutiny over financial interactions with Renault-Nissan’s distributor in Oman, payments by a Dutch subsidiary to consultants and parties organised at the Versailles Palace. | AFP…

BEIJING: China will support couples who wish to have a third child, according to a meeting of the Political Bureau of Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held yesterday. Implementing the policy and its relevant supporting measures will help improve China’s population structure, actively respond to the aging population, and preserve the country’s human resource advantages, the meeting said. China has a large population, and the aging of its population has been increasing in extent in recent years, the meeting said. China in 2013 allowed couples to have a second child if either parent was an only child, and in 2016 allowed married couples to have two children, phasing out the one-child policy. | Xinhua…

MIHLALI BALEKA @Mihlalibaleka Mamelodi Sundowns wrapped up the league title a week ago but there’s still a lot at stake in the Premiership as far as the chase for a top three and top eight finish and fight for survival is concerned. Second-placed AmaZulu are a win away from joining Sundowns in the CAF Champions League next season, but that will be easier said than done as Usuthu have stuttered lately after losing their last two league matches against Baroka FC and Orlando Pirates. But they’ll be optimistic that they can still finish the job against Swallows and Maritzburg United. Golden Arrows are third on the standings, occupying a CAF Confederation Cup qualifying spot, but they are level on points with fourth-placed Pirates, whose aspirations of finishing in the top…

Sevens stars making the transition to XVs has become a trend recently, although the shift has come with varying degrees of success. But for Rosko Specman, it’s been seamless. The Bulls speed merchant has been an absolute sensation, showing his potency on the domestic front. And now, the 32-year-old is a Springbok contender. Over the weekend, South African media reported that Specman – who featured for the Cheetahs in a hit-out against an Invitational XV on Saturday – is in line to be included in the 45-man Springbok squad to be announced on Saturday and will begin a loan spell with the Stormers for the remainder of the Rainbow Cup SA to help him be match ready for the British & Irish Lions Series. With the Cheetahs having been dropped…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za One could argue that the weekend’s bye would not have been in the best interests, or at the most opportune time, for the Lions, especially after their important and narrow victory over the Bulls the week prior. Winning matches can be as much about building momentum as any positive training regimen during the week, so having it interrupted can be a mental frustration for both coaches and players. The Lions will have to put that all behind them this week as they prepare for their final home game of the season at Emirates Airline Park against the Sharks, who themselves have had an opportunity to reassess their systems and structures after two defeats in as many matches. There is a maximum of 10 points available to both…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE TRAGIC death of an 11-month-old baby – allegedly beaten to death by his mother – has placed the spotlight on the safety of children as the country marks Child Protection Week. Limpopo SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said yesterday (that a 42-year-old mother from Ha-Lambani Tswinganani village, Limpopo, was arrested for the murder of her baby son. The mom had reportedly locked herself and the boy inside a hut and she started hitting him on Sunday. “Community members reportedly heard the frantic cries of the baby and rushed to the house. After realising that the door was locked, they broke it down and rescued the badly injured baby from the mother,” Mojapelo said. The baby was rushed to the local Lambani clinic but was declared dead…

I HAVE always regarded Harry Markle as a bit of a “royal rebel” – a man’s man with a fighting spirit. However, since his marriage he has become a bit of a wimp, wallowing in self-pity and playing the victim. Meghan’s influence perhaps? After listening to his latest interview with Dawn Porter on the docu-series The Me You Can’t See, I am convinced that Harry and Meghan suffer from “victim mentality” – a serious psychological problem. Judge for yourself whether some, if not all the tell-tale signs of the disorder fit the Markles to a T. People who believe they are victims tend to push friends, family and co-workers aside. They refuse to take responsibility for their circumstances, and point the finger to make others feel guilty. They have adesperate…

FOUR of the country’s nine provinces, including Gauteng, are already battling a third wave of Covid-19 infections, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday during his “family meeting” address. The government placed the country on adjusted alert level 2 from yesterday, saying the changes made would contain the third wave. It is alarming to note that South Africa is officially the worst-hit country on the continent, with more than 1.65 million cases and 56 363 deaths. The country has seen two previous surges in infections, the first in the middle of last year and a second, much worse wave in December and January when the emergence of a variant pushed infections and deaths to higher levels than the first surge. While Ramaphosa has pointed to human behaviour and conduct in public…

Genealogy is key to understanding a complex and colourful history In a document titled: “Nhlapo Commission Report, Determination on Batlokwa Ba Mota Paramountcy”, the Batlokwa genealogy includes one Mogale (in the year 1280), Mokgatla (1430), and Tabane (1550), and claims their parent clan as Bahurutshe. Bakhatla came with Matsiboho, who around 1600 became the founder of the Maphuthing. His people also moved eastward to the borders of what is now called Swaziland, and took the seboko (clan name) of the duiker (phuthi), which abounded in the area. After a short period, they moved south to the banks of the Tugela River, where they encountered the powerful amaHlubi (notes Ramiro, 2011). Fearing for their safety, they moved westward over the Drakensberg into the area now known as QwaQwa (Wetsie’s Hoek or…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rivals yesterday sought to finalise a unity coalition that would unseat the veteran Israeli leader, 71, but political commentators saw a bitter fight ahead. Centrist opposition chief Yair Lapid secured support on Sunday from ultra- nationalist Naftali Bennett for a “change” government of ideologically disparate rivals. The deal, in which Bennett would serve first as prime minister under a rotation with Lapid, must be finalised by a deadline of midnight tomorrow. Netanyahu’s challengers have little in common – save to emerge from unprecedented turmoil which has seen four deadlocked elections in two years. Hoping to discredit Bennett and other rightists now negotiating with Lapid, Netanyahu has cast them as committing “the fraud of the century” which would, he said, imperil Israel. Lapid’s riposte was restrained: “A…

Wellington: New Zealand’s military was deployed to evacuate hundreds of residents from flood-hit areas of the South Island yesterday as heavy rains washed away bridges and cut roads. Rivers burst their banks as a weather system dumped 400mm of rain in two days, an amount meteorologists said exceeded the rainfall so far this year in some areas. Authorities declared a state of emergency in the Canterbury region, one of the nation’s farming hubs. The New Zealand Defence Force said one of its helicopters rescued three people at Ashburton,plucking one man from a tree and an elderly couple from the roof of a car. Ashburton mayor Neil Brown said the town of 35 000 had been cut off. About 300 homes had been evacuated. | AFP…

Dhaka: Bangladesh police have arrested a notorious poacher wanted for 20 years and believed to have killed about 70 endangered Bengal tigers. Local police chief Saidur Rahman said Habib Talukder, nicknamed “Tiger Habib”, lived next to a forest and would flee whenever officers raided the area. “Acting on a tip-off, we finally succeeded and sent him to jail,” he said. Talukder’s hunting ground was the vast Sunderbans mangrove forest region straddling India and Bangladesh that is home to one of the world’s largest populations of Bengal tigers. The cats’ pelts, bones and even the flesh would be bought by black market traders who would sell them in China and elsewhere. | AFP…

AWARD WINNERS Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za Six years after winning the title, Shabnim Ismail’s continued value to South African cricket was underlined yesterday as she became just the third woman to be awarded the Cricketer of the Year crown twice. At 32, Ismail shows no signs of slowing down and remains a crucial part of the Proteas team ahead of a period in which the side will be firmly under the microscope, with World Cups in both limited overs format, that includes the T20 World Cup being hosted in this country. She joins current proteas captain Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp as the only women to have won the coveted award twice. Ismail scooped three awards at Cricket SA’s national prize-giving ceremony which, like last year, was hosted online due…

It was 20 years ago that Retief Goosen won the US Open at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and on Sunday, he came third on the same course in the Senior PGA Championship. Goosen closed with a four-under-par 66 to share third spot with KJ Choi, while Alex Cejka of Germany continued his hot streak to take his first senior Major championship with a tournament total of eight-under. He was four shots clear of runner-up Tim Petrovic of the US. “It’s obviously always great coming back here and, I would have liked to have been more in contention, really,” said Goosen. “I like the feel of the course, the elevations … You always need to work something into the green or off the tee box, and it’s not…