Índex per 2021-06-28 a Star

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za JUNIOR coal producer Wescoal generated 322 percent more cash from its operations during the year ended March 2021 compared to a year earlier. This despite the slump in Eskom offtake due to the Covid-19 pandemic and logistical problems at the Kusile power station. Wescoal said on Friday that cash generated from operations increased to R773 million compared with R183m in 2020 despite the subdued economic slowdown. Wescoal also narrowed to R36m during the year ended March 2021 compared with a R136m loss a year earlier, and said sales had increased to R2.15 billion from R1.67bn in the prior year. This was mainly due to the full year sales to Eskom, in terms of the Moabsvelden sales agreement. Wescoal’s flagship Moabsvelden project made its…

Liam Karabo Joyce liam.joyce@inl.co.za Singer Kelly Khumalo had some strong words for rich men in the entertainment industry. In a video she posted on Instagram, the Empini singer took aim at men who allegedly use their money to try to control women in the industry. “Not for sale! This body is not for sale nor am I written for sale on my forehead,” said Khumalo. “The selling of the body in this country is very high, especially in the entertainment business. “Rich men think they can buy whoever they want. Maybe they have managed to buy so and so, but this body you are not going to buy, my sweet.” Khumalo slammed men, saying they should respect women. “In fact, I blame women for letting men think that they can…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE Department of Social Development has suspended its bursary programme which has been troubled by the low absorption of funded graduates. It appears the scholarship was actually being quietly phased out. This can be deducted from the fact that the number of funded students has been dwindling since 2019. In fact, no first-time entering students have been funded through the programme since 2019. The Star reported in March 2018 that thousands of social work graduates trained at a huge state expense were languishing at home because the Social Development Department could not absorb them. Then acting director-general Nelisiwe Vilakazi told the SA Human Rights Commission that the department was unable to absorb thousands of graduates it had funded. The bursary programme was designed to work just like…

Itumeleng Mafisa THE USE of government workers in the controversial SAA sale is to be investigated by a task team comprising several public service unions. The Star understands that unions met last week to embark on a fact-finding mission on how the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) became involved with Takatso consortium which owns a significant stake of the national carrier. A spokesperson for the Public Servants Association (PSA), Reuben Maleka, said the task team was formed after unions failed to get a reasonable explanation from the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) on the PIC’s involvement with Takatso consortium. The PIC, which manages public servant pensions, confirmed that it owned 30% of Harith General Partners, an infrastructure investment group that is part of a consortium which will now own the…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za A FEW days before the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) hands over its report to President Cyril Ramaphosa on the Digital Vibes tender, there are reports that Dr Zweli Mkhize, the Health Minister who is currently on special leave, put pressure on department officials to issue it. A weekend newspaper reported that Mkhize allegedly “pressured” departmental officials to award the controversial R150 million tender to the company owned by Taheera Mather and Naadhira Mitha. Further, it has been repeatedly alleged that Digital Vibes, upon being paid for the tender by the department, bankrolled an electrical project at Mkhize’s home in Johannesburg and bought a vehicle for Dedani, Mkhize’s son. As Mkhize awaits the finalisation of the probe, the Sunday Times newspaper reported that he would be implicated in…

IN A country with a high rate of crime like ours, the issue of a criminal record is pertinent and requires the necessary attention. With Covid-19 forcing constant law amendments, it is even more necessary for people to be aware of the ramifications of criminal records as they can easily and unknowingly find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Having a criminal record can have severe and far-reaching long-term implications and, as such, can complicate a person’s life in various ways. While most people have a vague idea of the hindrances that may be caused by having a criminal record, few people distinctly understand the various implications intends to clarify. EFFECTS OF A RECORD Career-limitations – many employers are hesitant to employ people who have previously been convicted…

THE queer community of Mamelodi, eastern Tshwane, have made their voices heard, saying that they exist in all townships and refuse to continue living their lives in fear. Members of the community, alongside civil rights organisations, made their way through Mamelodi at the weekend clad in bright colours, chanting from Denlyn Mall all the way to the Maseko shops in the area. At the shops, they lit 14 candles in remembrance of members of the queer community who have been killed since the beginning of the year. Kgothatso Sithole, convener of the local pride march, said they became aware of the tension among members of the queer community from their daily podcast on social media, hence the idea for the march. Sithole said while the international community celebrated Pride Month,…

Exploring important lessons about global co-operation in public health Wafaie Fawzi, Tang Kun and Alex Taylor The Covid-19 pandemic was a stark reminder of the role that global public health has for all aspects of our lives and livelihoods. More so, it revealed important lessons about global co-operation in public health that must not be forgotten. Despite the challenges of combating a once-in-a-century pandemic – including the yet untold numbers of lives lost and the economic hardship that came with lockdown measures – there is also much to be celebrated and upheld. Global collaboration by scientists resulted in the record production of multiple vaccines against the virus, and it is imperative that countries collaborate to address this global threat. Today, we are seeing the consequences of under-investment in global…

AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford yesterday began new trials to test a modified vaccine against the Beta variant, which first emerged in South Africa. The “booster” vaccine’s trial will involve nearly 2 250 participants from Britain, South Africa, Brazil and Poland. They include people who have been fully vaccinated with two doses of the original Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine or an mRNA vaccine such as Pfizer as well as those who have not got the jab at all. The new vaccine, known as AZD2816, has been designed using the same base as the main AstraZeneca shot but with minor genetic alterations to the spike protein based on the Beta variant. Britain has had a succesful vaccine roll-out programme. | AFP…

CAIRO: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrived in Baghdad yesterday, marking the first visit by an Egyptian head of state to Iraq since Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. The conflict ruptured diplomatic relations between Iraq and Egypt but these have improved in recent years. The US has been urging Iraq to boost ties with Arab nations to counter Iran’s influence in the country and Sisi’s visit is part of a summit between Egypt, Jordan and Iraq aimed at strengthening security, economic, trade and investment co-operation. | Reuters…

A makeshift bomb exploded inside a Catholic church in the city of Beni in DR Congo’s conflict-plagued east yesterday, injuring two women just an hour before a children’s confirmation ceremony was due to be held. The attack marks the first time a Catholic building has been targeted in the region, which has declared a “state of siege” due to rising violence from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia that is accused of killing thousands. The head of police in Beni’s town hall, Narcisse Muteba Kashale, said the homemade bomb was “set up for an ambush”. Beni vicar General Laurent Sondirya said two women were injured in the blast, which went off shortly before crowds were due to start gathering for the confirmation ceremony. Traces of blood could be seen at…

Tencent is and was a massive success story for Naspers. Tencent’s share price in Chinese renminbi (or yuan) grew by about 29 percent a year over the past 11 years. Naspers boosted the value of savings of many citizens and especially that of government employees through the Government Employees Pension Fund (Gepf) and ensured healthy growth in pensions. At the end of the 2019/20 fiscal year, more than 15 percent of the Gepf’s total investments consisted of Naspers and its subsidiary, Prosus. The outlook for Tencent and Naspers is blurred, though. Naspers’s effective holding in Tencent Holdings is about 22 percent through Prosus. At Friday’s closing price of 598.5 Hong Kong dollars and an exchange rate of R1.82 to the Hong Kong dollar, Naspers’s holding in Tencent…

Alyssia Birjalal alyssia.birjalal@inl.co.za Veteran actors Vusi Kunene and Winnie Ntshaba will lead the cast of the new e.tv daily drama, House of Zwide, come July 19. House of Zwide will replace e.tv’s long-running daily drama Rhythm City as part of the free-to air channel’s business strategy. The last episode of Rhythm City will air on July 16 at 7pm, marking the end of an era for the much-loved daily. House of Zwide, produced by Bomb Productions and VideoVision Entertainment, will introduce viewers to a fashionable Joburg family who bring high drama and ruthless ambition as they rise in the cut-throat fashion industry. South African viewers can expect to see some of their favourite stars such as Kunene, who will play Funani Zwide – South Africa’s biggest fashionista, founder and owner…

THE African People’s Convention (APC) is planning to contest in 100 municipalities in the upcoming 2021 local government elections, in Joburg, Cape Town and Durban. Speaking during the party’s central executive committee meeting in Boksburg on Saturday, party leader Themba Godi said the APC was confident of winning a significant number of seats across different municipalities on a card promoting clean governance. “We as the APC are ready for the elections and our intention is to compete for 100 municipalities and we are projecting that we will have at least 200 councillors. We have agreed that … we want to launch our manifesto in the Eastern Cape,” Godi said. “The pandemic should not be used as a shield by those who are not ready and those that do not take…

Dr Peter C Baker | Parktown North WHILE the current ANC government is pushing hard to get the NHI through and to get the entire South African health industry nationalised, one shining example of why this should never be allowed to happen is the former Joburg General Hospital (sadly renamed after an icon, which now just links incompetence to her name), which is yet to re-open. If the ANC cannot open one formerly functional hospital after a confined fire, (the more so during a fatal pandemic when hospital beds are most needed) then imagine our entire medical system, under the control of this malignant cancer, the ANC. I have not seen one single South African entity which the government/ANC controls, whether it be the SABC, SAA, the railways,…

DAUNTLESS Kaizer Chiefs lived up to their reputation as giant-killers as they scaled unprecedented heights to eclipse Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca with a 1-0 semi-final aggregate to reach the CAF Champions League final for the first time in their storied 51-year existence. It was an astonishing achievement by Chiefs since the Moroccans are two-time Champions League winners and four-time finalists. Their mentor, Tunisian-born football icon Faouzi Benzarti, ranks among Africa’s most decorated coaches with five continental titles – one Champions League, two Africa Super Cups and two Confederation Cups. En route to Saturday’s match, Chiefs defeated Wydad (home and away) and CAF Cup finalists Atlético Luanda. They emerged from a group that included former CAF Cup Winners’ Cup champions Horoya AC of Guinea. These landmark efforts were achieved against the…

Wendy Sims-Schouten, Naheem Jabbar and Patricia Gilbert A UK parliamentary inquiry arguing that white working-class pupils have been let down has been greeted with a mixture of support, confusion and outrage. Described as an attempt to “stoke the culture war” by a Labour MP on the committee, the report delves into the social and educational inequalities that many white children from working class backgrounds face, suggesting that compared to children from ethnic minority backgrounds, white working class children fare worse. The study of white privilege and the broader area of “whiteness studies” originate from the US. Activist and scholar Peggy McIntosh coined the term “white privilege” in an influential 1989 article which highlights the many ways in which being white brings unrecognised advantages in American society. The term refers…

TEHRAN: Iran will never hand over images from inside some nuclear sites to the UN nuclear watchdog as a monitoring agreement with the agency had expired, Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said yesterday. The announcement could further complicate talks between Iran and six major powers on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal. Three years ago then US president Donald Trump withdrew from the pact and reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran; Iran reacted by violating many of the deal’s restrictions on its nuclear programme. A spokesman for parliament’s National Security and Foreign Affairs Committee warned that “Iran will also turn off the IAEA cameras if the US fails to remove all sanctions”. | Reuters…

Los Angeles: Hollywood maverick Quentin Tarantino said he was bowing out of film-making to focus on writing. “I know film history and from here on in, film-makers do not get better,” he said, adding that he’d considered making his swansong a sequel of his first film, Reservoir Dogs, but decided not to. He has also been thinking about making his adopted Israel the backdrop for his last film. “If you make a movie in Jerusalem, there’s nowhere you can point the camera where you’re not capturing something fantastic,” he said. | IANS…

Matshelane Mamabolo Comment FOR all their reputation as the glamour boys of South African football, Kaizer Chiefs actually owe most of their success to traditionally being strong in the goalkeeping department. Granted, the names that immediately come to mind during discussions of Amakhosi legends are of famous ball players, such as founding boss Kaizer Motaung, the late Ace Ntsoelenge, Teenage Dladla, Doctor Khumalo, Thabo Mooki and Siphiwe Tshabalala. But discerning football fans and Chiefs diehards will readily admit that their favourite club is roundly regarded as the country’s best thanks largely to having brilliant shot-stoppers manning their goal. Joseph ‘Banks’ Sethlodi was a star No 1 at the club’s formation in the 1970s, while the ’80s saw the flamboyant Peta Balac thwarting the opposition with his brilliance. William Shongwe, Gary…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za Covid-19 has dealt yet another major blow to South Africa’s growth prospects for 2021 as the third wave of infections continued to worsen amid a worryingly slow vaccine roll-out. President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday ramped up the country’s lockdown to Alert Level 4 for 14 days. Ramaphosa imposed a two-week total ban on the sale of alcohol, both for home and on-site consumption, with all non-essential establishments having to close by 8pm. Restaurants and other eateries will be permitted to sell food only for take-away or delivery. Ramaphosa said that because of the burden of infections in Gauteng, travel in and out of the province for leisure purposes will be prohibited. Gauteng now accounts for more than 60 percent of new cases in the country. Ramaphosa said because…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za THE Government should release a further 10 percent stake of its SA Airways (SAA) holding to the public as an empowerment and accountability effort to be credible about the turnaround strategy in which it has given 51 percent to the Tsakato Consortium, analysts suggested. They said the public needed to have a direct stake in the national carrier to drive the transformation the state has embarked on and also ensure that there was minimal corruption in the airline, which has to date sucked over R50 billion in interventions. This after Minister for Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan earlier this month announced that the state was ceding a majority stake in the airline to private investors Tsakato, who currently own the Lanseria Airport in the north…

Liam Karabo Joyce liam.joyce@inl.co.za The 2021 BET Awards ceremony featured a special tribute to the late rapper DMX. The tribute was curated by producer Swizz Beatz, who had a longstanding friendship with the musician, and included performances from Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Swizz Beatz, Griselda, and a special appearance by Michael K. Williams. BET celebrated the music of DMX from his beginnings with iconic hip hop label Ruff Ryders to the present, with the debut of a new song from his posthumous album, Exodus. “DMX inspired fans around the world with his signature raspy voice, the delivery of raw emotion through his lyrics and performances, and his giving spirit,” said Connie Orlando, an executive vice-president at BET. According to Billboard, the Yonkers, New York native whose real name was Earl…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za IN LIGHT of the rising Covid-19 cases in Gauteng, the Muslim Association of South Africa (Masa) has collaborated with an existing Norwood clinic to convert a section into a Covid-19 facility. The local humanitarian organisation announced on Thursday that it has collaborated with Orchard Lodge to convert a section of the clinic into a temporary facility by equipping it with the necessary and essential life-saving resources to help combat the rising number of infections. “As Covid-19 cases continue to surge, Gauteng hospitals are at maximum capacity to deal with both suspected and confirmed Covid-19 infected patients,” the Masa said in a statement. Orchard Lodge is a privately owned, sub-acute facility which serves as a halfway house between hospital and home, providing rehabilitation services for patients who no…

Chulumanco Mahamba THE DEPARTMENT of Basic Education (DBE) has noted a significant uptick in the number of people vaccinated after the Limpopo and Western Cape provinces kicked off their programme on Friday. Last week, the basic education sector commenced with its vaccination programme, which saw more than 105 000 people being jabbed from seven provinces in two days. Spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said on Friday when the programme started last week, the Department of Health expected 49 776 teachers and staff to receive vaccines, and on the day 55 444 got their injections. “The number of people vaccinated is set to increase significantly when Limpopo and Western Cape start in earnest today,” he said. The DBE revealed that KwaZulu-Natal was leading in the vaccine programme with 32.1% of their target…

MG Mackenzie | Cramerview A COUPLE of us oldies were reminiscing about the “good old days”. We all had our own special recollections but there was one common thought. We were referring to the days when you dialled a company or organisation and a human being answered the phone! Amazing. You asked what you wanted to know and she put you through to the right person to handle it. No having to waste lots of time pressing 1 for this, press 2 for that 3, 4, 5 etc – none of which had anything to do with what you wanted to find out. Your question was satisfactorily answered and you did not have to reply giving your opinion of the service you received by pressing 1 to 5.…

Mpiletso Motumi mpiletso.motumi@inl.co.za IT WAS never a deliberate choice for Joya Mooi to end up in music. Being surrounded by music, with a father who played the trumpet and a mother who sang a lot, it was bound to happen. “When I was younger, my parents asked me if I wanted to play an instrument and I was really into jazz, so I chose the saxophone and then later on, when I wasn’t as shy, I started using my vocal chords.” The South African-Dutch singer-songwriter has released her new single, Remember, off her forthcoming project. Mooi is known for her enchanting vocals that have seen her win hearts and devoted fans over the years. “Music is a passion of mine that fell into my lap, really. I followed through and…

Christopher J Lee CHINA-Africa relations present an opportunity to rethink the territorial parameters of African studies. In particular, it can help shift attention from the Atlantic world as the dominant focal point of connections between Africa and the wider world. But current scholarship and public opinion have often drifted into old frameworks and colonial motifs. For example, China’s ambitions have frequently been construed as part of a new “Scramble for Africa”, with African countries falling victim once more to an outside global power. Another example is the uncritical use of the Orientalist stereotype of “dragon” to symbolise China and its perceived aggressiveness. These approaches have created problematic misrepresentations that have resulted in different parts of the continent’s long history with China being ignored. More specifically, the Cold War was…

PERROS-GUIREC: French police were yesterday still looking for the spectator who sent Tony Martin and, consequently, a large part of the Tour de France peloton, crashing in the opening stage amid calls for fans to behave on the side of the road. On Saturday, Martin was sent tumbling when he rode straight into a cardboard sign being held out by a fan looking the other way at a television camera, creating chaos with 47km left of the stage. Organisers ASO filed a lawsuit against the unidentified spectator. Martin, one of dozens of riders to hit the ground, urged the fans to be more respectful. “… for the people who risk everything for a selfie with a 50km/h fast peloton … please respect the riders and the Tour de France,” the…

ADEN: Fighting between Yemen’s warring parties in the gas-rich Marib region, the recognised government’s last northern stronghold, intensified late on Saturday, sources said, at a time the UN and US are pushing for a peace deal. The Iran-aligned Houthis, who have been battling a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia for over six years, have been trying to seize Marib in an offensive described by Washington as the most serious threat to efforts to achieve a truce. Battles had abated as diplomatic efforts ramped up in recent weeks, but pro-government Yemeni sources said fighters from both sides were killed after a fresh Houthi assault that was met with intense coalition airstrikes. Marib has become the focal point of a war that has killed tens of thousands. |…

Britain’s government will investigate how footage of former minister Matt Hancock kissing his aide found its way into the media and forced his resignation, in the latest scandal to hit Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government. After first rejecting calls for Hancock to be sacked or resign as health minister after pictures were published of him embracing a woman he had appointed to a taxpayer-funded role, Johnson accepted his decision to step down on Saturday. The departure puts pressure on Johnson’s government, which has overseen one of the highest official death tolls from the Covid-19 pandemic and was criticised for its early handling, led by Hancock, of the crisis. A BBC report that sensitive documents from the defence ministry were found by a member of the public at a bus stop…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za SA Rugby bosses and their counterparts at the British & Irish Lions need to make a brave and immediate decision on the imminent tour, and that is to abandon the Johannesburg bio-secure environment and move the entire tour to Cape Town. The Lions arrive today in one of the epicentres of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa, and for them to now stay in Johannesburg to play three scheduled matches before moving to the Cape Town ‘bio-bubble’ on 11 July borders on irresponsible. New infections are mushrooming each day in SA and nearly 70% of them are in Gauteng, while three Springbok players in Herschel Jantjies, Sbu Nkosi and Vincent Koch tested positive when the squad reassembled in Joburg yesterday following a three-week training camp in Bloemfontein.…