Índex per 2021-06-30 a Star

Aishah Cassiem aishah.cassiem@inl.co.za A BUSINESSWOMAN is set to take legal action against one of Africa’s biggest law firms, for allegedly agreeing to represent her company, taking her money and confidential information, and thereafter backing out while knowing they were on the panel of the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (Sefa) which was a respondent in the case. Mendiswe Mzamane’s small black-owned business, Razoscan, was one of many approved loans for businesses from previously disadvantaged communities, but alleged corruption from Sefa left her with a major company loss when the entity allegedly gave her R3 million to a Greek national in 2015. Mzamane said she was searching for trustworthy firms to assist her in retrieving her money from Sefa when she finally approached Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs (ENS) in December 2018…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za THE REHABILITATION of the poultry industry, which has set local producers and importers on a collision course, has already created R4.7 billion growth in the industry and 1 298 jobs since early this year. Local producers said the growth excludes benefits in the feed manufacturing industry, grain industry, packaging industry and other sectors as the target of lifting the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from R48bn in 2019 to an estimated R54bn in 2022 in sight. Pillar 1 of the master plan will work on establishing 50 new contract farmers and 1 000 jobs and cost R35 million, to be financed by the Land Bank and the Industrial Development Corporation. The plan by Minister in the Department of Trade Industry and Competition Ebrahim Patel earlier this…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za KAP INDUSTRIAL Holdings said yesterday it continued to see strong market demand for its products, despite the uncertainty created by the Covid-19 outbreak, and it remained confident that it would continue to perform well into 2021. KAP operates a number of divisions in its portfolio, which include integrated timber, automotive components, integrated bedding, polymers, contractual logistics in South Africa and Africa, and passenger transport. The group said in an operational update for the 11 months to the end of May that while Covid-19 would continue to evolve and present unprecedented social and economic challenges and uncertainty, their employees and business model had proved to be agile and resilient during the period. “We are focused on a number of strategic initiatives in order to provide revenue growth, margin…

Liam Karabo Joyce liam.joyce@inl.co.za Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on Sunday that the country would be moving to lockdown level 4, rapper Cassper Nyovest weighed in. Ramaphosa said level 4 – in place for 14 days – will see the sale of alcohol, all gatherings and leisure travel in and out of Gauteng barred. In reponse, Nyovest ranted on Twitter, posting he hopes the country makes it out alive because livelihoods are “officially gone”. “We are doomed. Finished! Done! Y’all stay safe. I hope we make it out alive at least because our livelihoods are officially gone,” Nyovest charged. “Tomorrow was supposed to be the launch of my new sneaker #RootOfFame. The company spent so much money & time planning it. “If Gauteng gets locked down I would not be…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za GAUTENG provincial government says as repairs progress at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH), there will be a more definite date on when the hospital will fully reopen. The hospital in Parktown resumed oncology services on Monday and received the hospital’s first patients following the blaze that engulfed the CMJAH in April. Its closure had a severe impact on the province’s health-care system as Gauteng has been hard-hit by the third wave of Covid infections. Hospital chief executive Gladys Bogoshi emphasised on Monday that the rest of the hospital was not open and reiterated that radiation oncology patients would be called by the hospital and patients must not just arrive. “For the rest of the other people, wherever you are, if you are collecting your medication or…

CIVIL society organisations say they are appalled that no social relief of distress measures were announced for unemployed people with little to no income as the country battles a third wave of coronavirus infections and the move to level 4 lockdown with further restrictions. Black Sash national advocacy manager Hoodah Abrahams-Fayker said social relief measures such as the grant top-ups and the introduction of the Caregiver and Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grants were essential interventions to address the humanitarian and economic crisis. She said the grants were terminated while the pandemic and lockdown continued. “Economic sectors are still struggling to recover from the impact of previous lockdown measures. Those who bear the brunt of this are mostly women, informal traders, those precariously employed and low income earners,” she said.…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za A BITTER legal wrangle has erupted between online retailer Takealot and one of its Pretoria franchisees. The franchisee is accusing Takealot of unfairly curbing its business activities and leaving its drivers who deliver fast food and packages in the cold. Driveconsortium Hatfield Ltd, trading as Henri Jacob, concluded a franchise agreement with Takealot in 2018. The deal allows it the right to do last mile Takealot deliveries, including Superbalist and FNB packages in and around certain areas in Pretoria. The agreement also affords Henri Jacob (applicant) the right to do MrD deliveries (fast food) in designated areas. According to the applicant, it has built its business up to such an extent that it now employs close to 1 000 drivers and over 50 staff. It operates…

While fossil fuels were powering wealthy nations’ economic growth in the 19th and 20th centuries, many countries across the Global South remained largely impoverished. Today, all that burning of oil, coal and natural gas has warmed the planet toward dangerous levels, and science shows that fossil fuel use must decline to slow climate change. At the same time, more than 40% of the global population survives on less than $5.50 (about R79) a day, primarily in developing countries. Fossil fuels are among the cheapest ways to power economic growth, making them hard for developing countries to ignore. As an environmental social scientist, I believe there can be no sustainable development and probably no energy transition if poverty is not addressed too. Current international efforts, like the chronically underfunded UN Green…

Baghdad: Thousands of members of Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary alliance gathered in Baghdad yesterday to mourn comrades killed in US air strikes along the Syrian border. The US raids on Monday sparked an exchange of fire between pro-Iranian militias and the US-led coalition in eastern Syria and heightened fears of a new US-Iran escalation amid efforts to revive Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with major powers. Hashed members massed in Freedom Square near the Iraqi capital’s high-security Green Zone where the US embassy is located. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said yesterday that nine fighters were killed in the strikes near the Albu Kamal district on the Syrian side of the border. | AFP…

Berlin: Heavy rain, giant hailstones and gale-force winds lashed parts of Germany, Switzerland and France on Monday and yesterday, causing widespread flooding and tearing off part of the roof of an opera house. Several road tunnels were flooded and rail services were suspended in and around Stuttgart, police said. Emergency services across the southern states of Rheinland-Palatinate and Baden-Wuerttemberg reported hundreds of calls to deal with flooded cellars, fallen trees, landslides and stranded drivers. A heavy gust of wind tore off part of the roof of the Stuttgart Opera while around 250 people were still inside following a song recital. No one was injured. In France, several dozen centimetres of hail fell in the south-eastern Vosges region yesterday. | AFP…

Airports across Europe could face “chaos” this summer as countries struggle to co-ordinate the rollout of a Covid-19 digital certificate for travel on the continent, industry representatives warned EU leaders this week. The certificate, designed to show a traveller’s vaccination or infection status, will be available for all EU member states beginning July 1. But a “worrying patchwork of approaches” by various governments threatens to cause long delays during the peak summer months, according to a joint letter sent by industry groups. The groups, including the International Air Transport Association, urged European governments to process the certificates remotely before a passenger’s arrival at the airport – or else grapple with hours-long lines as staff carry out extra document checks. The European digital certificates provide information on the passenger via QR…

LIFE in the Wimbledon's Covid-19 bubble is not everyone's cup of tea, but women's top seed Ashleigh Barty is happy to reside in at as long as required if it means more Centre Court appearances. The 25-year-old was handed the prestigious opening slot yesterday, usually reserved for women's defending champions, for her first-round clash with Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro. That was because Simona Halep is missing due to injury, but the way Barty played for most of a 6-1 6-7(1) 6-1 victory over the Spaniard in an eye-catching contest augured well for her chances of claiming the title for the first time. It was Barty's first grasscourt match for two years and she looked perfectly at home on the lush turf under the roof that closed early on in the…

CURWIN Bosch has the ideal opportunity to make a statement to the Springbok selectors when he returns to the Sharks team for their Currie Cup visit to Western Province this evening. Bosch was overlooked for the 45-man Bok squad named to tackle Georgia and the British and Irish Lions, and then was rested for the Sharks’ first-round Currie Cup match against Griquas. But he is now back in business and coach Sean Everitt believes the 24-year-old could have a significant influence on the outcome of a game anticipated to be played in wet conditions. “It is great to have Curwin back in the mix,” Everitt said. “We gave him a break because he has carried a major workload for us. Yes, he was disappointed to be overlooked but…

Goolam Rajah never hit a cricket ball, nor caught one or bowled one for the Proteas, but he was among the greatest servants of the Proteas. “A very special human being,” said Dr Mohammed Moosajee, who took over from Rajah as the Proteas’ manager. That was a sentiment echoed around the cricket world, from Proteas players, who were part of the more than 100 who were capped during his time as the manager, to players in opposing teams and commentators. “He was a selfless person. He served the game. He loved the game,” said Moosajee. Rajah, who died yesterday from complications related to Covid-19, was a pharmacist whose love of cricket saw him becoming manager of the then-Transvaal team shortly before unification in South African cricket and later…

Jamal Grootboom jamald.grootboom@inl.co.za Media personality Pearl Thusi rubbed tweeps up the wrong way again with her post about the move to lockdown level 4. Many South Africans took to social media during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address on Sunday when he announced that the country would move to adjusted level 4 following the sharp rise in cases due to the Delta variant of Covid-19. The Queen Sono star also took to social media and said: “Happy lockdown everyone … I hope all those in need receive assistance, people find the silver lining in these tough times and God blesses you all abundantly #ialsohopethepresidentsipadwasreturned.” Seemingly making light of the implications that the various restrictions have on sectors that effectively have to shut down during level 4, the former Quantico actress came…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za THE Constitutional Court’s scathing judgment condemning former president Jacob Zuma to 15 months’ imprisonment for contempt of court is unlikely to lead to him losing his presidential perks. Speaking at the Defend Our Democracy campaign’s briefing following the Concourt’s judgment yesterday, advocate Mojanku Gumbi, Zuma’s predecessor Thabo Mbeki’s former special adviser, said section 89 of the Constitution sets out the grounds for forfeiting the benefits. In terms of the Constitution, a president can lose benefits if removed through a resolution of the National Assembly adopted with a supporting vote of at least two-thirds of its members only on the grounds of a serious violation of the Constitution or the law and serious misconduct. If removed in this manner from office, a person may not receive any benefits…

THERE is growing concern in the US with regard to President Joe Biden’s mental acuity and acumen to run the country. This was raised at the recent G7 meeting. At one of the meetings he forgot the name of his Defence Department (Pentagon) and its leader, Secretary Lloyd Austin – even with his normal cue cards at hand. Mitch McCormack, a White House stenographer, says Biden “appears to lose his train of thought”. At the Hurricane Atlantic Forum a very confused Biden was seen and heard “mumbling incoherently”. He then got lost in his own notes. When speaking on stage about the Covid-19 response and vaccinations he told the crowd he had been president for “about 15 months” – actually only five months. Sky News host Alan Jones stated that…

THE very available economic measure we have points to the continued relegation of women to the periphery of South Africa’s broken economy. If we want to fix that, it is to the invisible parts of our economy that we need to turn. Economist Nthabiseng Moleko focuses on how women’s disadvantage in the economy is tied to disparities in the labour market. She correctly points out that women are less likely to participate in the labour force than men, less likely to find employment and, when they do find work, it is more often in poorly paid, low-skilled jobs. Moleko describes the dismal macroeconomic position we find ourselves in and says that an alternative economic strategy is imperative if we are to create sufficient jobs to absorb the scores…

EARLIER this month the Department of Correctional Services was caught with egg on its face after a smartphone was discovered in the prison cell of the man who killed Tshegofatso Pule. This comes after Independent Media broke the story of Pule’s murderer Muzikayise Malephane updating his Facebook status from prison. The department was at pains to explain how this happened. Pule’s family, still mourning her death, woke up to the Facebook posts of her murderer – a man said to be under strict supervision. The posts were met with an outcry by gender activist group Sister’s Keeper. The NGO expressed its shock at the posts. In a statement, Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said Malephane would be charged for contravening prison rules. Malephane received 20 years behind bars after…

Washington: US President Joe Biden will visit the site of a deadly apartment block collapse in southern Florida later this week, the White House announced yesterday, as rescuers scoured the wreckage in the desperate search for survivors. The death toll from last Thursday’s collapse of the oceanfront apartment building stood at 11 yesterday, with 150 still unaccounted for, leaving desperate families fearing the worst. Biden said his administration would co-ordinate with local officials and was “ready to provide any support or assistance that is needed”. Experts are looking at possible pre-existing critical flaws in the structure of the apartment tower, which pancaked into a pile of smoking rubble as residents were sleeping. | AFP…

MANILA: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said that Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao should name corrupt government offices to prove that the boxer-turned-MP is not just politicking ahead of a presidential election next year. Pacquiao, 42 is among Duterte’s strongest backers and a possible successor when his six-year term expires next June. Duterte threatened to expose him as a liar. Pacquiao said he accepted Duterte’s challenge, but that it was disheartening that they were fighting. “I am not corrupt and a liar,” he said. | Reuters…

The Spanish government yesterday approved the draft of a bill to allow anyone over the age of 14 to change gender legally without a medical diagnosis or hormone therapy, the Equality Ministry said. The draft bill, which will go to a public hearing before another reading in the cabinet and a vote in the lower house of parliament, removes the requirement for two years of hormone therapy and a psychological assessment to switch gender in official records. “This is a historic day after more than 15 years without any legislative progress,” Equality Minister Irene Montero told a news conference. “We send a strong message for the protection of LGBTI people,” she said, referring to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community. The “self-ID” draft bill sets age limits, with…

THERE is something old, something borrowed and something new about the first Springbok team selected since the 2019 World Cup final 20 months ago, and that is what you would expect in these most challenging of times for rugby. If Bok bosses Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber lived in an ideal world, they would be picking the team that smashed England en masse — sans the three veterans who have retired — but they were never going to have that luxury given that Covid-19 has reared its loathsome head; a bunch of overseas-based players have arrived too late for selection; there are the inevitable injuries, and bizarrely there is even a pair of bonfire burn victims. With respect to the prodigious talents of Aphelele Fassi, Rosko Specman…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za HOUSEHOLD finances are expected to improve after increasing further in the first quarter as economic activity recovered during the period on less restrictive lockdown measures. The SA Reserve Bank (SARB) Quarterly Bulletin yesterday showed that personal disposable income rose 2.3 percent year-on-year. SARB said low interest rates and subdued inflation pushed household consumption spending higher. It said that household consumption expenditure rose 4.7 percent over the quarter, slower than 7.5 percent in the last quarter of 2020. SARB said households’ net wealth increased further in the quarter as the increase in total assets outweighed that in total liabilities. It said the value of assets was boosted by an increase in equity holdings in particular, as share prices increased substantially further. Investec economist Lara Hodes…

JENNIFER Hudson is feeling “a lot of pressure” about portraying Aretha Franklin on screen after being personally chosen by the late Queen of Soul for the project. The Dreamgirls actress was given “strength and encouragement” about appearing in Respect after being personally chosen by Franklin – who died in 2018 – but she admitted the recognition has also raised the stakes of expectation for the film, which will be released this summer after being delayed by more than six months due to the Covid pandemic. She told Entertainment Tonight: “That’s a lot, a lot, a lot of pressure! “Everyone is counting down and I’m like, ‘Please don’t tell me! I don’t want to know, that’s enough pressure.’ “Enough with her being like, ‘Jennifer do this.’ But that’s that women power,…

BONGANI NKOSI bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za Dr Armand Bam, head of social impact at the of Stellenbosch University Business School, said while red flags have been raised about the unprecedented strain on the finances of NGOs, it did not seem the government had plans to respond. He said the government reduced its social development spending by 3%, which amounted to R6.5bn this year. The cut will culminate into a reduction of R38.5bn over the next three years, Bam pointed out. “This is spending typically directed to recipients via non-profits,” he said. The social development expenditure reduction coincided with the negative impact of Covid-19 on businesses. “There has always been, and will always be, a reliance on business and government to finance the delivery of NPOs’ services,” said Bam. “The liquidity of many of…

African News Agency Ashline Groenewald, 45, from Kraaifontein, was diagnosed with lupus in June 2015. According to Mediclinic’s infohub, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory auto-immune disorder in which the body’s defence system attacks its own tissues, which may affect one or many organs. SLE is also known as lupus erythematosus, disseminated lupus or simply by its colloquial term, lupus. Lupus most commonly develops in women between the ages of 15 and 40. Speaking to African News Agency (ANA), Groenewald said prior to her diagnosis she suffered from mouth and nose sores, hair loss and fatigue. “One morning I woke up and my eyes were swollen shut. I went to the doctor and found out my immune system didn’t want to work. “I am still dealing with…

Khotso K.D Moleko | Bloemfontein WITH all has been said about former president Thabo Mbeki, and the usual rubbishing of any positives in his presidency and present inputs, his predictions and analysis have proven accurate. The vindication of Mbeki concerning the so-called Aids denialism is the common approach by governments today to the coronavirus and the more deaths through it. One can conclude modern governance is not about delivering services and fulfilling mandates but really about courting the media and capital to convince the public a leader is good. The claims by Mbeki that the drug companies cared less about saving lives and more about making profits are being proven correct. Is it not symbolic that at this time of the coronavirus not a single drug manufacturing firm…

staff reporter A South African innovator, Indira Tsengiwe, has been selected as a finalist among three other innovators for the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation (APEI). Tsengiwe developed BlueAvo, a digital creative talent platform that allows brands, start-ups and individuals to connect with content creators across Africa. BlueAvo creates open, unbiased opportunities for creatives, reducing inequality in the media industry. Tsengiwe is the first woman from SA to be selected as a finalist for the APEI. Tsengiwe is the 10th South African innovator to be shortlisted and the fifth to be selected as a finalist for the prize since 2015. In 2019, South African engineer Neo Hutiri won the prize for his Pelebox innovation, a smart locker that cuts down queueing times for patients collecting chronic medication. Female innovators make…

Deoraj Caussy THE abrupt arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the world, creating havoc for economies and social fabrics and taking a heavy toll on lives and livelihoods. Many rich nations have procured and vaccinated a critical mass of their populations. Many have reopened their borders for “business as usual”. At first sight, the situation looks dire for Africa. The regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO) recently said 90% of countries in Africa would miss the target of vaccinating 10% of their populations by this month. Are these warnings a sign of grim despair? Or are they a call to action? I would argue that they are a call to action. But what actions can realistically be taken by African countries, considering the odds stacked against…

Ethiopia dissident leaders in Ethiopia’s war-hit Tigray have vowed to drive out “enemies” from the region, suggesting fighting will continue despite a federal government ceasefire declaration. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops into Tigray in November to oust the northern region’s former ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). He said the move came in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps, and promised that victory would be swift. But after almost eight months the operation suffered a serious blow when rebels, the Tigray Defence Forces (TDF), entered the regional capital Mekele on Monday, prompting celebrations in the streets as federal soldiers and members of an Abiy-appointed interim regional government fled. Abiy’s government then on Monday night announcing it was declaring a “unilateral ceasefire,” though there was…

GENEVA: The UN investigator on human rights in Iran has called for an independent inquiry into allegations of state-ordered executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 and the role played by President-elect Ebrahim Raisi as Tehran deputy prosecutor. Javaid Rehman this week said that his office had gathered testimonies and evidence. He said he was concerned at reports that some “mass graves” were being destroyed as part of a continuing cover-up. Raisi, a hardline judge, is under US sanctions over being one of four judges who oversaw the 1988 killings. Amnesty International has put the number executed at 5 000. Raisi succeeds Hassan Rouhani on August 3, having secured victory this month in an election marked by voter apathy. | Reuters…

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has condemned the “despicable” harassment of the government’s top medical adviser, Chris Whitty, after footage emerged on social media of two men grabbing him around the head as he walked down the street. Jeering loudly and grinning at the camera, the men are seen in the film manhandling Whitty, 55. They hold on to him before he breaks free. “I condemn the behaviour of these thugs,” Johnson said yesterday. “We will not tolerate it.” Police said the matter was being investigated. | Reuters…