Índex per 2021-07-26 a Star

MASHUDU SADIKE THE NATIONAL Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) and the Solidarity Union have hauled the Agriculture Research Council (ARC) to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) over its refusal to increase salaries of workers in over two years. The unions have accused the pubic service institution of undermining wage negotiations and turning a blind eye to the fate of the employees. The unions, which hold the majority of the employees membership in public service organisations, have refused to accept the 0% salary increase tabled by the ARC. Speaking to The Star’s sister paper, the Pretoria News, Nehawu acting spokesperson, Lwazi Nkolozi, said they were heading to the CCMA for conciliation after the negotiations failed. “We have been engaging the employer for a while…

MASHUDU SADIKE THE Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA’s (Denosa) national student movement has rejected the national Health Department’s directive to release third- and fourth-year student nurses to work at Covid-19 vaccination sites on weekends. The directive comes amid efforts to scale up the national response strategy to achieve herd immunity in the country. But Denosa’s student movement called on its members to reject the plan. The student movement’s national chairperson, Nathaniel Mabelebele, said they would make the situation difficult if the government ignored their stance. “Students must report to the institution of higher learning and demand clinical placement in line with their academic objectives for the year instead of reporting to vaccination sites. Students don’t enjoy any form of protection in the form of PPE (personal protective equipment), medical…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-leigh.solomons@inl.co.za FOLLOWING the announcement by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) that it would approach the courts to request a postponement of the October 27 local government elections, two political analysts shared their opposing views. The IEC on Friday said they would adopt the recommendation of retired Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke that it would not be safe to hold the local government elections in October in the wake of the increasing number of Covid-19 infections and deaths. Spokesperson Kate Bapela, however, said she could not confirm exactly when the electoral commission would approach the courts. “At the moment, we are unable to provide a firm date. The IEC has made an undertaking to provide feedback on a regular basis to South Africans,” she said. University of…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za A JUDGE has shot down a company’s insistence that a family with a 16-year-old boy in matric should be evicted from its farm now before the end of the school year. Land Claims Court Acting Judge Muzi Ncube has ruled that evicting Thabang Molatedze’s family from Farm Rietfontein, in Pretoria East, before December as Vindex demanded, would violate a right to basic education. Thabang’s parents, Johannes Sibanyoni and Elizabeth Molatedze, approached the court to vary an earlier court order that gave them until May 1 to vacate the farm. That earlier order, delivered in March, was a result of an out of court settlement between lawyers for the farm evictees and Vindex. Attorney Masilo Benny Fisha, acting for Thabang’s parents, brought it to the attention of Ulrich…

It was to be expected the spin doctors of the president would be at work to sugar-coat his handling of recent events. It has been like this ever since he was the assistant of former president Jacob Zuma, for a portion of those nine years in power, throughout the coronavirus crisis and now at the backdrop of the violent protests. Already the spin doctors are planting a narrative called reshuffling in the media and in the minds of ordinary people. This has been the modus operandi of Ramaphosa, whereby an idea from his backers is planted in the media and projected as originating from the public, and he then emerges as the sweet saviour who listens and does as the public wishes. So Ramaphosa always comes out as this sweet…

Groundswell of support for Basic Income Grant but where will money come from? AMERICAN civil rights leader Martin Luther King jr went to Jamaica for a writing retreat in January and February 1967, where he penned an economic manifesto called Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? “The solution to poverty is to abolish it directly: the guaranteed income,” he wrote. In an article in Look magazine soon after he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, King called for an economic bill of rights that would guarantee an income for all who are not able to work and a job for all people who want to work. More than five decades later, the movement for a basic income grant in South Africa is gathering momentum. Social justice activists…

Mike Greenaway Armchair view There will always be disappointment when the Springboks lose a match, but there needs to be measured perspective on the first Test loss to the British & Irish Lions on Saturday. Quite frankly, the Lions were always favourites to win this match because they were much better prepared. It was former England centre Brad Barritt who pointed out that the Lions players had been playing a year of Test match rugby when most of the South Africans had been locked into one long Currie Cup. The Boks were always going to be underdone going into the first Test and this was exacerbated by Covid-related disruptions over the last few weeks. Almost half of the match-day 23 that lost to the Lions had tested positive for the…

Liam Karabo Joyce liam.joyce@inl.co.za Controversial musician Babes Wodumo found herself at the top of the trends list recently after a video of her shaming “baby mamas” went viral. It all started when Wodumo went Live on Facebook. She told those tuning in that she doesn't want to be compared to women who have children and aren't married to their baby's father. “You see, this thing of crying about your baby daddy who left you – don't do that with me. “I got married then I had a child, so don't compare yourselves with me. Do not compare your baby daddies with me. This has nothing to do with me,” she said. The Ka Daz hitmaker also questioned why people give birth at such a young age. “Your baby daddy…

Willem Phungula willem.phungula@inl.co.za FAMILIES of those who were killed in Phoenix have cautiously welcomed the arrest of eight suspects. Seven suspects are expected to appear in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court today facing various charges, including murder, destruction of property and attempted murder. The eighth suspect has already appeared in court and was released on bail, according to a police statement issued on Friday. Ntwenhle Mhlongo, whose 19-year-old son, Sanele Mngomezulu, was among more than 20 people killed in Phoenix in the wake of violent protests and looting, said that while she appreciated the arrest of eight people thus far, she believed police had arrested only a few of those involved. Speaking during her son’s funeral in Amaoti yesterday, Mhlongo said the survivors apparently told them they were attacked by a…

Rapula Moatshe rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za THE SA Council of Churches (SACC) in Greater Tshwane has warned against the reopening of churches in the middle of the Covid-19 third wave, which continues to take a toll on many people’s lives. SACC spokesperson, the Reverend Joseph Chabangu, said the churches affiliated to the organisation in Tshwane were opposed to the call from some church leaders that the government reopen churches amid rising infections and related fatalities. “The council distances itself from heeding the call of prematurely opening churches under the current circumstances,” he said. He emphasised that in the wake of the status quo of the pandemic, the “council cannot afford to disregard the trauma that our people are experiencing due to the pandemic”. While the council pronounced that it was concerned about the…

SIHLE MAVUSO AS WARRING Zulu royal factions get ready for oral arguments in court, Queen Sibongile Dlamini-Zulu has fired a salvo at Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the traditional prime minister of the monarch and Zulu nation, stating that he is a mere nephew of the royals and, as such, he has no right to convene royal meetings. This is contained in a 34-page affidavit filed by Dlamini-Zulu in response to Buthelezi before the Pietermaritzburg High Court where the queen is fighting to inherit 50% of the estate of the deceased King Goodwill Zwelithini on the basis that, as his first wife, they were married in community of property and in a civil rites marriage. Dlamini-Zulu’s two daughters, Princess Ntandoyenkosi and Princess Ntombizosuthu Duma-Zulu, who separately allege that the king’s will…

Beverley Tsitsi Mutandiro | Zimbabwean human rights activist Memories of the exodus of Zimbabweans to South Africa in search of better economic conditions are still alive even though the great escape to South Africa took place some years ago. It is pathetic and hard to digest that Zimbabwe is facing high youth unemployment after the exit of Mugabe four years ago. This unemployment will force many Zimbabwean youths to cross the Limpopo River infested with crocodiles to South Africa in search of employment. The careless, clueless and corrupt Zimbabwean government is not paying attention to this potential crisis. They are focusing on attracting youth to vote for the ruling Zanu-PF party in 2023 elections as the youth in Zimbabwe now dominate a large section of the electorate. Zimbabwe…

FROM time to time, South Africa is rudely reminded that its past continues to make its present and future difficult. It does not always recognise this reality when it sees it. The latest – and most shocking – reminder is the violence which followed the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma. The violence was seen as a new threat to the democracy established in 1994. But, while it was severe, it was a symptom of a past the country has yet to face, not a future it did not see coming. It’s important to point out that, as severe as the violence was, it does not mean that the country’s democracy is in deep danger. The violence has been widely seen as an expression of anger and frustration by people…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za CONSIDERING all the hurdles that the Springbok Sevens team have had to contend with, it will already be a commendable feat if they are competitive at the Tokyo Olympics, let alone win a medal. But captain Siviwe ‘Shakes’ Soyizwapi believes that the Blitzboks’ mental strength will stand them in good stead when they face Ireland and Kenya today, followed by the US tomorrow. The South Africans have had a nightmare experience since arriving in Japan. They had to be split into two groups following coach Neil Powell’s positive Covid-19 test result, which saw him remain in isolation in Kagoshima, where the team held their pre-tournament camp. Some of the squad members are able to stay in the Olympic Village, and those who travelled with Powell from Tokyo…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za South Africa’s stunted economy has received a much-needed boost as the government announced the easing of lockdown restrictions, the ramping up of Covid-19 vaccinations and the reinstatement of social support grants. President Cyril Ramaphosa last night announced that the government had decided to place the country on alert level 3 from adjusted alert level 4. This as the country has officially passed the peak of the third wave of Covid-19 infections. Ramaphosa said the overall decline of new cases meant that it was possible to gradually ease some of the restrictions on gatherings, movement and the sale of alcohol. South Africa recorded a total of 9 718 new Covid-19 cases and 287 deaths, with Gauteng still leading the pack followed closely by the Western Cape. The…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za TREADING with caution, President Cyril Ramaphosa last night moved the country from level 4 to level 3, scrapping some restrictions on gatherings, alcohol sales and the movement of people across provinces. He said that although infections in Gauteng, the epicentre of the third wave, have significantly dropped, a worrying trend was emerging showing that infections in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and, to a lesser extent, the Northern Cape were not declining. He said the hours of the curfew would stay the same, starting at 10pm and ending at 4am. However, interprovincial travel for leisure may resume. “Non-essential establishments like restaurants, taverns, bars and fitness centres may be opened. These establishments will, however, need to close by 9pm to allow their employees and patrons to…

Aluwani Chokoe FAREWELL, Geoff Makhubo. How do we bid farewell to a human titan? A valiant fighter has fallen at his post, on the battlefield. You too, Chairman, have walked along the road of the heroes and the heroines. You have borne the pain, as many others did, of those who have known fear and learnt to conquer it. As you stand before God, we bear witness that you have used all the talents God gave you. The ministry of kindness to the less fortunate you have greatly fulfilled. Your name, Chairman, though as a young boy opposed to the fascist apartheid regime at Morris Isaacson High School at the time, belongs to the army of great men and women who, through their dedication and discipline, rose from the…

THE Springboks might have fallen after the first salvo was fired and their trenches stormed, but there is no reason to believe that the war has been lost – not yet, anyway. The Boks lost the first Test to the British and Irish Lions 22-17 on Saturday at Cape Town Stadium. It would be easy to blame the officiating, the Covid-19 disruptions and the lack of time to prepare, but if we are honest the South Africans just weren’t good enough, especially in the second half. They controlled the game with maturity during the first 40 minutes, and were calm and collected, but the relentless pressure, physicality and pin-point accuracy in the second stanza by the Lions resulted in the Bok effort crumbling before our eyes. Nevertheless, there was just…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za SHE had just smashed the Olympic record in the 100m breaststroke, but Tatjana Schoenmaker was not getting carried away with her performance and medal prospects at the Tokyo Olympics yesterday. The 24-year-old from Pretoria produced the race of her life to set a new Olympic mark of one minute 04.82 seconds, which eclipsed American Lilly King’s previous standard by 0.11 seconds, to win her heat and advance to the semi-finals, which took place earlier today, with the final tomorrow at 4.17am. The 200m starts on Wednesday, with Schoenmaker’s heat at 12.45pm, with the semi-finals on Thursday (4.54am-5.01am), and the final on Friday (3.41am). In fact, Schoenmaker was so reluctant to talk up her chances of a medal in the 100m that she said she just wants to…