Índex per 2021-09-22 a Star

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za BATTLE LINES are drawn taut between the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and employer organisations after the union resolved to embark on a strike in a fortnight to press for demands in the metals and engineering sector for an 8 percent increase across the board for the first year, and a Consumer Price Index (CPI) + 2 percent improvement factor for the second and third years. Numsa’s national executive committee is meeting on Sunday to discuss the deadlock with all employer associations in engineering, namely the National Employers Association of South Africa, the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa (Seifsa), the SA Engineers and Founders Association and the chief executive of the Metal and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council. This…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za REDEFINE Properties has approved a R200 million investment to expand its solar PV programme in the 2022 financial year to exceed the targets set in its first sustainability-linked bond issue, the group said in a presentation on its ESG (environment, social, governance) initiatives yesterday. ESG is becoming an increasingly more important factor in the management of listed groups as asset owners and key institutional investors have increasingly been advocating a greater emphasis on sustainability. Redefine, which has a diversified South Africa property portfolio worth R75.3 billion, issued a R1bn sustain- ability-linked bond in its 2021 financial year, the largest issued by an Reit in Africa, and the group said yesterday the intention was to further access sustainable finance markets beyond this issuance. On the renewable…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s GDP could contract again in the third quarter as July data indicated economic activity was shrinking, following a respectable rebound in the second quarter. The composite leading business cycle indicator, released by the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) yesterday, fell by 4.4 percent and 2.5 percent in June and July, respectively, after it reached a peak in May. The SARB said nine of the 10 available component time series decreased, while one increased. The largest detractors were decelerations in the six-month smoothed growth rate of job advertisement space, and in the number of new passenger vehicles sold, as activity virtually ground to a halt during civil unrest in July. The only positive contributor was the increase in the number of residential building plans approved…

Gerry Cupido geraldine.cupido@inl.co.za THE longer and slightly warmer days are a sure indication that spring is in the air. With the season comes a renewed sense of vigour. Nature’s changing landscapes are injecting bursts of colour to inspire a change in our everyday lives. From decor to fashion, colour trends change with the season. This season, bold, bright colours are taking centre stage. Pantone’s Fashion Color Trend Report accurately predicted this for spring 2022 New York Fashion Week. “Colours for Spring 2022 bring together our competing desires for comforting familiarity and joyful adventure, through a range of soothing and timeless colours, along with joyous hues that celebrate playfulness,” says Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “As we enter this new landscape, one where fashion rules no…

LEHLOHONOLO MASHIGO lehlohonolo.mashigo@inl.co.za TOURISM Minister Lindiwe Sisulu says her department has a recovery plan for the sector hit hard by Covid-19. Sisulu, pictured, detailed these plans during her speech at the African Travel and Tourism Summit. They are aimed at ensuring that the sector plays its crucial role in developing and growing an inclusive economy. Some of the strategic interventions that she mentioned included implementation of norms and standards for safe operations across the value chain to enable safe travel and to rebuild traveller confidence. “Stimulate domestic demand through targeted initiatives and campaigns; strengthen the supply side through resource mobilisation and investment facilitation; support for the protection of core tourism infrastructure and assets; execute a global marketing programme to reignite international demand, tourism regional integration and review the tourism policy…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za THE ANC has registered criminally accused Keke Tabane as one of its ward candidates in the City of Joburg despite Tabane facing a charge of inciting violence. Tabane was nominated to lead Ward 127, comprising Durban Deep, Leratong, Sol Plaatje and sections of Tshepisong township in the Roodepoort district. Local leaders, who did not want to be named, confirmed last night that Tabane’s name had been registered with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). The leaders said they were not allowed to speak to the media about Tabane, but were adamant that his name had been included. Tabane was arrested and charged with incitement of violence in July following the violent unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. But ANC leaders who insisted on his nomination were…

THE MEM Awards, created to recognise underground music and entertainment, is celebrating 10 years of existence by opening its doors to artists from all corners of the country. The MEM Awards, formerly known as the Matlosana Entertainment Music Awards in 2011, quickly became a household name in Klerksdorp (Matlosana) and other surrounding areas have also joined in on the hype. “The event was established to encourage, motivate and educate artists about the music and entertainment industry,” the awards founder Thapelo Ditshego said. Ditshego added that the MEM Awards serve as a platform for artists to meet and exchange ideas and help showcase the glitz and glam of fashion, hospitality and socialism. The founder said the event had played an important role in the careers of North West artists and continued…

MOHAMED SAEED | Pietermaritzburg Since the emergence of coronavirus in December 2019, both young and old are affected and sadly many have succumbed to the virus. Through co-operation between different stakeholders and regulators moving more swiftly than normal, the Covid-19 vaccine was approved for human use. This discovery of modern medical science, currently a good measure of protection against this widespread virus, was comforting news after months of continuous concern. Initially I was cautious about taking the vaccine, not because I am anti-science or believed the constant weird theories of anti-vaxxers being posted on social media, I was undecided about the choice of injection to take. Finally, after discussing with medical professionals and placing my trust in the Almighty, I took the vaccine. All praise to the Almighty.…

MOST South African parents and learners are familiar with the school practice of rewarding learners for academic achievement visibly, tangibly and publicly. Schools tend to reward in ways that are traditional and unique. Some rewards can be seen on the learners’ school uniform – like a special kind of tie or blazer. Other common forms are pins worn on the lapel bearing words such as “maths” or “English”. These serve as a daily reminder of a learner’s achievement, lasting well beyond the ceremony in which they were presented. Schools assert that reward programmes recognise hard work and scholastic achievements and that they motivate learners to achieve. One might be inclined to believe there’s no harm in the practice, given that the intention is to motivate and recognise learners. But it’s…

Melbourne riot police used pepper spray, foam baton rounds and rubber ball grenades to disperse a violent protest against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for construction workers yesterday.More than 1 000 demonstrators rampaged through the centre of the city lighting flares, throwing bottles, attacking police cars and chanting their opposition to vaccines and lockdown restrictions. Melbourne has been in strict lockdown for seven weeks, as the city struggles to curb an outbreak of the Delta variant. | AFP…

All Blacks forwards coach John Plumtree is expecting a “titanic” battle up front when New Zealand and South Africa meet in their 100th Test match in the Rugby Championship on Saturday. Plumtree, who coached for many years in South Africa, did not expect the Springboks to vary much from the strategy that won them the 2019 World Cup, despite back-to-back losses to Australia over the last two weeks. “For the forwards, this will be the toughest battle since I’ve been involved, the boys know that,” Plumtree told reporters from Townsville. “We know there’s a lot of heat coming, and we’ve got to be able to deal with that,” he added. “That’s all they’ll be focusing on, the two or three things that they need to nail to get to us.…

ITUMELENG MAFISA itumeleng.mafisa@inl.co.za MINING giant Sibanye Stillwater has confirmed the deaths of two members of a search-and-rescue team that died looking for a missing employee who had gone underground to fix electrical issues. A spokesperson for the mine, James Wellsted, said the dead employees were part of a six-person proto team conducting search-and-rescue operations in a raise line (vertical or inclined excavation) in Westonaria, where the employee was reported as missing. Based on information received, the two employees were overcome by heat during the search. Wellsted said there were four rescuers and one experienced dizziness and other problems due to the underground heat. His partner stayed with him while two others went for help but on their return both were dead. “Sibanye-Stillwater regretfully confirms that two members of its mine…

BONGANI NKOSI bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE Constitutional Court has been asked to come to the rescue of a man who has allegedly been evicted along with his family by farmers he worked for over the past 21 years. Alias Mtolo, his wife Maheneng Mtolo and their eight children found themselves homeless after allegedly being evicted from the farm in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, without notice. The Mtolos launched urgent court applications against Theunis Christoffel Lombard and his wife, Maria Helentje Lombard, following their alleged eviction. The legal battle between the Mtolos and the Lombards reached the apex court yesterday. Representing the Mtolos, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC told the justices that the matter was brought before them following an unfavourable judgment by a South Gauteng High Court judge. In this contested judgment, Judge Fiona Dippenaar…

It is widely reported that the South African government faces ongoing challenges in regard to meeting the needs of its people through quality public infrastructure. Considering our mounting socioeconomic and environmental concerns, it has become the norm to be critical of our government’s progress – or lack thereof, as many may say. However, with our challenges comes a great opportunity for change and I would argue that the change is coming. It is now time for us to be supportive and engaging, rather than giving in to today’s negative knee-jerk reaction. Government-bashing is not constructive. Many of our public sector issues are not new – for years our national development agenda has been hampered by poor technical capacity, a lack of collaboration and co-ordination, and conflicting priorities. But there is…

FAROUK ARAIE | Benoni IN ALL our election campaigns, poster defacing has become a cynical ritual. Posters are a vital part of election campaigns. They represent candidates at their best and disseminate key statements of their manifestos in the public domain. In this media-centric age of the Internet, newspapers, television, and social networking, election posters are a significant form of communication in political campaigns. They are strategically placed to promote candidates and convince voters. The Electoral Act contains an Electoral Code of Conduct aimed at promoting “conditions that are conducive to free and fair elections” and that create a climate of tolerance, free political campaigning, and open public debate. A cornerstone of democracy is that citizens are willing to tolerate the expression of political opinions different to their…

WITH the sudden and tragic passing of Joburg’s mayor Jolidee Matongo on Saturday night, the ANC is facing unprecedented challenges in the lead up to the local government elections only six weeks away. Apart from its financial woes, factionalism, ongoing revelations of ANC-related corruption scandals, the last-minute registration of election candidates – who are facing legal challenges from the DA and EFF, among others – and a reported lacklustre response ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa received on his walkabout in Soweto on Saturday, Matongo’s last public event – the death of the mayor means the ANC will now have to run the election without a local leader operating the local election machine. Although his appointment was not without controversy, with some questioning his nationality – South African or Zimbabwean – Matongo…

Britain yesterday apologised for a data breach revealing details of people in Afghanistan seeking relocation to Britain after the Taliban re-took control of the country when foreign troops withdrew recently. Defence Minister Ben Wallace has launched an investigation. MPs said the breach had put the lives of those on the list at risk because the Taliban might be able to identify them. Wallace said intelligence agencies were assessing riskS. Of those cleared for relocation, 1 232 were still in Afghanistan. | Reuters…

Staff Reporter The weekend SA rugby steps into a brave new world as they move north to face the best of Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the United Rugby Championship. Here Independent Media looks at the franchises that make up our Irish rivals Connacht Founded: 1885 Stadium: Galway Sportsground, Galway (Capacity: 8 129) SPT: Andy Friend (Aus) Captain: Jarrad Butler (Aus) Team talk: The Westerners are the smallest – both in support and player-base – and youngest of the Irish unions, but don’t let that fool you. In recent years, they have worn the tag of underdog with pride, winning PRO Rugby – the precursor to the URC – in 2016 by beating a much more fancied Leinster and making the quarter-finals in 2019. Last season they qualified for…

BANYANA Banyana laid the foundation for a hard-fought 4-2 win over Nigeria’s much-vaunted Super Falcons with a 3-0 first-half advantage in Lagos yesterday. The match was the final encounter of the Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Tournament at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena. The outcome was sweet revenge for South Africa, who tasted defeat when they last played Nigeria, nine-time champions of Africa. That occasion was the final of the 2018 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana, where Nigeria relied on a penalty shoot-out to claim the title. South Africa’s first-half display yesterday was a fine advertisement for local women’s football, which has come on in leaps and bounds. Recently, football’s world governing body Fifa sang South Africa’s praises. Three of their bigwigs, secretary-general Fatma Samoura, council member Aisha…

WITH Elton Jantjies no longer a part of the Emirates Lions’ plans for the foreseeable future, a lot of responsibility will be shifted around the backline to fill the void left by the Japanese-bound stalwart. The absence of the Springbok flyhalf, therefore, presents and opportunity for young centre Wandisile Simelane to take up the mantle of leadership in the backline, express his undoubted X-factor to positive effect and shine once more for the Lions, who begin their United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign against Italian outfit Zebre on Friday (kick-off 6.35pm). The plan for the Joburg-based side is to dominate up-front and unleash Simelane and Co. “Simelane, as we all know, is an exciting player,” said new Lions defence coach Jaque Fourie in a media briefing yesterday. “I think…

morgan.bolton@inl.co.za AS is the case with anything new, there are unquantifiable unknowns, undetermined parameters and undefined limits in understanding and comprehension. For those who have not been following the Cheetahs and Kings in their now concluded jaunts of Europe’s rugby fields, this is an inescapable truth. The Sharks, however, have a fairly solid idea of what to expect when the play Munster on Saturday (kick-off 8.35pm) in their opening match of the United Rugby Championship. “Munster have been very successful over the last number of years,” said Sharks attack coach Noel McNamara in a media briefing yesterday. “They’ve got a settled coaching team, obviously they have a South African coach in Johann van Graan. Stephen Larkham, Graham Rowntree and JP Ferreira have been there for the last couple of…

IN THE AFTERMATH of 2020’s national Covid-19 lockdown, businesses were eager for economic recovery. However, South Africa’s fourth largest industry – manufacturing – is struggling to get back on its feet. While industry stats over the past year indicate an improvement since May 2020, month-on-month growth in the past six months has shown only two positive upticks – 0.7 percent in December 2020 and 3.2 percent in March 2021. The manufacturing sector has suffered many setbacks during this time, such as the recent looting in Kwa- Zulu-Natal and Gauteng. Rebuilding this industry will be challenging. This is where business process outsourcing (BPO) can make a difference, providing the flexibility and agility that businesses need to foster growth and industry stability. Importance of manufacturing South Africa’s manufacturing industry contributes…

Nneka McGuire BOOK: You Got Anything Stronger? AUTHOR: Gabrielle Union GABRIELLEe Union knows what it is to feel trapped. Stuck. Isolated and ashamed. She also understands what it means to be free. Her new book, You Got Anything Stronger?, continues the project of unshackling. It’s soul-baring work. The new essay collection delves into some intimate subjects, pursuing surrogacy after experiencing infertility, grappling with depression and facing racial prejudices in Hollywood and beyond. Walk me through the essays. Which ones were the toughest to write and what, if anything, did you really want to include in this book, but didn’t feel like you had the words for yet? In the book, I included everything I wanted to. In the last book, we left a lot of chapters out because I was…

CHULUMANCO MAHAMBA chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za A 6-YEAR-OLD girl with a hole in her heart has a new lease of life since receiving life-saving heart surgery after waiting three years. Chenille Nimrod, who had been on the heart surgery waiting list for more than three years, underwent life-changing surgery to repair the hole in her heart earlier this month. “I am so happy and grateful that my child has finally received the surgery we have been waiting for since 2018. She is doing well and looks healthier. “I would like to thank everyone who made this surgery possible, and everyone who made it a success,” said Natasha Nimrod, Chenille’s mother. Nimrod told The Star yesterday that her daughter was diagnosed with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) in 2018 after the then 3-year-old experienced severe…

Itumeleng Mafisa and Lehlohonolo Mashigo itumeleng.mafisa@inl.co.za lehlohonolo.mashigo@inl.co.za THE community of Slovoville near Dobsonville in Soweto say “gangs” fighting territorial battles over gold have turned their area into a war zone. Police have arrested four suspects in connection with the murder of several men believed to have been illegal miners involved in a gang war for mining territory and gold. The arrests follow a police raid on a compound in Slovoville that is believed to house many illegal miners involved in gang activity in the area, on Monday night. The suspects allegedly engaged in a shoot-out with police officers but the police were able to take control of the situation and arrest them. Among other things police found during the raid was a baboon. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty…

BEVERLEY TSITSI MUTANDIRO | Zimbabwe Human Rights Activist I AM displeased and downhearted the world continues to turn a blind eye to Zimbabwe. The problems in Zimbabwe are affecting other countries that host Zimbabwean migrants who are fleeing economic meltdown, poor governance and grave abuses of human rights in their country. The main countries picking up the pieces of the failure of the Zimbabwean government are South Africa, with an estimated 6 million Zimbabwean migrants; the UK, Botswana, Australia, New Zealand, Namibia and Botswana. People in Zimbabwe are living lives without dignity, human rights, care and respect because of the careless, clueless and corrupt president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and his government. The economic crisis has exacerbated food insecurity and the shortage of essential supplies such as medications and clean…

Britain’s Prince Andrew has been served with a sexual assault lawsuit in the US by lawyers for a woman who says she was forced to have sex with him at the London home of a friend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a filing with the US District Court in Manhattan, lawyers for Virginia Giuffre said they sent the civil lawsuit to the prince’s Los Angeles-based lawyer by email and FedEx, and both copies had been received. The Duke of York has 21 days to respond or could face a default judgment. | Reuters…