Índex per 2021-11-04 a Star

DINEO FAKU dineo.faku@inl.co.za ANGLO American plc’s chief executive of almost a decade, Mark Cutifani, has been lauded for his leadership in the South African mining industry and beyond after the 104-year-old company announced that he would be stepping down. Anglo American said yesterday that South African Duncan Wanblad, 54, would be its new chief executive, signalling a new chapter for the globally diversified mining company with South African roots. “There has been no greater privilege for me than leading Anglo American and our incredible people. Together, we have transformed our competitive position and led the way towards a very different future for mining – a safer, smarter future that delivers enduring value for all our stakeholders,” Cutifani said. Cutifani, an Australian businessman, who took the helm nine years ago, placed…

given majola given.majola@inl.co.za COMPANIES that fail to act on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues risk losing investors, according to the new PwC 2021 Global Investor ESG Survey. ESG factors are increasingly driving investment strategies as the new research from PwC finds that they have now become a make-or-break consideration for leading investors globally. Almost half of investors surveyed, or 49 percent, expressed willingness to divest from companies that are not taking sufficient action on ESG issues. More than half (59 percent), also said that a lack of action on these issues makes it likely they would vote against an executive pay agreement, while a third said they had already taken this action. A large majority, or 79 percent, said the way a company manages ESG risks and opportunities…

Liam Karabo Joyce AMERICAN singer PJ Morton has released his latest single, Please Don't Walk Away. The R&B and soul single marks Morton’s first solo release since winning the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album, his third-consecutive Grammy win in three years. Morton started working on the single last year. “I was just starting really slow and working on rhythms. There was a rhythm I knew I wanted before I put any melody to it, it was just that, then it started to develop a little more. In 2021, I went out to a studio in Louisiana and that’s where I wrote it and finished it,” he said. The single looks back at a time when he thought he was going to lose the love of his life “It’s…

Itumeleng Mafisa After a year of Covid-19, employment challenges, lockdowns, soaring food and fuel prices, The Star Trust is happy to partner with good Samaritans like the Angel Network. The Network collects donations for food parcels, back-to-school gear, sanitary wear and clothes to rescue struggling families in Johannesburg. Through the Angel Network, The Star gave out 1500 food parcels in August. The NPO’s founder, Glynne Wolman, is asking for donations of R150 which will enable disadvantaged children to receive food, school stationery and even some Christmas toys. The Angel Network has been operating for the past six years. Wolman told The Star that the group was aiming to hand out at least 1 000 Christmas and back-to-school packs. “Every year The Angel Network sources, packs and distributes between 1…

CHULUMANCO MAHAMBA chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za HEALTH-CARE workers who participated in the Sisonke Study will be offered a booster shot of the Janssen (J&J) vaccine from Monday. The SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and national Department of Health announced the Sisonke study booster shot for health workers on Friday. Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla announced last month that health workers on the front line had asked to be considered for booster doses due to the high risk of their work, and the fact that they were vaccinated first from February on the Sisonke study Phaahla said the department and SAMRC were awaiting the results of the request. This announcement on Friday came after scientific evidence around the world of a decrease in immunity. The need for boosters is growing and some countries have…

Loyiso Sidimba, Kailene Pillay and Noni Mokati WHILE South African voters last night were still waiting for the overall results of this year's local government elections, the Electoral Commission (IEC) vowed to finish the counting of all ballot papers in record time. “We will spare no effort (in ensuring) that the majority of the 163 municipalities are completed within record time,” chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said during the IEC’s progress update at the National Results Operations Centre in Tshwane. Mamabolo said the number of completed municipalities at the time stood at 94%, while up to 78% of results were already in the system and waiting to be scanned and audited. Up to 89% of votes in the Northern Cape had already been completed by 8pm, followed by the…

Dr Thabisi Hoeane | Pretoria It is trite to note that an entity that has customers has to build trust between itself and them. Flowing from this observation, it is just unacceptable that Eskom can take its customers, the South African public, for granted and blatantly mislead them. In the lead-up to the elections, Eskom was persuaded that it hold off load shedding to assist the process and it complied. Now all of a sudden, a day after the election, it disingenuously states that load shedding is back because of some “tripping” of stations and "capacity constraints“. Why not just take us into their confidence and concede that now that the election is over they are continuing with load shedding? Surely nobody who is sane is going to…

“TO VOTE is to perform a moral duty,” wrote the very outspoken English political radical Thomas Paine in 1803, after the independence of America and the French Revolution. How many people would agree with him now? Obviously, the whole nature of politics has changed, with speechwriters, voice coaches, image builders and poster-designers becoming part of the “package” of candidates. Political rallies are now part of the entertainment industry. But not everything has changed. The word “candidate” has a revealing history, originally meaning “clothed in white”, because in ancient Rome those seeking office wore white togas. What happened when it rained? The disappointingly low vote in the recent elections has provoked much comment, with analysts focusing on new factors such as the dangers of Covid and others, like the attractions of…

Professor Thinus Booysen and Arnold Rix The national electricity grid is made up of three building blocks: generation, transmission and distribution. Generation consists of power stations (or plants) that generate electricity. Examples of these are the newly built Kusile and Medupi power stations. South Africa has a generation capacity of approximately 58GW – enough to power 26 million kettles concurrently – mostly made up of Eskom’s coal-burning power plants. Eskom’s share of this is a generation capacity of 44GW, of which 38GW is from coal-powered stations. Transmission comprises the 28 000km of high voltage lines that transport electricity at high voltage levels (such as 400kV or 765kV) to cities and towns. There, it branches out to 325 000km of lower-voltage lines that distribute electricity to homes and businesses. In…

Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, could be overrun by rebels within “months if not weeks”, an Oromo group allied with Tigrayan fighters said yesterday, as they advance southwards. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been fighting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government for a year, has claimed significant territorial gains in recent days, along with its ally, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). Odaa Tarbii, spokesperson for OLA, which has also claimed recent advances in Amhara and in the Oromia region surrounding Addis Ababa, said his group intended to topple Abiy’s government. “If things continue in the current trajectory, we are talking a matter of months if not weeks,” he said, referring to OLA’s move on Addis Ababa. The comments came after Ethiopia declared a nationwide state of emergency and ordered…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za THERE was some excellent news and some not so great yesterday when the Emirates Lions updated their injury list for the next batch of United Rugby Championship (URC) fixtures from the end of the month. As expected, and reported in late October, the man with the massive boot, Tiaan Swanepoel and the ‘Bone Collector’ Willem Alberts are both fit and ready to play after long-term injuries. Both the utility back and the utility forward could be ready to face Cardiff Rugby at Emirates Airline Park on November 28. It will be a boon for head coach Ivan van Rooyen’s squad if they remain fit between now and then, as Swanepoel can slot in at fullback and will bolster the team’s options at flyhalf after injuries to Jordan…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za RENERGEN, the domestic producer of gas and helium, saw its share price soar for a second consecutive day yesterday, after it announced a 600 percent increase in its methane and helium reserves at its flagship Virginia Gas Project. The independently confirmed reserves will give the project, the only onshore gas project of its kind in South Africa, the capacity to supply a constrained global helium market and to supply methane to the local renewable energy markets. Helium is used in the medical sector, space travel and superconductors, and in the manufacture of microchips, fibre-optic cables and other electronic equipment, among a variety of other uses. The share price increased by 15.5 percent to R40.71 yesterday morning after Renergen announced the increased reserves. On Tuesday the…

Arnoux Maré TO MEET THE challenges posed by the pandemic and to contend with a contracting economy, businesses need to be agile and seek out opportunities that will accelerate their recovery and growth. One-way companies can do this is by leveraging the expertise of external service providers. Lockdown measures have caused rev- enues in many small to medium and micro enterprises to decline sharply and a lot of companies are being forced to cut back on business spending to survive. This hardship also presents an opportunity for organisations to streamline their processes and delegate to independent providers whatever functions fall outside of their core business ambit. Here are some reasons why externalising could be the best decision for your company: Bang for your buck With massive lay-offs and controlled spending,…

THE HARDER THEY FALL NETFLIX Gunning for revenge, outlaw Nat Love saddles up with his gang to take down enemy Rufus Buck, a ruthless crime boss who just got sprung from prison. WAT IS WAARHEID KYKNET, DSTV CHANNEL 144, 8PM The “New World Order” will consist of a single government consisting of members of the Illuminati that will rule over the entire planet. We host a conference about the New World Order. EDGE OF ALASKA DISCOVERY CHANNEL, DSTV CHANNEL 121, 5.15PM Jeremy and his sons search the frozen wilderness for a lost bulldozer. Mark sets out to show his new fiancée the beauty of McCarthy, but finds danger.…

Magashule’s former personal assistant says she never agreed to be a State witness Sifiso Mahlangu sifiso.mahlangu@inl.co.za THE National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) found itself in a tight spot yesterday when a so-called State witness in suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule’s court case said she was not a State witness. Magashule, former Mangaung mayor Olly Mlamleli, former human settlements head of department Nthimotse Mokhesi and businessman Edwin Sodi appeared in the Free State High Court. Magashule’s former personal assistant, Moroadi Cholota, said she never wrote an affidavit and had never agreed to be a State witness. Cholota, who now resides in the US, told The Star that she knew nothing about what was presented in court and reported in the media. In what may look like an intimidation tactic by the…

IIT IS is common knowledge that the government does not create jobs. It creates the environment that enables businesses to create jobs. Big business is mechanising, computerising and streamlining their businesses. Small business will therefore be the saviour of job creation. Unfortunately, our government has not done much to enhance the small business environment. There have been many promises, many think tanks and many summits. None of them has translated into the government amending its rigorous legislation and onerous regulations. It would be a good start if the government ensured the payment of invoices to small businesses within 30 days. And if the government allowed small businesses to be decoupled from the bargaining councils. A small business can’t be expected to compete and pay the same salaries as big business.…

BONGANI NKOSI bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za A MAGISTRATE who was found guilty of fraudulently gaining R3 638 from the State’s fuel compensation scheme and also of reducing a motorist’s R1 000 traffic fine unlawfully is counting on the appeals court for vindication. Azwifaneli Mphanama, who was a senior magistrate as well as the judicial head of Dzanani Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo, scored himself an undesired criminal record in 2017. His magistrate colleague found him guilty of two counts of fraud and one of obstructing the course of justice. For the fraud counts, Mphanama was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment – wholly suspended for three years on condition that he repaid the R3 638.95 and that he was not convicted of an offence of dishonesty. On the obstruction of justice count, he was sentenced…

MASERU MOERANE | Kempton Park I was moved to tears to witness Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi campaigning for Inkatha from pillar to post. He was everywhere, not only campaigning for the IFP but reigniting hope among South Africans. He said: “This is not the time for more empty promises from the ruling party. It is time for South Africans to intervene through that fundamental democratic right that is voting.” Our country can only be saved by the electorate. Voting is our greatest and our only hope. Thank you once again Shenge for your exemplary leadership as usual. It is above party politics. We know that through you eyes we are all South Africans, green and white, black and yellow. You are indeed a dedicated servant.…

JOHN WHITLOCK | Germiston So Little Miss Priss, the so-called climate activist, Greta ‘The Great’ Thunberg, whose minor influence on climate, if any, has waned significantly, is at it again. Quite clearly miffed by being snubbed and totally ignored by world leaders, she, supported by the usual crowd of woeful bleeding hearts, has once again taken to lambasting those who have far more knowledge and experience than she has. Once again, without giving or suggesting any positive solutions. Her minor influence will, thankfully, be completely negligible, totally insignificant and ignored as she carries on with her infantile rantings, merely to overawe the gullible and fawning supporters who don’t seem to be the brightest blooms in the garden. Protests really have become a pastime rather than helping to transform…

ALMOST one in three Republicans believe violence may be needed to save the US, The Guardian has reported, citing results of a recent survey conducted by the US Public Religion Research Institute. It found that 30% of Republicans agreed with the statement “because things have gotten so far off track”. Meanwhile, Republican Glenn Youngkin won the hotly contested Virginia governor’s election yesterday, beating former Democrat Governor Terry McAuliffe and flipping the state from blue to red. | Xinhua…

Attention turned yesterday to how the world will pay for its plan to decarbonise and help vulnerable nations survive climate change, after a world leaders’ summit at COP26 that yielded a landmark methane-slashing deal. But a simmering diplomatic spat between the US, China and Russia over the other’s climate ambition showed the fragile nature of talks aimed at averting disastrous global warming. Negotiators are in Glasgow to try to keep the Paris Agreement temperature goal of 1.5ºC within reach. In the six years since the deal, planet- warming greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise and extreme weather linked to the heating climate has intensified. Finance is a crucial part of the picture, with vulnerable nations demanding rich emitters make good on a decade-old promise to provide $100 billion (about…

MIHLALI BALEKA @Mihlalibaleka KAIZER Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter suggests that “the derby has its own life”, and that’s why their clash against Soweto arch rivals Orlando Pirates on Saturday will not be affected by their defeat in the Premiership on Tuesday. After appearing to turn the tide, having won two games on the trot, Chiefs were given a reality check by Stellenbosch FC on Tuesday, as an Ashley du Preez thunderbolt strike late in the first half ensured that visiting Stellies claimed the spoils at FNB Stadium. Meanwhile, later in the day, Pirates returned to winning ways in domestic football after drawing their last four games, coming from behind to beat Sekhukhune United 2-1 thanks to goals from Linda Mntambo and Kabelo Dlamini. “It (the defeat) doesn’t affect the derby…

JACO van Zyl heads into the 86th PGA Championship as a member of an exclusive club of champions in South Africa’s second oldest professional golf tournament, having achieved what only Gary Player, Ernie Els, Harold Henning and Dale Hayes have. Van Zyl is a three-time winner of the PGA Championship in 2009, 2013 and 2016. Player, Els and Hayes have their names on the famous trophy three times, Henning a record four. It’s these memories and his place in SA golf history that Van Zyl takes with him to St Francis Links in the Eastern Cape when the R1.2-million tournament tees off today, and which he’s hoping will inspire a resurgence in his game. “This is the PGA Championship of the tour you’re a home member of. As a player…

ARE Pakistan everyone else’s ‘second team’ for the T20 World Cup? You know, “if South Africa don’t win the tournament, then I hope Pakistan do”. Is that the prevailing sentiment? For me it is. I flit between Pakistan, New Zealand and the West Indies when it comes to global events. Easy, right! Avoid the ‘big three’ and all those teams have some redeeming, humane quality with a couple of colourful characters who make them quite likeable. With Pakistan this year, however, there’s sympathy as well, because boy, has that country been treated disgracefully by the powers that be, i.e. India, England and Australia. You could throw New Zealand in there this year as well after the Black Caps’ late withdrawal from a tour there, citing “security reasons”, which New Zealand…

ALTHOUGH Work From Home (WFH) enhanced trust, female respondents in general felt “more important” when working from the office because they tended to take more frequent breaks and struggled with routine and other commitments, according to research conducted by global research organisation Ipsos. They also said that tasks took more effort in this arrangement. In contrast, male respondents said WFH meant more time spent in meetings, with inadequate communication between teams, making teamwork more difficult. The study shows that they also experienced difficulty in keeping teams motivated when working from home. They also maintained that completing tasks took more time. Ipsos service line lead Stella Fleetwood said that South Africans’ views on WFH also differed across racial lines. “Our research revealed that Indian respondents had lower job satisfaction with WFH,…

Bang Showbiz Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl scandal is set to become subject of a new documentary. The Together Again hitmaker’s career never recovered after the 2004 incident, which saw Justin Timberlake rip part of her costume and accidentally expose her breast during the Half Time show, and the aftermath will be explored in the latest in the New York Times Presents documentary series, which will be titled Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson and will broadcast on FX and Hulu on November 19. According to Deadline: “The doc will examine the racial and cultural currents that collided on the Super Bowl stage, and explores how the incident impacted one of the most successful pop musicians in history.” The documentary will feature interviews with NFL and MTV executives, the Jackson…

Itumeleng Mafisa A WHITE Pretoria man says he is sick and tired of his racist family members who often call black people “k****s” and “monkeys”. The 57-year-old says he has divorced his wife for teaching his children hate speech and teaching them that black people are inferior. He said he could not believe that almost 30 years after democracy, some white people in South Africa were still refusing to change how they see black people. He added that the worst part of it was that his 14-year-old son was scared of black people and identified with them as murderers. “My son refuses to stop at the petrol station because he is horrified by black people. My wife told them that black people are murderers and rapists. “She now wants to…

Gcwalisile Khanyile gcwalisile.khanyile@inl.co.za THE national Department of Health director-general (D-G, Dr Sandile Buthelezi, has defended former health minister Zweli Mkhize’s use of WhatsApp messages to communicate important departmental decisions. Mkhize is accused of putting pressure on former health department director-general Precious Matsoso via WhatsApp messages to award a controversial R150 million tender to Digital Vibes, a company owned by Tahera Mather and Naadhira Mitha, alleged to be friends of Mkhize and his family. The contract was to conduct media awareness campaigns around the implementation of the National Health Insurance and other health-related issues during the pandemic. In an affidavit, Buthelezi said there was nothing clandestine in using texting. “Nor should it be suggested that it is an attempt to avoid record: it is well known that WhatsApp messages are retained…

| Political Bureau COULD we be seeing a marriage of convenience for the next five years or acrimonious unions that could end up in ugly divorces? This is what some are asking as political parties are going all out in coalitions to woo each other as the province deals with hung metro municipalities. By 6pm yesterday, 80 percent of the votes had been counted in Gauteng with the ANC receiving 35.45 percent of the vote and the DA 29.85 percent, while other parties made up the other 12.78 percent. The IEC will today outline how these figures changed as it gives the final tally of results. In the City of Tshwane, the DA and the ANC throughout the day yesterday were both sitting over 30…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za DESPITE being an often-divisive figure in world football, I won’t lie, I love me some Antonio Conte. The Italian manager and former player certainly has not endeared himself to many pundits and supporters over the years, and his often-controversial views and actions have made him a target of vitriol and discontent. He has a career that has involved accusations of knowingly abetting match-fixing. It seems that at the end of a stint at any club, there is a degree of disquiet surrounding him regarding club bosses, or players, or about his personal estimation of both. In short, there is often never a dull day when the 52 year old is at the helm of a team – be it national or club level. He left Juventus, where…

The number of political parties in South Africa has increased significantly from the 19 that participated in the first democratic elections in 1994. Both 2011 and 2016 saw the number of political parties grow. But this year, the number has increased exponentially. Over 500 are currently registered with the Independent Electoral Commission. Over 300 took part in Monday’s local government elections. In addition, more than 1 500 independent candidates participated in the poll. Against this background, there are divergent views about the uniqueness of this election compared to the previous ones. Despite the increased number of participants in this election, some see the race as still being between the ANC, which dominates the National Assembly and runs the country, and the two big opposition parties, the DA and the EFF.…

Swedish pop sensation ABBA announced yesterday that they were pausing promotion of an upcoming show for 24 hours, after two died in a dramatic fall at a tribute concert. The band is preparing to release a new album, Voyage, tomorrow, 40 years after splitting up. But on Tuesday, an 80-year-old man fell seven storeys to his death at a concert hall in Uppsala, outside Stockholm, in an accident, killing another attendee. The band is building a venue in London that will host a show of digitised “avatars” next year. | AFP…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@africannewsagency.com ORLANDO Pirates co-caretaker coaches Mandla Ncikazi and Fadlu Davids have shown remarkable resilience in the face of adversity after their depleted squad finally emerged victorious following a five-match winless streak. Tuesday’s 2-1 win over high-flying Sekhukhune United saw the pressure valve easing for the beleaguered Pirates coaching duo, the interim replacements for the previous coach Josef Zinnbauer who was fired just under two months ago. The decision to soldier on with Ncikazi and Davids, two members from Zinnbauer’s technical team, has not been a qualified success as reflected by the recent string of results. Surprisingly, they have survived the axe, given Pirates’ impetuosity with Zinnbauer, who was shown the exit door just one match into the new season when the defending champions crashed out of the MTN8…