Índex per 2021-11-12 a Star

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za THE NATIONAL Treasury yesterday flagged that the current year expenditure would breach the 2021 Budget Review ceiling of R1.51 trillion by R56 billion following the Covid-19 lockdowns and public violence, as well as wage bill adjustments. According to the 2021 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), revenue improvements since the 2021 Budget had made room for an increase in the spending ceiling over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period. It said the ceiling was raised by R30.5bn in 2022/23 and R28.1bn in 2023/24, compared with the 2021 Budget. Treasury said domestic risks identified in the 2021 Budget included the wage bill and the continued deterioration in the financial position of several major state-owned companies had materialised. As a result, spending increases in 2021/22 amounted to…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za MARKETS read some positives in Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s maiden Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), with the rand firming more than 1.5 percent to R15.24 per dollar late yesterday afternoon. This is as economists pointed out that the sheer quantum of debt, however, is still projected to climb further, with 2024/25s R5.5 trillion double 2018/19s R2.8 trillion, while the country’s credit risk, which is the perceived risk of default, has slightly moderated. Investec economist Annabel Bishop said this is still a decline in fiscal health as borrowings continue to rise, and this will not allow for any credit rating upgrades, nor likely a removal of the negative outlooks that key agencies have SA on. “Debt service costs continue to climb, but are fractionally lower…

ANC FINANCE guru turned Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is a new sheriff in town. Godongwana, who has chaired the ANC’s sub-committee on economic transformation for many years, stepped into the shoes of his comrade Tito Mboweni in August after the latter left government. In a striking note yesterday, a few hours before he tabled his maiden Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), in the hybrid sitting of the National Assembly, Godongwana said he told Mboweni recently that they shared the same views on the eco-nomy. However, what makes them different from each other is that Mboweni has ugly shoes and Godongwana does not wear ugly shoes. This is one of the jokes Godongwana told the media before he delivered the MTBPS to drive home the point that nothing much would…

HAPPINESS EVER AFTER NETFLIX Back with a bang are bestie girlfriends Zaza and Princess, played by Khanyi Mbau and Renate Stuurman respectively, who are joined by a new friend, yogi and florist Zimkhitha, portrayed by Nambitha Ben-Mazwi. The romantic drama tackles sisterhood and friendship. THE PURSUIT OF LOVE SHOWMAX Set in Europe between the two World Wars, the miniseries follows the adventures and misadventures of the fearless Linda Radlett and her best friend and cousin, Fanny Logan, as they seek out the ideal husband. FOR LIFE S2 SHOWMAX The story of once wrongfully accused prisoner Aaron Wallace, who is now a free man and hard-working lawyer, trying to piece his life back together and find justice for those the system has failed.…

Debashine Thangevelo debashine.thangevelo@inl.co.za Right now there is a maelstrom of headline-grabbing stories around Will Smith. A lot of this has to do with him releasing his unflinchingly candid memoir, Will. Earlier this year, his post about “being in the worst shape of his life” went viral, with fans and industry friends being most supportive. But the microscopic gaze of the media has never been more intense as Smith unpacks his childhood trauma, insecurities, career highs and lows, parenting style and marital woes. His overshare when it comes to his sexual appetite hasn’t gone down as well, though. What really threw fans for a loop, aside from the entanglement saga which he addressed with wife Jada Pinkett Smith on Red Table Talk last year, was the revelation that his then 14-year-old…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za Art is back in fashion once again, thanks to relaxed Covid-19 resistrictions. Not only are we seeing a resurgence of art in traditional circles, but its power to evoke strong emotions If you appreciate art, the Art Curator Gallery at Lourensford Estate in the Western Cape has a wide range of South African Old Masters, contemporary art, bronzes and statues. Some of the top five pieces on show include Guardian by Louis Chanu, Seabreeze by Sonja Nel, Sewing Wheat by Frans Martin Claerhout, Seascape by Tony Ribton and 1979 Still Life by Johannes Meintjes. Guardian Selling for R130 000, Guardian is a plant carbon resin sculpture. The resin acts as a magnifying glass, warping the light, reflecting it, flipping images and even distorting reality. Seabreeze Seabreeze is…

Nhlanhla Mbatha LOVE him or loathe him, former president FW de Klerk’s name remains etched in the annals of the history of South African politics. In just about three decades, De Klerk gravitated from a pariah to a reformist, and back to a pariah. When he was elevated to the presidency of the erstwhile Nationalist Party in 1989, South Africa was going through tough times – with repressive apartheid laws aimed at suffocating the black population, and the stinging economic, political and cultural sanctions led by the international community. The majority of South Africans saw him as another PW Botha, BJ Vorster, DF Malan and HF Verwoerd – avowed apartheid proponents. In no time he was to introduce reform measures – not out of his volition, but upon realising…

TURKISH President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been involved in backing jihadists in the Syrian civil war since 2011, while the Turkish army has carried out three cross-border operations into the war-torn country over the past few years. Turkey’s primary objective lies in preventing a Northern Iraq version of a Kurdish autonomous region along its 911km Syrian border. It remains a mystery why Erdogan is targeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces instead of collaborating with the Syrian regime against the Kurdish militia groups in Syrian territories. Anger and rising tension between Erdogan and Assad have not been resolved and it appears that a fully-fledged war between Turkey and Syria might be on the horizon. Turkey’s former foreign minister, Yasar Yakis, mentioned in a piece published on Monday in Arab News that…

chulumanco mahamba LOCAL shoe band Veldskoen has partnered with Relate Bracelets to launch a new “South African-ness” bracelet that celebrates what makes citizens South African for a good cause. The collaboration will also create earning opportunities for the elderly people who thread them and the young people who complete and package them. Relate Bracelets are handmade and sold to make a difference and change lives. As a 100% not-for-profit social enterprise, its revenue is donated to credible causes and invested in social upliftment initiatives. “Relate is an incredibly inspiring organisation that has the infrastructure and experience of making a real difference in the lives of those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds,” said chief executive and founder of Veldskoen, Nick Dreyer. The organisations said “South African-ness” was a collection of attributes…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za A GROUP of 35 SANDF employees who were axed for deserting training in Cuba, where they were sent to study medicine, are fighting for reinstatement. The group included army clinical associates, nurses and dental technicians, many of whom had been in the employ of the SANDF for more than 10 years. They arrived in Cuba during August 2017 for learning and training at the Military Infantry School. They would have become doctors after completion. The 35 refused to go to class from February 11, 2019 citing a range of grievances. They vowed not to go to class until grievances were resolved. In turn, the SANDF accused them of committing mutiny, which is a serious offence in the army. The chief of the Defence Force fired them without…

Doctor Mahlaule | Roodepoort THE killing of Babita Deokaran on August 23 has exposed how weak our state security is. We live in a country where whistle-blowers are killed for doing the right thing. Babita was a senior financial officer at the Gauteng Department of Health and a key witness against alleged corruption that was taking place at the Department of Health. This story has grabbed our attention not only because a woman has been killed, but the alleged confession of one of the arrested alleged hitmen linking Dr Zweli Mkhize to the murder. One cannot help but wonder if Babita’s killing was linked to the Digital Vibes scandal. Mkhize had stepped down when information came to the surface that he allegedly unduly benefited from the Digital Vibes…

Kelebogile Raphiri and Neo Letswalo On September 30, President Cyril Ramaphosa reduced the National Disaster Management Act’s lockdown limitations to level 1. This was seen by many as having been designed to allow political parties and individual ward candidates to mobilise, lobby, and campaign for the 2021 local government elections. Because this sphere of government acts alongside and in relation to the people (the demos in a democracy), it makes it a cornerstone of our form of government. One of the significant mandates of local government is to promote economic and social development, a process that seems to have confounded local governments everywhere in the country for decades, with seemingly no concrete policies in a rapidly urbanising country. Instead of depending on foreign direct investment (FDI) and other external…

Meghan Markle has apologised to a UK court after admitting being involved in a favourable biography of her time as a royal in Britain, despite having previously denied it. This was part of a British newspaper group’s appeal against a ruling that it breached the former Duchess of Sussex’s privacy, by publishing parts of a letter she wrote to her father. Associated Newspapers submitted that she wrote it knowing it would likely be leaked. Markle said she’d forgotten she’d given details to an ex-adviser to relay to the authors. | AFP…

WALES rugby will, one day in the forseeable future, bid farewell to the iconic figure of Alun Wyn Jones, the talismanic lock and most-capped player in the sport's history. Head coach Wayne Pivac, however, is nurturing two towering youngsters in Ben Carter and Christ Tshiunza he claims have all the potential to match the longevity of the 36-year-old Jones. Tshiunza, aged just 19, has been named on the bench for Sunday’s Test match against Fiji, with Pivac marking down the Kinshasa-born second-row forward as “one for the future”. “If you look at him and Ben Carter, look at what’s coming up, (Rugby World Cups in) 2023, 2027, 2031, those boys at 19 or 20 years of age, there’s no reason why – if they look after themselves and keep developing…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THERE was no aloe ferox plant, no quoting of Bible verses or dead poets, nor casual mentioning of sorghum beer when Finance Minister Enoch Godong- wana delivered his maiden Budget speech in Parliament yesterday. But for those who thought this signalled a departure from structural reforms and fiscal consolidation championed by Godongwana’s predecessor, Tito Mboweni, they were in for a disappointment as the umbilical cord remained intact. “In so far as fiscal framework perspective and structural reforms, we are on the same page,” Godongwana said of Mboweni during a pre-Budget media briefing. “I always tell him that ‘the only difference between the two of us is your shoes. I wear better shoes than you. But maybe I’m not good at cooking as well.” Godongwana yesterday tabled…

Jamal Grootboom jamald.grootboom@inl.co.za Singer Nadia Jaftha has released a statement regarding her brother Taariq Jaftha’s homophobic and transphobic comments. The Paradise singer’s brother got on the wrong side of social media after he went on a queerphobic rant on Tuesday where he spewed transphobic and homophobic views in his Instagram (IG) Stories. In the posts, Taariq e-proclaimed to be anti-LGBT(QIA+) in several posts. He said being “LGBT is a disease, not a human right”. He said that although he was against violence and queer people being attacked, he co-signed the controversial Ghanaian bill that would criminalise homosexuality and make advocating for LGBT people a crime. And if “they publicise their sins, lock em up”. While Nadia initially shared a response on her IG Stories during his rant, she shared a…

Tebogo Naledi IT IS almost impossible for an asset manager to talk about capital allocation without touching on critical issues around impact investing and sustainability. One of the most urgent issues within the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) arena, and an issue that impact and responsible investors are incorporating into their investment decisions, is the recognition of climate change risk as a potentially catastrophic factor. There is growing recognition that investing for impact is a non-negotiable component in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, and the tough carbon emissions reductions set at the various UN Climate Change Conferences to achieve net zero by 2050. Yet while the world must transition towards net zero carbon emissions, there is also acknowledgement that there needs to be a…

Liam Karabo Joyce liam.joyce@inl.co.za It was the battle of friends on Twitter after a close friend of media personality Katlego Maboe revealed explosive details on social media. Volo Ganca claimed that the former Expresso presenter “is the victim” in the legal woes between him and his ex-girlfriend and mother of his son, Monique Muller. Katlego and Muller made headlines in 2020 after a video of the pair arguing over the star cheating on his now-estranged partner was released on social media. Abuse allegations were levelled against Katlego soon after. Now, in a long Twitter thread, Volo, whose handle is @MximYesses, defended Katlego against the allegations and calls for his return and acceptance in the entertainment business. In his tweets, Volo alleged that Muller had threatened to take their son away…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za POLITICAL parties yesterday expressed mixed feelings over Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s maiden Mid- Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) delivered in Parliament. Parties and ANC bigwigs have also commented about a call for a universal basic income grant and are now in agreement with Godongwana that a final decision on the nature of the fund would be made in his Budget speech in February next year. Prior to his maiden address, hundreds of people led by Saftu, Amcu and the Assembly of the Unemployed, Cry of the Xcluded and Samwu Cape Metro, marched to demand a basic income grant of R1 500 for those aged 18 to 59 who have no income. In their memorandum presented to Parliament, the parties said: “People are starving and without food, to…

Staff Reporter BARELY a week after South Africans went to the polls to elect new municipal councillors, a senior researcher in the City of Joburg has published an academic paper evaluating the impact of coalition governments on service delivery. Vele Muhadi’s article delves into how coalition governments should be run as the country grapples with a new method of mainstream politics. The paper also examines Joburg’s coalition government arrangement since 2016, while evaluating its bearing the effective delivery of municipal services. He argues that political parties need to consider voters when negotiating coalition arrangements as this is critical to the viability and legitimacy of any union government. “My paper has been well received by the management of the city’s Research Unit and was on the agenda at a recent…

STAFF REPORTER GOSPEL singer Rebecca Malope will be among the 30 South Africans and eminent foreign nationals that President Cyril Ramaphosa will award various national orders to next week. National Orders are the highest awards that South Africa bestows on its citizens and eminent foreign nationals who have contributed towards the advancement of democracy and have made a significant impact on improving the lives of South Africans. They also recognise the contributions made by individuals towards building a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa as envisaged in our Constitution, said a statement by Chancellor of the National Orders and director-general in The Presidency, Phindile Baleni. Ramaphosa will bestow on deserving recipients the Order of Mendi for Bravery, the Order of Ikhamanga, the Order of the Baobab, the Order…

FAROUK ARAIE | Benoni Philanthropist Mr Sayed Mia was among the top 50 to be honoured with the title, Influential Personalities of South Africa 2021. His award is indeed a tribute to a true citizen of the world, extraordinary humanitarian, and practitioner of reverence for human dignity. The impact of his decades of devoted public service is evident in the worthy causes he lifted up as a patron. He personified the quiet reserve, stern fortitude, and unbending integrity of the nation he represented. His exceptional example of service, constancy, and patriotism is envied by many in many parts of our land. He has proven over the many years that true partnership has room for both ambition and selflessness, all in service of something greater. Sayed Mia has committed…

Gerald Levin | Rouxville John Whitlock asks Mandla Mandela about the origin of Palestine (October 28, The Star; letter). Well, all land captured from Turkey during World War I was Palestine. After WWII, the UN fabricated a third partition of Cis-Jordan for the establishment of Israel. Trans-Jordan invaded the West Bank, and became Jordan. Israel “liberated” the West Bank in 1967. The Black September Organisation (BSO) started in Jordan. BSO attempted to “liberate” Jordan in 1973. After expulsion from Jordan, BSO continued “fighting to liberate” Jordan. In Rabat, Morocco, Jordan made peace with BSO, by signing an alleged West Bank land claim to BSO. BSO became the Palestine Liberation Organisation. Effectively, Jordan made peace with BSO, by planning a BSO/PLO attempt to “liberate” Israel as consolation for their…

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has fired his defence and interior ministers, questioning their competence as the country battles a four-year Islamist insurgency. No explanation was given for the dismissal of the two key ministers, appointed under two years ago. But Nyusi said: “A leader or commander in the area of defence and security cannot afford to sleep.” Until foreign forces came to help, the Mozambican army had struggled to fight off the insurgency. At least 3 340 people have been killed since 2017. | AFP…

The global response to Covid-19 was a disorganised, inequitable disaster. At least 5 million people around the world have died from Covid-19. There are still around 50 000 reported deaths a week. Even wealthy, vaccine-abundant places like the US and Western Europe are seeing persistently high cases, while lower-income nations are running roughly a decade behind them in vaccination rates in one analysis. Later this month, officials from around the world will convene for a special meeting to discuss how the global system that responded to Covid-19 can be fixed before future pandemics. The meeting, a rare special session of the World Health Assembly to begin November 29, will see deliberations on how to strengthen the World Health Organization among its member states. Though less hyped than the UN climate…

WHILE sitting and sipping on a cup of coffee this week at a local bakery, due to the loadshedding playing havoc with South Africa’s working schedule, I could not help but overhear a discussion regarding Scotland v South Africa. The elderly patrons, enjoying a pleasant Highveld mid-morning, expressed trepidation that the assignment the Boks will face this weekend will be a tough one. “Did you see what they did to Australia?” one gentleman countered to give weight to his concern, referring to the Scots’ most recent 15-13 victory over the Aussies. “Yes,” said the other, “they are a very good team.” I couldn’t agree more. This Scottish team is a dangerous proposition to overcome. In this year’s Six Nations they lost only two matches, suffering narrow defeats to eventual champions…

Itumeleng Mafisa ONE OF South Africa’s biggest gold mines, Sibanye Gold, said the company would continue negotiating with unions until a fair deal was reached between labour and the mine. A spokesperson for the mine, James Welsted, said organised labour was demanding an increase of around R1 500 a month annually. He said the mine could not afford this. Welsted said mineworkers were already among workers who earned relatively well, considering all the benefits that come with their salary. He said that an entry level worker was estimated to be earning around R20 000 a month. “Sibanye-Stillwater and organised labour – Amcu, the NUM, Solidarity and Uasa – continue to engage in wage negotiations to reach a wage. “We call on all stakeholders to make informed decisions in the best…

THE JOBURG Development Agency (JDA) and Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) have partnered with UN-Habitat and The Wot-if? Trust on the Indlela Yabafazi project to explore this question. The project, being undertaken in Diepsloot, Region A, is based on the Her City Toolkit process which is a joint urban development initiative by UN-Habitat, the UN Human Settlements Programme, and the independent Swedish think tank Global Utmaning (Global Challenge). Other partners to the Her City programme are the Swedish Innovation Agency (Vinnova) with contributions from a range of partners such as the Block-by-Block Foundation (Mojang/Minecraft), White Architects, Swedish Union of Tenants, and MethodKit. The purpose of Her City is to make methods and tools available to urban actors and cities globally to support cities to scale up and mainstream girls’…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za OVERCROWDED classrooms and inadequate learning material impede the prospects of pupils from disadvantaged families to get a grasp of English from the fourth grade. Senior educationalists Vusi Mncube and Liziwe Fesi, based at the University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape, have made these findings. Pupils from disadvantaged families were likely to learn English for the first time when they got to Grade 4. This is the grade in which English becomes the language of learning and teaching. They are taught in their home language from Grade R to Grade 3. Mncube and Fesi investigated the challenges that teachers encountered in teaching English to Grade 4 pupils. Their qualitative research, conducted in East London, entailed interviews with teachers. “South African educators face many challenges in the…

T Markandan | Kloof Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter is not only white, but also Afrikaner, the people who oppressed blacks. He now heads the biggest company in South Africa. You might envy him but frankly he couldn’t have taken up the Eskom post at a worse time than this. He was made CEO of Eskom in the hope that he would turn the ailing power giant around. But it is proving to be a herculean task. He just cannot keep it in the black. Despite a revenue of R200 billion it made losses of R20bn for the financial year ending March 31. He is being made into a scapegoat for Eskom’s failure to keep the lights on. The knives are out for him. He has already been…

WHEN Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, black people in apartheid South Africa felt the winds of change in Africa. We chanted Robert Mugabe’s mantra of “One party state, one nation and one leader in Zimbabwe!” The question that arose when pressure from a group recently succeeded in blocking Somizi’s visit to Zimbabwe because of his sexual orientation: Is the Zimbabwean government highly suggestible? I was quite mystified when the Apostolic Christian Church Council of Zimbabwe (ACCZ) labelled Somizi’s planned visit to Zimbabwe as a “spiritual disturbance”. Describing someone’s visit to one’s country as spiritually disturbing is insufferable to say the least. The lesson that Jesus Christ taught his followers more than 2 000 years ago is worth recalling: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s…

Heavy rains across southern India and Sri Lanka have killed at least 41 people, authorities said yesterday, with weather forecasters expecting the downpours to ease in the next few days as stricken communities pumped out the deluge. The rains have killed 25 people in the island nation of Sri Lanka, most of whom drowned, while landslides injured five, officials said. Sixteen people were killed in Tamil Nadu. Many parts of the state capital Chennai, India’s auto manufacturing centre, were waterlogged. | Reuters…