Índex per 2021-11-22 a Star

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za SOUTH African-based investment company Pepkor (PEP) expects higher levels of inflation to kick in next year after supply chain disruptions added to its woes, causing delays in product inflows during the year ended September 2021. Chief executive Leon Lourens said on Friday that the backlog had been improving and stock levels were likely to normalise for the December trading period. “The group’s merchandise and logistics teams, in conjunction with its stable supply base, have done well to keep prices intact, but higher levels of inflation are expected towards the end of 2022,” said Lourens. He said Pepkor was building on its existing local partnerships with strategic vendors to develop growth plans in support of its local sourcing and manufacturing strategy. Pepkor, whose outlets were disrupted by the…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za TIGER Brands, which incurred costs amounting to R732 million owing to the civil unrest and recall of canned vegetable products during the year ended September 2021, has approached the courts for an interdict against acts of intimidation by striking employees at its Durban facility. Chief executive Noel Doyle said on Friday that the strike was not across the group’s entire portfolio but could have an impact on the ability to service the market if it was not resolved. “We have lodged court papers because of the violence and intimidation that was experienced yesterday and to poten- tially bring the strike to a halt. We are also engaged in talks with the trade union and hope the matter can be resolved in the short term,” Doyle said.…

Mojang Studios, the developer behind Minecraft, is restructuring the genesis of Minecraft’s blocky world, changing how the sandbox game scales for its millions of players. In a long-awaited update, appropriately titled Caves and Cliffs, the game’s engine will begin to form deeper caves, higher mountains for players to explore, and introduce more variations of flora and fauna to encounter. The company said it planned to release the update on November 30. When someone starts a world in Minecraft, the game uses procedural generation to create the forests, rivers, caves and mountains across the map. Over the past 12 years, Minecraft has introduced environments like deserts and oceans for players to explore. The developers at Mojang are expanding the upper and lower limits of the world in order to generate peaks…

Harvest Thwala harvest.thwala@inl.co.za AS WELL as the challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, the matric class of 2021 is also faced with loadshedding, making it difficult for them to study. This is according to Equal Education (EE) researcher Elizabeth Biney, who said: “Recent blackouts due to loadshedding have made this already stressful time difficult for this cohort of learners. Study time has been disrupted and the conditions under which they write their exams are unpleasant.” Biney said that it was no surprise that matrics at well-resourced schools may feel better prepared and more confident, compared to those plagued with sub-standard learning conditions. Moreover, matric learners from poorer communities may not have had access to extra learning support in the form of private tutors, extra lessons or even internet…

The South African Human Rights Commission is calling for pupils to go back to class full time. SAHRC commissioner Andre Guam said the Department of Basic Education should work with the departments of Health and Co-operative Governance to ensure that this is implemented. Guam said there was a reduced transmission of the virus at schools owing toteachers being vaccinated, and younger children were also in line for vaccinations. | Zodidi Dano…

BILLIONS S5 M-NET, DSTV CHANNEL 101, 10.30PM The stakes are in the billions, in this provocative drama starring Golden Globe-winners Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis as two men caught in a struggle for justice, power and money. NCIS: NEW ORLEANS S7 ME, DSTV CHANNEL 115, 6PM In this spin-off of the popular NCIS series, a dedicated team of agents fight crime in the vibrant city of New Orleans. LIONESS ME, DSTV CHANNEL 115, 8.30PM Samantha Hugo emerges from prison, determined to reunite with her long-lost children, Miranda, Liam and Caitlyn, but her efforts are unexpectedly sabotaged.…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za There is a lot to be said about going out alone. You will get time for reflection, you will have nobody to compromise with, and you will be open to meeting new people. But that does not make it easy for everybody. There is stigma attached to people spending the evening out by themselves, particularly when it comes to going out for a meal. If you are one of those people who find it hard to dine alone, here are some tips on making the most of a solo meal out. Decide on the type of restaurant where you want to eat To start, it is always a good idea to think about the type of restaurant you are going to select. If your main worry is…

Nokwanda Ncwane nokwanda.ncwane@inl.co.za RETAILERS MUST adapt and look for ways to grow and innovate so that they thrive over Black Friday and during the festive season. This emerged from a webinar hosted by Capital Connect last week. The company provides retailers with quick access to business funding. Black Friday has become an important feature in South Africa’s calendar, as many do their Christmas shopping around that time. While Black Friday is traditionally the last Friday of November, retailers have dedicated the entire month to the campaign since the outbreak of Covid-19. Connect Capital group CEO Steven Heilbron said he believed this was the right time for retailers to take advantage of the peak trading season to reignite revenue growth and drive profitability. “While there is no doubt that the…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za IT IS safe to say 2021 reigns as the best year for Makhadzi, as she is in the news again for something remarkable. News recently broke the internet that the Limpopo-born star has been used on the cover of a UK magazine, called Classique, making it her first-ever magazine cover. The magazine serves as an opportunity to learn about the most amazing talent in our community. With the issue themed, My Journey, the music sensation shares her journey of being true to her roots through music. The Ghanama hitmaker shared the magazine cover with a lot of excitement. “We dream and work hard for our dreams to come true. Look at how beautiful I am on the UK magazine cover. It’s finally here.” This year Makhadzi…

WHEN Paris Saint-Germain signed Lionel Messi, the salary package included something previously unheard of for a player – a one-off payment, understood to be worth around e1 million (R17.8m), made in PSG fan tokens. It was the result of a partnership signed by the French giants in 2018 with Socios.com which sees fans use a cryptocurrency called chiliz to buy tokens allowing them to vote on issues related to the club. These issues have tended to be rather mundane, for example Juventus asking what music they should play in their stadium, but the concept has caught on. The company has grown quickly since signing its first partnerships with PSG and Juventus to being involved with 56 football clubs and around 100 sports teams worldwide, says CEO Alexandre Dreyfus. Messi has…

Lewis Hamilton won yesterday’s inaugural Qatar Grand Prix with a commanding performance from pole to cut Max Verstappen’s Formula One world championship lead to just eight points. The Mercedes seven-time world champion held off his Dutch rival’s Red Bull by a country mile under Losail’s lights to leave the battle for the drivers’ crown delicately poised with only two races remaining. Fernando Alonso, 40, took third place for Alpine – the former two-time world champion’s first podium since 2014 – and the grizzled Spaniard received a huge cheer from the big crowd. One week on from arguably his toughest and greatest victory in Brazil, Hamilton enjoyed one of his easiest yesterday. After an unprecedented eighth world title appeared to be slipping from his grasp after Verstappen’s wins in the United…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za PETROCHEMICALS giant Sasol faces the wrath of environmental activist groups after shareholders endorsed the group’s climate change plans during its 2021 annual general meeting (AGM) on Friday, where communities and shareholder activists called on the board to account for the group’s continued pollution and increasing emissions. Sasol is South Africa’s second-biggest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter after Eskom, and plans to become a net zero emitter by 2050. In September, Sasol announced its GHG emissions would be reduced by 30 percent across its energy and chemical value chains in southern Africa by 2030. This is up from the previous 10 percent target. The group, also in September, committed to usiing between 10 and 15 percent of its capital spending towards meeting the 30 percent GHG…

For many, candles are a small but bright indulgence, the kind of item you might impulsively toss in your shopping cart after a hard week. For Britney Spears, they have become a sign of newfound financial independence. In an Instagram video posted on Tuesday, Spears spoke to her fans for the first time since a judge ended her 13-year conservatorship last week. In the video, Spears, speaking on the patio of her Thousand Oaks, California, home, said: “I’m grateful, honestly, for each day and being able to have the keys to my car, and being able to be independent and feel like a woman, and owning an ATM card – seeing cash for the first time, being able to buy candles.” “It’s the little things for us, women, but…

Tamara Mafilika tamara.mafilika@inl.co.za ACCORDING to World Health Organization (WHO), during 2014, 8.5% of adults aged 18 years and older had diabetes. And in 2019, diabetes was the direct cause of 1.5 million deaths, and 48% of all deaths due to diabetes occurred before the age of 70 years. The demand for nutritionists and dieticians is steadily increasing. One of the foundational pillars of integrative nutrition health coaching is career satisfaction. If you are passionate about your job and enjoy what you do, your physical and mental health will be greatly impacted, too. How do you achieve a successful and fulfilling career if you feel drained or uninspired? Indiatoday.com have shared these five tips to building a career in health, nutrition and lifestyle: 1. Earn a degree in the field of…

UMLAZI teacher Brooklyn Masuku, 25, is hard at work trying to raise funds for his Grade 3 class farewell. The children, who come from struggling homes, have persevered in their academics despite challenges. Masuku said his Grade 3 class at Qondokuhle Primary School are hard-working and pass with good grades. “This farewell is to show gratitude and appreciation. We want to give them an experience of a lifetime.” To assist, call him on 082 869 8580. | Harvest Thwala…

Debashine Thangevelo debashine.thangevelo@inl.co.za Comedy and crime are two genres the British do exceptionally well. And, of course, given the industry’s abundance of talent, there are always actors that stand out. As such, certain actors, while compelling with their performance, only register on the radar of viewers years later. All it takes is one brilliant offering to propel them into the spotlight. This brings me to Nicola Walker. She’s been in the industry for a while, bagging roles in prominent TV offerings as well as big-screen movies. But she only truly got her just dues in the latter part of her career, more specifically after being cast in the Last Tango in Halifax, which ran for several seasons since 2012. She was nominated for a Bafta for Best Supporting Actress for…

Itumeleng Mafisa COSATU has called on South Africans to boycott Massmart stores from today and to shop elsewhere. This comes after a Cosatu affiliate, the SA Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu) declared a strike at Massmart last Friday. The declaration of a strike action follows the Massmart Group’s decision to unilaterally restructure and change workers’ terms and conditions of employment without consultation. It’s not clear when the strike will end but management at Massmart have assured their customers that operations at branches would resume undisturbed. Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said that workers had other issues with the company such as attempts to impose a 40-hour working week, which included Sunday work with no premium, as well as a reduction of working hours from 195 hours to 120 hours.…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE CRIME statistics for July to September this year have painted a grim picture of the fight against gender-based violence and femicide after almost 10 000 rape cases were reported in only three months. Police Minister Bheki Cele announced the crime statistics for the second quarter of this year on Friday where he divulged the shocking rape statistics. Cele said 9 556 people were raped between July and September and that the figure increased by 634 cases, amounting to a 7% increase compared with the previous period. Gauteng recorded 2 054, followed by KZN with 1 860, Eastern Cape 1 553, Western Cape 1 009, Limpopo 834, North West 777, Mpumalanga 691, Free State 6 017, and Northern Cape 191. A sample of 6 144 rapes…

Jonisayi Maromo jonisayi.maromo@africannewsagency.com CANNABIS and heroin, both at 28%, have been found to be the primary substances used by people seeking treatment for substance abuse across Tshwane from January to June, with figures also showing that more people are turning up for treatment. The statistics of people seeking treatment for substance abuse also show that the group is characterised largely by black men, (86%), while 63% were people younger than 30 years, with most of them unemployed. The University of Pretoria’s Community-Oriented Substance Use Programme, together with the Drug and Substance Abuse unit at the City of Tshwane and the South African Network of People Who Use Drugs, hosted a virtual research symposium focusing on the work done in and around substance use in the City of Tshwane. According to…

Staff Reporter ON OCTOBER 29, Rubicon Clothing stunned the crowd with their latest collection at their sold out show. This season’s collection was heavily inspired by the late Dickson Ralushai, father to founder of Rubicon Clothing, Hangwani Nengovhela. The collection paid homage to her father’s signature style, while still aligning with the classic elegance that is the image of Rubicon Clothing. The latest inclusion of a men’s line is uncharted territory for the brand, however, there is no challenge Rubicon Clothing cannot face. With Hangwani’s father was the inspiration behind this season’s collection, it was imperative that Rubicon brought his love for fashion to life. The collection played around bold colours in asymmetric patterns, while still staying grounded to neutral colours. With almost 20 years as an established fashion house,…

Matshelane Mamabolo IT should never have gotten to this. But then again our senior national team has always loved leaving things to chance. You would swear that living on the edge is in Bafana Bafana’s DNA. Doing things the simple way is not something they know how to do. And so here we are, chewing on our fingernails, crossing all crossables and calling on all kinds of deities for help as we anticipate the decision of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee on Safa’s submission that Bafana’s 1-0 defeat to Ghana was a manipulated match that should be declared null and void and a replay be ordered. That would probably be the right thing to do for an institution that espouses Fair Play as one of its main values. But…

Manchester United once again have to press the reset button after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer became the fourth manager to be shown the exit door by the club since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013. United have fallen a long way in those eight years, watching from the sidelines as their fiercest rivals Manchester City and Liverpool have become the new dominant forces in the Premier League. David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho all came and went before beloved former United striker Solskjaer was appointed as caretaker boss in December 2018 with a brief to restore the club to former glories by tapping into its DNA. United rediscovered their spark in a honeymoon period under the Norwegian, summed up in a breathless Champions League comeback against Paris Saint-Germain…

Harvest Thwala harvest.thwala@inl.co.za STUDENTS have threatened fight tooth and nail against the proposed 75% pass rate requested by the Nation Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The National Deputy Secretary of the South African Student Congress (Sasco), Nhlanhla Simelane, said NSFAS needed to find other ways of dealing with their financial problems and that as student representatives, they will not accept the proposal and were ready to fight until the decision is revised. “This is a very concerning issue. Our call is very clear, and we totally disagree with this proposed pass mark because it will exclude more students from universities, and it’s something that we are fighting. We are not backing down,” said Simelane. This issue was tabled at the meeting regarding a new funding policy which was attended by…

The KwaZulu Natal Department of Education said more than 1 000 school principals received digital tablets to help them keep up with advancing technology. MEC for Education in KwaZulu-Natal Kwazi Mshengu has committed to ensuring that by the end of this academic year, all school principals in the province would have received a tablet to help them with their day-to-day school administration and management. | Jolene Marriah-Maharaj…

ACCORDING to research conducted by Statistics SA, four out of 10 marriages end in divorce before their 10th anniversary. No couple believe on their wedding day that their new union will end in divorce. However, the reality is that just under half of marriages do not last 10 years. And many of us have little to no understanding of how our assets will be split up if it happens or how this will affect our financial journey. This is according to Janine Horn, financial adviser at Momentum, who points to the role the pandemic has played in the recent rise of divorce cases: The DIY Legal revealed that divorce rates soared to 30%, while highlighting that South Africa ranked 83rd out of 154 countries for the highest number of divorce…

Debashine Thangevelo debashine.thangevelo@inl.co.za Think of all the rom-com TV shows you have watched, how many of them didn’t have a female protagonist? Yep, the blueprint has been pretty formulaic for this particular genre. Like so many TV buffs I’ve watched my fair share of these offerings as it is therapeutic, funny and relatable. Popular shows that spring to mind include the classic Sex and the City (the reboot is in the pipeline), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Jane the Virgin, Emily in Paris, Sex/Life and Insecure. I’m grateful to find that storytelling has evolved over the years. It delves much deeper than those shallow ticking boxes when it comes to dating. It tackles real struggles in the real world of working young professionals. While season one of Love Life fell into the conventional…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za Food is the cornerstone of the festive season. It brings friends and family together to share memories, cultural traditions and great flavours. Work up an appetite and be inspired with this short tour of festive season food from across the world. And if you are looking for something a little different this year, why not incorporate some of these foods into your holiday dinner or have them as treats throughout the holiday season? We have supplied a recipe for the mince pie, and if you’re keen on whipping up the other foods too, you can click on that Google search button. Butter tarts – Canada Although Canadians typically celebrate the holiday season with similar dishes to the US, they do have a few holiday classics of their…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za THE ANC yesterday promised residents in the country’s hung municipalities that it would act in their best interests and deliver good governance. The ANC held its extended national executive committee (NEC) meeting yesterday in Tshwane amid protests from its staff who have not been paid since August. “The coalition deals we are doing, we are making them in the interest of our people. The ANC is entertaining coalition arrangements that will allow it to bring about stability in municipalities,” ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe said outside the NEC meeting. He assured ANC voters that the coalitions that have been formed are on the prescripts of good governance. According to Mabe, ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile and deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte will deliver a report on which parties the…

JOHN WHITLOCK | Germiston WHITE House aides have thrown up their hands in pure frustration at what they see as “entrenched dysfunction and lack of focus” by Vice-President Kamala Harris and her staff, especially at this time when President Joe Biden is facing a mass of legislative and political concerns as well as a plethora of other problems. The aides feel that she is being sidelined and not being prepared or positioned for future politics, and that she will not be able to take over the reins should Biden throw in the towel. Many feel that Biden will retire some time next year. Her relationship with parts of the White House is termed as being very “rocky”. She has achieved very little, and her every move is being…

Shifaan Ryklief shifaan.ryklief@africannewsagency.com Following a successful virtual meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, the week ahead could see further developments as the two nations aim to peacefully work together. Better communication and co- operation to avoid conflict were among the key points, with other issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong as well as the Indo-Pacific region being raised. Xi said as the world’s two largest economies and permanent members of the UN Security Council, each must run their own domestic affairs well and at the same time shoulder their share of international responsibility. On Thursday, Biden asked China as well as India and Japan to consider releasing crude stockpiles in a bid to lower global energy prices. Further abroad, the UN released a report which…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za There was a moment early in the second half at Twickenham on Saturday that proved once more that Springbok centre Damian de Allende is at the top of his game. Kwagga Smith burst up the middle into England’s half, and South Africa spread the ball wide through Handre Pollard and then Willie le Roux, who threw a wonderful skip pass in front of Lukhanyo Am into the path of De Allende. The Bok No 12 ran on to the ball from deep, and instead of putting his head down and trying to run into an opponent, De Allende first stepped inside and out to send England wing Jonny May into a twist, then got his hands through the tackle of scrumhalf Ben Youngs to deliver a sumptuous…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi heaped special praise on the Brazilians’ women’s team for their inaugural Caf Women’s Champions League title success. The team matched their men’s counterparts’ 2016 achievement when they beat Hasaacas Ladies FC from Ghana 2-0 in Cairo on Friday evening. Sundowns are now the only club in Africa to lift both the men’s and women’s Champions League titles. “We’re ecstatic because these ladies have done very well; they won the (league) championship last year without losing a match in South Africa. They did very well throughout the Cosafa (Championship). They have always been strong, so they deserve this and they worked very hard and they were very clinical,” Mngqithi said. “They did not get too many chances in that match, but they buried…

Manchester City moved back to second place in the Premier League after a stylish 3-0 win over Everton at the Etihad Stadium yesterday as Pep Guardiola’s side responded to convincing Chelsea and Liverpool wins with a reminder of their class. Champions City dominated possession from the start but created few chances in the first half-hour. Guardiola was left frustrated when a penalty was awarded after Raheem Sterling went down under a challenge from Michael Keane, but referee Stuart Attwell overturned his decision after reviewing the incident at the pitchside monitor. Sterling did put City ahead a minute before the break, side-footing home after a magnificent pass with the outside of his foot by fullback Joao Cancelo. Spanish midfielder Rodri made it 2-0 with a thundering strike from over 20 metres…