Índex per 2022-01-04 a Star

Shingai Darangwa shingai.darangwa@inl.co.za Blxckie’s incredible two year run started under unusual circumstances when, during the initial 21 day lockdown in 2020, he found himself stuck in Johannesburg . Cooped up with a few musician friends with nothing to do but make music, the Durbanite and his friends proceeded to release new music almost on a daily basis during an inspired couple of weeks. “It gave me the time I needed to really zone in on making music,” he told Breakroom Africa’s Jade Kelly last year. “And it’s what finally pushed me to abandon everything else and just really do it. I spent those three weeks with Lucasraps, 808Sallie, Shouldyuang, and Yungseruno and we really just dropped music on Soundcloud every day. It was like a little experiment and people went…

Thobeka Ngema thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za Police are looking for the driver who drifted his vehicle along the shoreline of a Richards Bay beach over New Year’s weekend. Only the top half of a Rover could be seen sticking out of the water off a Richards Bay beach after the driver ‘showboated’ in front of beachgoers. Two videos of the incident, which apparently took place on New Year’s Day, have gone viral on social media – one of the driver showboating and the other of the semi-submerged vehicle. There are other videos and images of the semi-submerged vehicle and recovery by tow trucks. uMhlathuze Municipality spokesperson Mdu Ncalane said on the day of the incident, the municipality’s traffic officers were working at the entrance and exit points of the beach. Ncalane said besides…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za WHILE the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy is set to make an announcement on the fuel price this week, economists expect a decrease of around 70 cents a litre in the price of petrol. Tax economist Professor Dilip Garach said he expected a decrease of 75 cents a litre in petrol but added that it was sad that such a price decrease was unlikely to be passed on to the consumer. “The corporates push up prices of their commodities when the price of fuel goes up blaming the increase in prices on higher transport costs but when the price of fuel comes down, commodity prices on the shelf don’t come down. “This is a serious flaw in the monthly fuel-pricing model adopted by the government.” Professor…

Itumeleng Mafisa Political analyst Lesiba Teffo says he believes there was an intentional plan to destabilise the country. And African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) leader Kenneth Meshoe says the flames that engulfed Parliament on Monday was as a result of ANC problems. Meshoe said he could not understand how President Cyril Ramaphosa was not aware that there was a threat to Parliament despite him having taken state security into his office after the “attempted insurrection” in July last year. Meshoe said he believed the attack on Parliament was an inside job and that the man arrested in connection with the fire was at the bottom of the hierarchy of those responsible for the arson attack. He questioned whether Ramaphosa was surrounded by the right people in his security team. He…

Veggie-packed Vietnamese rice paper rolls are refreshing and make an ideal snack or light dinner in summer. Ingredients For the rice paper wrappers: 12 rice paper wrappers 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced ½ cucumber, julienned 2 carrots, peeled and julienned 125ml (½ cup) red cabbage, shredded 125ml (½ cup) baby spinach 125g mange tout, thinly sliced 1 nectarine, julienned 5-6 strawberries, thinly sliced Handful blueberries Peanuts (optional) Edible flowers For the satay dipping sauce: 250ml (1 cup) coconut milk 80ml (1/3 cup) peanut butter 30 ml (2 tbs) soy sauce 15 ml (1 tbs) brown sugar 5ml (1 tsp) fish sauce 5ml (1 tsp) sesame oil 1 clove of garlic, finely crushed 1 cm fresh ginger, finely grated Sesame seeds, toasted Method For the rice paper wrappers: Soak…

Harvest Thwala harvest.thwala@inl.co.za The Department of Basic Education (DBE) claims it has found all the matric exams scripts that were allegedly lost in one of the marking centres that was hit by a tornado in the Free State. But education activist Hendrick Makeneta argues otherwise. In a statement, he called on the department to always be transparent with the public, especially on matters concerning the public education system. “The key question that must be answered by the minister is how many scripts have been lost and what will the department do to ensure that the affected learners do not forfeit their marks. “After all, it is not the fault of learners. We owe it to the public to always be transparent, especially with matters of our public education system, which…

ISRAEL yesterday began offering anyone over 60 the chance to get a fourth shot of a coronavirus vaccine, greatly expanding a double-booster effort that previously included just older residents with compromised immune systems and some health-care workers. The initiative puts Israel at the forefront of aggressive vaccination strategies as the omicron variant drives up infection rates around the world. When officials launched the limited second-booster programme last week, they said they were waiting for more data before making it more widely available. But within days, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the additional booster shot would be available to anyone 60 or older whose last dose was at least four months ago. “Omicron is not delta,” Bennett said at a news conference late on Sunday. “It’s a different ballgame altogether.” Expanding…

France’s nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb won the second stage of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia yesterday, a 338km race from Ha’il to Qaisumah. The 47-year-old was three minutes and 28 seconds faster than Qatar’s three-time Dakar victor Nasser al-Attiyah. Loeb remained in second spot overall after his 15th career stage win, but having reduced the overall gap between himself and Al-Attiyah to just over nine minutes. “It was a real match,” said Loeb. “At the end it became a World Rally Championship (WRC) special (stage) between two WRC drivers. “I managed to claw back the difference little by little, without doubt because he (Al-Attiyah) had cleared the track. “It’s easier when you are behind, so if I follow him, then I can follow easily; if he follows…

Break does Leeds good Chelsea and Liverpool will be ruing their 2-2 Premier League draw on Sunday night which left them 10 and 11 points behind leaders Manchester City respectively, albeit with the Reds having played one game less. Liverpool failed to hang on to an early 2-0 lead, while the Londoners had enough chances to claim a comeback win. But both sides can draw lessons from the pulsating encounter. Liverpool must find a way to compensate for the loss of their scorers on Sunday, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, who are now due to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations. Chelsea will be keen to defuse the situation with Romelu Lukaku, who was dropped after criticising manager Thomas Tuchel’s tactics. Lukaku’s replacement Kai Havertz failed again to make…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za HOURS after firefighters contained the fire in sections of Parliament, there was a flare-up of flames on the roof of the National Assembly just after 5pm yesterday. The number of firefighters at the scene was reinforced following the sudden re-emergence of the fire. They had earlier attended to hot spots on the fourth floor of the extensively damaged National Assembly, which was still smouldering. Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said the presiding officers of Parliament had noted with distress yet another flare-up of flames on the roof of the National Assembly building. “The resurgence of the fire follows earlier information from firefighters regarding the risky high temperature levels at the gutted buildings,” he said. The flare-up came moments after a media briefing where it was announced that a…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za | Political Bureau THE urgent court bid to stop Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo from handing over the first of the three-state capture inquiry reports to President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to resume today. This comes after the South Gauteng High Court yesterday postponed the urgent application by Democracy in Action (DIA) which seeks to stop the chairperson of the commission of inquiry into state capture, Justice Zondo, from handing over the first batch of the report to Ramaphosa. DIA attorney Bonginkosi Mndiyata told Independent Media that the matter was adjourned to allow the commission, which is cited as the first respondent, and the third respondent, Ramaphosa, to file their opposing papers. Mndiyata said the commission and Ramaphosa were the only parties who indicated that they…

Thobani Dlamini Thobani.Dlamini@inl.co.za The Department of Basic Education has indicated that there will be no operational changes to the education scheduling systems in schools for the 2022 academic year. Speaking to The Star’s sister paper, the Daily News, spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said schools would resume their plans as stipulated in the department’s response to Covid-19. “Schools will remain under the cautionary use of alternating days for students in different grades, which is a system introduced last year in response to the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic. “Schools will commence operations under the new norm. An announcement will be made if changes take place,” said Mhlanga. The department said that despite the pandemic having been part of the lives of South Africans in the education sector for just under two…

KRISTIN ENGEL kristin.engel@inl.co.za SEVENTY compromised and orphaned African penguins have been released back to their home on Dyer Island to stabilise the declining population. Their return comes as the avian flu outbreak has ravaged seabird populations in the Western Cape. The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) facilitated the release. Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) spokesperson Zolile Nqayi said African penguin numbers were drastically declining and if the current trajectory continued they could be extinct in 15 years. Nqayi said this decline was the result of a number of stressors, including the lack of available food, predation, climate change, disease, disturbance, shipping vessel activity, competition with other predators for food, as well as the availability and quality of breeding habitat, which may have had individual, combined and cumulative…

THE late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu warned a number of people. To the ANC of those times he clearly expressed his stance against corruption. Result thus far: greedy hands have multiplied exponentially as the coffers of this country continue to be looted by the old and the new people in power. Fearlessly, he chided past president Thabo Mbeki for the president's “non-medical” diagnosis that there was no link between HIV and Aids.(“How can a virus cause a syndrome?”). This stance sent tens of thousands to a totally unnecessary premature death, who were denied the medication because they did not meet the minimum “CD” index. Tutu took Zuma to task for denying the Dalai Lama a visa to visit South Africa. The archbishop was euphoric at the release of Nelson Mandela…

World-renowned Kenyan conservationist Richard Leakey, whose work contributed to the recognition of Africa as the birthplace of humankind, has died at the age of 77. Leakey, a National Geographic explorer who also spearheaded campaigns to stop poaching in Kenya by famously burning the country’s stockpile of poached ivory, served in various positions in the Kenyan government, including the National Museums of Kenya, the Kenya Wildlife Service and as head of the civil service, according to BBC News Africa. According to the American monthly magazine National Geographic, in 1994 Leakey won the Hubbard Medal, the National Geographic Society’s highest honour, for protecting the Earth’s wildlife and illuminating the origins of humanity. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta paid tribute to Leakey yesterday, saying that the globally renowned Kenyan paleoanthropologist and conservationist had served…

English football treasures the packed programme of action over the festive season and despite the disruption of Covid-19 and the complaints of some managers, it again delivered in spades. As so often, the intense spell of games not only provided fans with the chance to get out of the house and leave the leftovers in the fridge but led to real clarity in the title race. Chelsea and Liverpool produced a Premier League classic on Sunday with an enthralling 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, but that only helped Manchester City, who now have a 10-point lead at the top of the table. City controversially beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates on Saturday, the winning goal coming in the final seconds from midfielder Rodri. In many ways, those two games encapsulated…

Hank Stuever Oh, BETTY! Dear Betty, sweet Betty, saucy Betty. We always knew the day was coming, but you were so good at helping us pretend it would never get here. Betty White, who was found dead last Friday at age 99 in her Brentwood, California home, did not, as the obituaries are factually obligated to tell us, leave behind any children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren or great-great-grandchildren. But come on now. Betty White is survived by, to begin with, all the thousands of hilarious women in comedy and TV who find new ways to define their craft every day: the Tina Feys, the Amy Poehlers, the Julia Louis-Dreyfuses, the Cecily Strongs, the Sarah Silvermans, the Issa Raes, the Kaley Cuocos, the Mindy Kalings, the Ilana Glazers. She is also survived by…

Lehlohonolo Mashigo lehlohonolo.mashigo@inl.co.za THE AA says human error cannot be the foremost reason for deaths on our roads, as suggested by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula. Giving the preliminary festive season road statistics at the end of last month, Mbalula said some motorists did not value life. “Human factor remains the main causal factor for most of the crashes during that period,” he said. The association’s spokesperson, Layton Beard, told The Star that road fatalities have been a concern for a number of years in the country. “When we look at the figures over the last couple of years, we haven’t seen a significant drop in the number of road deaths at all. It certainly is a huge cause of concern for us,” he said. He said there needs to be…

Warning of possible crossfire between SANDF members and Zim military over inducements Sonri Naidoo THE SA National Defence Force (SANDF) officials have warned Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi about a possible crossfire between members of the defence force and the Zimbabwean military at the Beitbridge border. The SANDF’s Lieutenant-Colonel Mthenjwa Tshabalala told Motsoaledi that some members of the Zimbabwean military were accepting bribes from undocumented nationals who attempted to pass through the border. “Discussions with officials from Zimbabwe about the bribes have been ongoing and the response we get is that they’re monitoring the situation, but nothing gets done. In our meetings with Zimbabwean officials they tend to walk out,” said Tshabalala. He said a man-made bridge was created by these officials, and Zimbabwean nationals receive commodities such as…

Ingredients Olive oil 1 onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic 2 cups diced mushrooms – a mix of shiitake and button mushrooms 1 tsp thyme Salt and pepper 2 tbs flour ½ cup unsweetened soya milk Puff pastry Dash soya milk to brush Method Heat the oven to 180ºC and oil a cast- iron pan or oven-safe dish. In a pan, fry the onions and garlic until translucent. Add the mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper and keep frying. Turn the heat down and stir in the flour and then the milk, and allow it to thicken. Set aside and let it cool. Lay out the puff pastry and spread some mushroom mix in the centre, then place the cauliflower upside down on the mushroom mix and pack the rest…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za Second Test, Day 1 @ The Wanderers India 202 (Rahul 50, Ashwin 46; Jansen 17-5-31-4, Olivier 17-1-64-3, Rabada 17.1-2-64-3) South Africa 35/1 (Elgar 11*, Petersen 14*; Shami 6-2-15-1) While delighted to have restricted India to 202 in their first innings yesterday, Duanne Olivier felt the tourists got a few more runs than they should have on the opening day of the second Test at the Wanderers. South Africa’s bowlers produced a much-improved display to the one on the first day in Centurion last week, when India finished just three wickets down at stumps. On this occasion, the visitors were three down at lunch, with Olivier picking up wickets off consecutive deliveries 10 minutes before the interval. At stumps, South Africa were on 35/1, with the goal…

Veteran Roberto Bautista Agut upset world No 8 Casper Ruud yesterday to give Spain their second successive win at the ATP Cup, a record matched by Hubert Hurkacz’s Poland. The 33-year-old Bautista Agut is the lead singles player for his country in the absence of 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and has stepped up in style. After crushing Chile’s world No 17 Cristian Garin in Sydney on Saturday, he backed it up with a battling 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Ruud, the first Norwegian to win an ATP Tour title. “I played very good with very few unforced errors,” said 19th-ranked Bautista Agut. “It’s a good start (to the season) and I’m feeling good.” It ensured Spain won the tie with an unassailable 2-0 ahead of a dead doubles…