Índex per 2022-02-14 a Star

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za THE elbowing out of taxi moguls Santaco as the preferred bidders for fledging airline Mango has raised more questions than answers, which some analysts have argued is a systematic elimination of competition for SAA, which has yet to confirm a collaboration. There are also questions surrounding the R820 million price tag for an airline that has no tangible assets. Business rescue practitioners (BRP) led by Sipho Sono informed Santaco that their bid for Mango was unsuccessful, in spite of the transport organisation being cash-flush. “The BRP of Mango evaluated all expressions of interest received in relation to the proposed transaction, in accordance with the evaluation criteria and principles set out in the Bid Process letter. “After careful consideration, we regret to inform you that Santaco Services…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE GOVERNMENT has given the business sector much-needed certainty of getting the economy going again by setting a final 1-month deadline for ending all restrictive Covid-19 regulations. This comes as President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a radical policy shift to put the private sector at the centre of economic recovery and enable business to thrive by cutting red tape. On Friday the Cabinet announced that it had approved the final extension of the National State of Disaster to March 15 as some of the key departments dealing with Covid-19 had not yet concluded their analyses. Ramaphosa already indicated in his State of the Nation address (Sona) on Thursday that the national disaster would end once measures to manage the Covid-19 response were in place. South Africa has seen…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za PLAYERS in the cannabis industry were misty-eyed at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s pronouncements on fast-tracking the growth and processing of the plant to make it a major job-creating sector in the economy. But the president said further engagement was necessary to tighten regulatory loose-ends and propel the sector on to the main-stage. In his State of the Nation address (Sona), Ramaphosa told the nation that hemp and cannabis production could create about 130 000 new jobs. He said that the government would review the policy and regulatory framework for a number of processes which would come as “sweet news” for the people of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. This for industrial hemp and cannabis to realise “huge” potential for investment and job creation. The president said these…

Itumeleng Mafisa A JOBURG father has opened a criminal case against a teacher at the John Mitchell combined school after the teacher repeatedly called her six-year-old daughter a monkey. The father, whose name is known to The Star, said he discovered in July last year that his daughter had been called a monkey during class time at the school. He said when his child complained he immediately called the teacher and asked her why she was calling his daughter a monkey. The teacher told the dad that it was “merely a joke”. The matter got to the principal’s office and the Gauteng Department of Education. The school later changed its tune and said the teacher was not joking but teaching the learners from a book that contained monkeys in it.…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za AN ENGEN Maths and Science School (EMSS) attendee and matric top achiever said her philosophy of not giving up until she’s done helped her bag nine distinctions in her matric exams. Masibambane College in Orange Farm alumnus Jubilee Tinomudaishe Dongo overcame the odds to notch up an impressive 96% for mathematics and 88% for science in her final exams, results that have secured her a place at Wits University to study actuarial science. The Engen Maths and Science School attendee said she believes that you “do not stop when you are tired, you stop when you are done”, a life philosophy that ensured the Lenasia South learner bagged nine distinctions in matric. Reflecting on her matric year, Jubilee said her and her classmates missed out on a…

Ebrahim Essa | Durban LABOUR inspectors are now very proudly going around, catching, warning and fining companies that are breaking the UIF rules. Employees are being forced to work extra hours without extra pay. Meantime, youth unemployment rate is now reaching almost 66%. It’s one thing to promulgate and enforce strict laws. It’s another thing to balance this with trying to find some job for everyone. This balance can never work, especially not with numerous factors stacked against us at present: Covid, which has caused so many businesses to shut down. The totally avoidable July unrest, which led to many businesses shutting down permanently. The stagnant pre- Covid economy – which was already the case world-wide. The corruption in this country that made just a handful of vultures in government…

Mojtaba Sadegh, John Abatzoglou and Mohammad Reza Alizadeh Spend time in a developing country during a heatwave, and it quickly becomes clear why poorer nations face some of the greatest risks from climate change. Most homes don’t have air conditioning, and even health clinics can get overheated. These countries tend to be in the hottest parts of the world, and their risk of dangerous heat waves is rising as the planet warms. In a new study, our team of climate scientists, economists and engineers found that the poorest parts of the world are likely to be two to five times more exposed to heat waves than richer countries by the 2060s. By the end of the century, the lowest-income quarter of the global population’s heat exposure will almost match that…

The EU and the Gates Foundation are set to announce a package of financial support for the nascent efforts to set up an African medicines regulator in a bid to boost the continent’s drugs and vaccine production, a person familiar with the matter said. The treaty establishing the African Medicines Agency (Ama) came into force in November but the agency currently exists only on paper. Decisions over who will lead the agency and where it’s headquarters will be are scheduled for this year. Financial and technical support to the new agency is seen as crucial to help it begin operations. This in turn would be a boost for the continent’s vaccine and drugs industry, which needs a trusted regulator to flourish. The European Commission, France, Germany, Belgium, and the Gates…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@africannewsagency.com Banyana Banyana were given a wake-up call by Zambia’s Copper Queens, who ran out 3-0 winners in a friendly match at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka on Saturday. All the goals were scored in the first half after an inspiring performance by Zambia captain Barbra Banda, who was playing for the national women’s team for the first time since her exceptional performance at last year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. Both teams used the match to prepare for the upcoming Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (Awcon) two-leg qualifiers. Zambia play Namibia at home on Wednesday, and South Africa host Algeria on Friday in Johannesburg. Banda opened the scoring in the sixth minute and added another just before the half-time break. In between, striker Avell Chitundu scored a goal just…

Tawanda Karombo THUNGELA Resources shares leapt 11.8 percent to close at R120 on Friday after an impressive trading update that reflected “blow-out earnings” for the full year to the end of December. Formerly owned by Anglo American under its thermal coal business unit, Thungela was a top performer on the JSE on Friday, scaling to its highest share price. This came as investors cheered the group’s earnings, with market watchers saying its valuation has shot up to more than $1 billion (R15.2bn) from an initial valuation of $253 million when it was bundled off Anglo American last year. The company advised shareholders via a trading update that per share earnings for the year period to December 31, 2021 are expected to be between R60.32 and R61.27. This…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za THE take-over battle for Royal Bafokeng Patinum (RBPlat) gathered momentum on Friday, after the board’s approval of Impala Platinum Holdings’s bid. RBPlat’s independent board on Friday advised their shareholders to accept a mandatory more than R40 billion offer from Impala, after Impala announced in December that it had already acquired 35.2 percent of RBPlat. But a Takeover Regulation Panel (TRP) probe and other negotiations following a R17bn bid by Northam Platinum Holdings to acquire just over a third of RBPlat, might still see RBPlat shareholders need to decide between two mandatory offers. Implat’s announced in November that it wished to acquire all of RBPlat’s shares. Its mandatory offer is pitched at 0.22 Implats shares for every RBPlat share held. RBPlat on Friday issued an offeree response circular…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE DEMOCRATIC Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) in Gauteng has warned the public of a scam seeking donations for the dead Tembisa Hospital nurse Lebogang Monene. A poster has been making the rounds on social media purporting to seek both monetary and material donations for the family of the Tem- bisa Hospital-enrolled nursing assistant, Monene, who was fatally shot last week. “We humbly request a monetary donation or non-perishable goods to be donated to the family to help the family to cover day to day costs,” the poster said. The poster also had the banking details of a “Mr MN Monene” and the contact details of an alleged family spokesperson. Monene, 30, was called to the hospital parking lot by her 30-year-old former partner, a police officer,…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za JUSTICE Minister Ronald Lamola has thrown his weight behind an aplication to the Constitutional Court intended to decriminalise the possession and use of dagga by children. The Centre for Child Law (CCL), a law clinic based at the University of Pretoria, wants the apex court to declare the Drug Trafficking Act, as it is applied to children, unconstitutional. Lamola details in court papers that he does not oppose the centre’s application brought to convince the apex court to confirm an order of invalidity granted by the South Gauteng High Court, Joburg, in 2020. In this 2020 judgment, Judge Ingrid Opperman said the arrest of children for possession of dagga should stop on grounds of the landmark 2018 Constitutional Court judgment. Said Lamola: “In appreciation of both the…

IT IS worth celebrating the fact that the leadership at Wits, led by its SRC president Cebolenkosi Khumalo, has changed its approach of fighting academic/financial exclusion this year by not applying a confrontational method that would probably cause property damage or loss of lives. By walking from Wits’ Great Hall to Pretoria’s Union Building, Khumalo raised about R12 million which is said will benefit more than 2 000 students unable to settle their outstanding fees and unable to pay their registration fees for the 2022 academic year. Dr Mlungisi Cele, of the National Advisory Council on Innovation, says about 25% of students leave higher education institutions an- nually because they are excluded on financial grounds. Khumalo took the peaceful approach as a way of paying tribute to Mthokozisi Ntumba who…

IJ Saks | Tableview THE continuing situation of load shedding will cripple the economy of the country, which is already on its knees. We cannot afford this to carry on and it is about time that Eskom was privatised and fixed up once and for all. The ANC government are pulling the wool over our eyes as Eskom is on the brink of collapse, according to Ted Blom, and are also bankrupt. So we need to put them out of their misery and let qualified technicians and capable managers be brought in to save us, as we cannot carry on like this. We are getting closer and closer to a failed state and Pravin Gordhan should be held responsible for all our power woes as he is the…

Ukraine told its citizens at the weekend to keep calm and avoid panicking in the face of mounting worries that Russia is preparing to invade its neighbour. The appeal came after the US, a host of European countries, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait urged their citizens to leave Ukraine because of the growing danger of an offensive by Russian forces encircling the former Soviet state. Several thousand Ukrainians rallied in Kyiv on Saturday to show unity amid fears of a Russian invasion, as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelen- skiy pushed back against what he called excessive amounts of information about a major looming war. “At the moment, it is critically important to remain calm, to consolidate inside the country, to avoid destabilising actions and those that sow panic,” the Ukrainian…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za MAMELODI Sundowns might be cruising in the inside lane to the Premiership title, but that does not mean that there are matches they are willing to yield to their opposition. Tonight’s clash at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium, where they will endeavour to outclass Baroka FC, is one of those encounters. After a long break due to the Africa Cup of Nations, the second half of the Premiership campaign will begin in earnest this week. Sundowns will be playing their second league game of the year after beating Chippa United 2-0 a week ago. That was one of the Brazilians’ three games in the space of a week after beating Richards Bay and Al Hilal in the Nedbank Cup last 32 and CAF Champions League away in…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s ongoing electricity supply challenges could ease slightly as the government’s proposed amendments to the energy policy strip Eskom of its dominant position in the market. The Cabinet on Friday approved the publication of the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill aimed to broaden the national regulatory framework for the electricity supply industry. The bill is envisaged to align the country with the international best practice in energy by enabling the trading and reselling of electricity among private players. This will relieve Eskom of the burden of being the only electricity supplier and take away its monopoly in this crucial industry to economic growth. The regulations also make provisions for the functions of a transmission system operator, and for a licensing framework for power generation, transmission, distribution and…

n Change in tune angers alliance partners Siphokazi Vuso and Mashudu Sadike ANC ALLIANCE partners Cosatu and the SACP have slammed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s change in tune, saying his assertions that the government does not create jobs – as this was a primary responsibility of the private sector – was an admission of defeat. In his State of the Nation address (Sona) on Thursday, Ramaphosa appeared to have abandoned the plans in the ANC manifesto ahead of the November local government elections, when he said the key task of the government was to create the conditions that would enable the private sector – both big and small – to emerge, to grow, to access new markets, to create new products, and to hire more employees. “We all know that…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za DETERMINATION and passion have led to the singer-songwriter and vocal powerhouse Rutendo “Frya” Maregere becoming well-known for her music aptitudes. The Zimbabwe-born star began her career by doing music covers for fun not knowing that her music would dominate South African shows. Among the many shows that she has been featured in, the most special one for the music sensation is Netflix’s Blood And Water, where she exhibits her music skills and versatility. Maregere came to South Africa to further her studies in finance but later decided to take a leap of faith and do what she was passionate about. The Star had a conversation with Frya about her latest album Balance and the reason behind it. Frya said the main driver of the album was her…

JOHN Whitlock | Germiston HOW long is the South African taxpayer going to help prop up Cuba’s dwindling economy, and now their food shortage, just to repay an ANC debt that has been buried in history? Why has South Africa become an employment agency for Cuba? Over the last decade South Africa has spent R1.4 billion propping up Cuba. We employ Cuban doctors, teachers, engineers, mechanics and “advisers”, paying them millions for their alleged skills while neglecting our own professionals. We rarely see any results from these Cubans. It also sends a negative message to young, jobless South Africans. We have medical students studying in Cuba for which the government doles out approximately R2 136 000 per doctor over six years. In South Africa it would cost R900…

Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah has promised to draft a new election law to solve the political crisis in the North African country. After surviving an alleged assassination attempt on Thursday, al-Dbeibah told Libya Al Ahrar TV that a bill would be presented to the House of Representatives, then transferred to the presidential council for ratifying. Libya was meant to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in December, but arguments between factions and bodies of state over how they should take place meant the process collapsed days before the polls. Nearly 3 million Libyans signed up to vote in the December election, and the political jostling and delays that have followed have infuriated many. Dbeibah said his government would remain in office until the general elections were held, and he would…