Índex per 2022-02-16 a Star

More than 94 percent voted in favour of the €2.2 billion (R37.7bn) takeover Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za DISTELL shareholders voted with a clear majority of more than 94 percent in favour of the €2.2 billion (R37.7bn) takeover by international brewing giant Heineken International, in what is likely to be the biggest foreign investment in South Africa this year. There had been grumbling among some shareholders about the low price of R180 per Distell share. For example, the large asset management firm Ninety One came out only a day before yesterday’s extraordinary general meeting to say they believed the bid to be unfair and too low. In the event, Distell shareholders holding more than 18 million shares voted against the deal. Remgro, which owns around 30 percent of Distell,…

WITH mild fiscal consolidation set to continue, this year’s National Budget has the potential to be very “boring”, a feature quite liked by markets and credit rating agencies. Under the stable hands of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, markets do not expect that this year’s Budget, on February 23, will reveal any need for the credit rating agencies to change the rating of South Africa (SA). Key will be the debt projections, and the assessment of debt-sustainability; and both the financial markets and the credit rating agencies will be looking closely to see if the fiscal consolidation trend in both the projected metrics and in recently improved fiscal metrics seeing the momentums maintained. Any significant increase in the borrowing requirement would most likely be negative for bond markets on SA’s already…

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za SPAR’S share price surged 5.1 percent in intra-day trade yesterday after the retailer saw robust trading for the 18 weeks to January 29, 2022, boosted by the lifting of liquor bans related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The shares later closed 3.7 percent higher at R176.80. The group increased sales by 5.8 percent to R45.5bn for the prior comparative period. Wholesale sales grew by 8.2 percent after the curbing of alcohol sales was relaxed. It said in a trading statement yesterday that nationwide Tops liquor stores’ sales had risen by 56 percent. After the lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions on liquor trading, Tops at Spar liquor business had subsequently seen incredible levels of growth in liquor sales, with an increase of 55.8…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE FAMILY of the slain King Edward VII School (KES) learner are disappointed that the 18-year-old teenager accused of allegedly fatally stabbing Hlompho “CJ” Nkateko Mbetse was granted bail of R3 000. Dante Kade Liang appeared on a formal bail application on Monday in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court, where the matter was remanded to yesterday. Liang is facing a murder charge over the fatal stabbing of Hlompho outside Madison Avenue, a nightclub in Sandton, two weeks ago. The 17-year-old was laid to rest in a sombre funeral ceremony on Sunday. Liang’s counsel, advocate Deon Pool, in the accused’s affidavit told the court that he faced a Schedule 5 offence; he has no previous convictions, no outstanding warrants for arrest, is a citizen. He turned 18 in…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za A NON-profit organisation based in Khayelitsha hosted a three-day men’s conference leading into Valentine’s Day, realising the fictional February 14 men’s conference that trends on social media at this time of the year. The organisation, known as Project Uluvo, facilitated sessions for men on gender-based violence, community safety and other issues men face. Uluvo project co-ordinator Eric Kweleta said: “The conference exceeded our expectations. Men from the community showed up for the conversations we were hosting and we ended up taking walk-ins we had not planned for. “At the moment, women and society see us as monsters based on the acts of men without honour, and our platform throughout this conference was to address that and structure men who are ready to take action against GBV and…

CHULUMANCO MAHAMBA chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE UNIVERSITY of Venda’s first woman chancellor, advocate Mojanku Gumbi, will be installed as the sixth chancellor of Univen on Friday. Her inauguration will coincide with the university’s 40th anniversary, celebrated under the theme of 40 years of academic excellence in the rural setting. Univen vice-chancellor and principal, Dr Bernard Nthambeleni, said it was an honour to have the first woman chancellor with the stature of Gumbi at the institution’s helm. “We look forward to her leadership and guidance in the years to come. Her involvement with the university will certainly stand us in good stead,” said Nthambeleni. “We believe this presence as the chancellor will positively contribute to the government’s programmes of action in addressing issues of critical skills development, rural development and poverty alleviation…

Lehlohonolo Mashigo lehlohonolo.mashigo@inl.co.za AMNESTY International has slammed pharmaceutical companies for failing to rise to the challenge of equal access to vaccines. It says companies have monopolised technology, blocked and lobbied against the sharing of intellectual property, charged high prices for vaccines and prioritised supplies to wealthy countries. Shenilla Mohamed, the executive director of Amnesty International SA, said more than 1.2 billion people in low and lower-middle income countries could have been vaccinated by the end of last year if high-income countries and vaccine makers took their human rights obligations and responsibilities to heart. “While high-income countries hoarded vaccines, callously choking supply to poorer parts of the world, pharma companies played a pivotal role in this unfolding human rights catastrophe – leaving those most in need to cope on their own.…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za NEW Zealand’s South Africa-born batting star Devon Conway has consulted his Black Caps teammate Neil Wagner about what it will be like to face the Proteas for the first time in the first Test starting at Hagley Oval in Christchurch tomorrow. Wagner, of course, was also born and raised in South Africa, before packing up and heading south to New Zealand like Conway did in 2017. The bustling left-arm paceman has already played six times against his birth country, and experienced all the emotions that go with it – the most heart-pulling being in the “opposing” team’s line-up when the national anthems are rendered. But Wagner had some sound advice for the 30-year-old left-hander from Gauteng. “I had a catch-up with him (Wagner) after the Bangladesh series…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa start their brief two-match Test series against New Zealand (midnight tonight) knowing they have the bowlers to win, but still unsure if the batters can provide substantial totals. Rassie van der Dussen made a strong argument in support of his Proteas batting compadres. It’s a point that goes back a few years to the era of Ottis Gibson coaching South Africa, when pitches for Tests in this country were weighted in favour of the Proteas’ strengths – the fast bowlers. With the exception of Kingsmead – where South Africa rarely play anyway – most of the main Test venues favour seam bowling. It was the case recently against India, and South Africa won again. For the batters, it’s become a case of “Do what you…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za MAMELODI Sundowns’ pursuit of another domestic trophy gained momentum on Monday night after they were drawn against ABC Motsepe league outfit Mathaithai FC at home in the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup later this month. The Brazilians have already won the first trophy of the season when they beat Cape Town City in the MTN8 final last year. Moreover, they have the inside lane in the Premiership title race as they lead second-placed Orlando Pirates by 18 points. But after progressing to the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup, they’ll be eager to collect all the trophies that are still up for grabs locally and on the continent. Their CAF Champions League group stage efforts also got off to a flyer as they beat Al Hilal…

FORMULA One approved a plan to hold three sprint races instead of six in 2022 at an F1 Commission meeting on Monday, the FIA said in a statement. The move will see the sprint format used at races in Imola’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and the Austrian and Brazilian Grands Prix, the FIA said. The sport was set to roll the format out across six events this season after having trialled it at three Grands Prix last year. But the plan met opposition from Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari, who wanted an increase in the cost cap to account for the increased number of sprint events. The plan for three sprint events was unanimously approved, the FIA said. It follows a compromise proposed by Formula One bosses, keeping the cost…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za THE US International Trade Commission (ITC) has ruled that there was a reasonable indication that South Africa and Brazil were “injuring the US market” with their exports of fresh lemons and juice concentrates − a sour outcome for the local citrus industry. This ruling, late on Monday, is a prelude to a protracted process of investigation likely to take months through which South Africa and Brazil will fill out already provided questionnaires and comply with the US authorities, leading to an adjustment in duties which could go in any direction. General manager of the South African Juice Association (Saja), Rudi Richards, confirmed that South Africa and Brazil had been sent questionnaires by the ITC, which was expected to take them until March to complete, and…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za NO SIGNIFICANT tax changes are expected in next week’s Budget Review, as the revenue overrun is forecast to be more than R200 billion higher than the original Budget estimate. PwC said yesterday that South Africa’s fiscus would continue benefiting from a high corporate income tax this year, buoyed by a long rally of elevated commodity prices. In his Medium-Term Budget last year, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana revised upwards the revenue for 2021/22 by R120bn to reach R1.485 trillion compared to R1.365trillion in February 2021. For the 2022/23 fiscal year, the Treasury estimated tax revenues at R1.527trillion, only 2.8 percent higher than the estimate for the 2021/22 year. PwC head of tax policy Kyle Mandy said yesterday that this revised estimate was still conservative in…

Sonri Naidoo sonri.naidoo@inl.co.za CHRIS Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital is urging the family members of deceased patients to assist in identifying their bodies before they are buried as paupers. Hospital spokesperson Nkosiyethu Mazibuko said the families of some of the patients who had died in the hospital did not to claim their bodies, even though the hospital records listed their home addresses. “It is sad to see one person die and get buried like a pauper. We have a list of people who need their families to help restore their dignities,” said Mazibuko. Mazibuko said that after a certain amount of time had passed without the families claiming the bodies, it became the state’s responsibility to organise a pauper’s burial. “Some of the deceased were picked up from the streets, and…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za RENOWNED singer-songwriter and poet Asanda “Msaki” Mvana is excited to grace fans with her captivating vocals as she is set to be part of the Bassline Live at The Lyric Theatre series at Johannesburg’s Gold Reef City on February 25. This year, the Bassline Live has promised to take the live experience a notch up with the first series of the show with the popular powerhouse Msaki, who will present her latest music offering Platinumb Heart. Msaki shared her enthusiasm with The Star ahead of the much-anticipated show. “I am excited to perform again at the Bassline Live at the Lyric Theatre. Our performance last May was one of my favourite shows of the year. It’s always great to work with the Bassline family. For this show,…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za MAMELODI Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi slammed the state of the refereeing in his team’s 1-1 Premiership draw with Baroka FC at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Monday night. Defending champions Sundowns looked to be coasting to yet another league victory after Lyle Lakay converted a free-kick, before Richard Mbulu scored with the last kick of the game to earn Baroka a share of the spoils. “Sometimes you see things you never thought you would see,” said Mngqithi. “Rushine (De Reuck) and the opposition player went for a header. Rushine got the yellow card and was out. They were not treated. Rushine had to stay out, while the opposition must be inside. “Next, Andile Jali was fouled with an elbow, and we were not given…

Smiso Msomi smiso.msomi@inl.co.za ROYAL AM grabbed their first victory over Sekhukhune United as Victor Letsoalo scored the only goal to secure a 1-0 victory at the Chatsworth Stadium last night. Thwihli Thwahla’s leading marksman notched up his 10th goal of the season with a well-placed finish in the 47th minute. A horrendous clearance by Sekhukhune’s defence presented Tebogo Potshane with a chance inside the box, and after composing himself, he found Letsoalo, who fired a snap shot into the bottom corner. One of the league’s most toxic rivalries took centre stage in perfect weather conditions in Durban. Seventh-placed Royal entertained Sekhukhune, who began the match a point behind the home team, in an encounter that promised fireworks, having been brewed down in the GladAfrica Championship. Headline signing Ricardo Nascimento made…

EDIN Dzeko will take to the San Siro pitch with old friend Mohamed Salah when Inter Milan take on Liverpool in the Champions League last 16 tonight, in a reminder of the havoc the pair used to cause together at Roma. After an anonymous time at Chelsea and signs of promise at Fiorentina, Salah’s career really started to take off after arriving in the Italian capital in 2015. Once firmly established as strike partners under Luciano Spalletti, Dzeko and Salah hit it off in a big way, scoring 58 goals in all competitions in 2016/17 and helping Roma to second in Serie A as an ageing Francesco Totti was shunted aside. Salah’s inconsistent but at times unstoppable performances earned him a move to Merseyside, where under Jurgen Klopp, he quickly…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s national women’s team will play their first Test match in eight years during the side’s tour to England later this year. The Proteas, currently in New Zealand completing the last few days of the lengthy isolation process ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup, will play a Test at Taunton in Somerset starting on June 27. The SA Women have only played 12 Test matches in their history, the last of which was against India in 2014 in Mysore. Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Lizelle Lee, Trisha Chetty and Mignon du Preez – who are all part of the current World Cup squad – played in that match, as did Dane van Niekerk, who is missing the tournament because of injury. Du Preez made a century…

INDIA’S batting coach played down concerns about the recent poor batting form of Virat Kohli, saying he was on the brink of scoring some “big runs”. Kohli, 33, last scored an international century in August 2019, and made eight, 18 and nought in India’s recent 3-0 whitewash of the West Indies in one-day internationals. The combative and sometimes controversial batsman, one of the best in the world, stepped down as India’s T20 captain last year, and was then sacked as ODI skipper. He then resigned the Test captaincy in January. “I don’t think he’s going through a lean phase,” batting coach Vikram Rathour said on Monday. “At least in this format, T20s and ODIs, he has done really well. “I understand he had a poor series against the West Indies…

The 2022 Academy Awards are shaping up to be an exciting show. Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall are in final negotiations to host the 2022 Oscars ceremony. As per Variety, the three comic forces are finalising details to host this year’s Academy Awards. The three stars appear to be the only emcees in the mix for the award ceremony, despite several scenarios that telecast creatives have been discussing. Producer Will Packer has been in meetings for weeks trying to find the right recipe for Hollywood’s biggest night. Scenarios that Packer had been toying with included a three-act structure, which would showcase a different pair of emcees every hour. A laundry list of top talent has met with Packer over the past weeks, including Mad Men star Jon Hamm,…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za NTUTHUKO Shoba has stuck to his version that his slain lover, Tshegofatso Pule, was picked up by a vehicle she organised herself the fateful night she was killed. This directly challenges the State’s version that Pule boarded the silver-grey Jeep believing it was an Uber taxi that Shoba had called for her. Muzikayise Malephane, the Soweto man who confessed to killing and hanging the eight months’ pregnant Pule, drove this Jeep. He testified on behalf of the State that Shoba had organised him to pick up Pule, and then he proceed to hang her to kill her. Malephane, a self-confessed gangster, said Shoba was due to pay him R70 000 for carrying out the “hit”. It emerged in court that he actually never received this money. Malephane…

Kennedy Mudzuli kennedy.mudzuli@inl.co.za After a two-year break caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Grace Bible Church held its 20th Annual Achievers Awards to honour and celebrate pupils who excelled in the 2021 matric exams. The event held at the church’s Soweto main base on Sunday, and streamed across other branches countrywide and on social media, was led by veteran broadcaster and Grace Bible Church minister Ike Phaahla. He opened the programme by sharing his story of how as a youngster, after believing that God was a rewarder of those who diligently follow Him, he duly received his first job as a broadcaster a week later. In paying tribute to the Class of 2021, he said some of the learners lost teachers, friends and family to the pandemic, but nonetheless persevered and…

Sonri Naidoo PUBLIC Safety MMC David Tembe yesterday presented acting Sergeant Tebogo Mailula, from the Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), with a bravery award for rescuing two children from the ledge of a building in Joburg over the weekend. Mailula, 33, was on patrol in the CBD when he noticed a crowd of people gathered outside a building on the junction of End and Lilian Ngoyi streets. Two little girls, aged two and five, were seen on the third level of the building, with a member of the public reaching out to them from a lower-floor ledge. He quickly entered the building and climbed through the window to reach the little girls and brought them to safety. “I am a father myself, and I knew that if the girls fell…

Dr Thabisi Hoeane | Pretoria PRINCE Mangosuthu Buthelezi often makes the point, as he did in a recent media interview, that he cannot be rubbed out of South Africa’s history, because of what he considers to be his sterling role in opposing apartheid. It is true that his role in history cannot be erased, but what is contestable is exactly what is its nature. There are many views on this and only history will judge. But there are many grounds why this subjective opinion of himself should be challenged. For one, he accurately notes that Oliver Tambo of the ANC and the former president of Zambia Kenneth Kaunda approved of his participation in the Bantustan system. Tambo, especially, thought – erroneously as it turned out – that given…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za ORLANDO Pirates winger Deon Hotto is confident they can close in on Premiership leaders and champions Mamelodi Sundowns, as long as there’s mutual belief that they have what it takes to churn out the needed results week in and week out. On Monday the Brazilians extended their lead at the top to 18 points over second-placed Pirates, who have two games in hand. Pirates were their own worst enemy early in the season, dropping points they shouldn’t have. The Buccaneers, though, finished the year on a high note, winning their last two games in the league. They took that momentum into the new year, beating AmaZulu FC in the Nedbank Cup and JS Saoura of Algeria in the CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday. But despite not bolstering…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@gmail.com BANYANA Banyana have hauled in their big guns from Europe to beef up the side for Friday’s all-important Africa Women Cup of Nations (Awcon) first-leg qualifier against Algeria at Orlando Stadium. After taking a 3-0 pasting at the hands of Zambia in a friendly last weekend, the confidence in Banyana’s ranks would have taken a knock. However, decorated internationals like Refiloe Jane of AC Milan in Italy, Thembi Kgatlana (Atletico Madrid, Spain) and Linda Motlhalo (Djurgardens IF, Sweden) have bolstered the ranks, along with a few other overseas-based players. As a result, Banyana will field a vastly different side on Friday, and coach Desiree Ellis feels not too much must be read into the Zambian result. “Friendlies are used to give new players a chance and, in…

NOVAK Djokovic is prepared to miss the French Open and Wimbledon Championships if Covid-19 vaccination becomes mandatory at the Grand Slam tournaments, but he is not against inoculation, the world No 1 said. Djokovic, who is unvaccinated, was barred from competing in this year’s Australian Open, depriving the 34-year-old Serbian of the chance to become the most successful men’s player of all time with 21 Grand Slam titles. He was instead deported from Australia after an 11-day rollercoaster experience involving two visa cancellations, two court challenges and five nights in two stints at an immigration detention hotel where asylum seekers are held. “I understand the consequences of my decision,” Djokovic told the BBC, adding that he was prepared not to travel to Australia due to his unvaccinated status. “I understand…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za THE two Western Cape teams enjoyed a hugely profitable day at St George’s Park yesterday, with both the Paarl Rocks and Western Province Blitz earning bonus-point victories in the Cricket South Africa T20 Challenge. This had a massive impact on the standings, with the unbeaten Province securing their place in the semi-finals by virtue of their 84-run victory over the North West Dragons. The Rocks, meanwhile, pole-vaulted up the log from sixth position into semi-final contention in third place with their 44-run despatching of the Lions. WP Blitz certainly issued a serious statement of intent in the afternoon game. Although the WP batters managed to post a competitive total of 164/8 – courtesy of a half-century from Jonathan Bird (53 off 44 balls) and some lower-order hitting…