Índex per 2022-04-01 a Star

FINANCIALLY-constrained consumers will continue paying higher prices for goods for a little longer as producer prices at the factory gate quickened more than expected in February due to geopolitical tension. Data from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) yesterday showed that annual headline producer price inflation (PPI) accelerated by 10.5 percent in February from a year before. This PPI reading was above market expectations of a 10 percent rise, and was the highest since the 10.8 percent increase experienced in December. Stats SA said the increase in producer prices was driven by elevated prices of coke, petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products which rose by 22.6 percent year-on-year, with petrol and diesel prices up more than 30 percent on an annual basis. This primarily reflected the…

THE GOVERNMENT will sell millions of barrels of strategic crude oil reserves to the market in a bid to recoup the R6 billion tax revenue it sacrificed to mitigate rising fuel prices. This sale of strategic oil reserves is the first since the government controversially sold 10 million barrels of oil reserves to private companies at heavily discounted prices between December 2015 and January 2016. The government yesterday announced a temporary reduction in the fuel price to help struggling motorists amid another expected record hike in April. This comes as the escalation in global oil prices due to the global economic recovery and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has placed significant pressure on domestic fuel prices. The latest data from the Central Energy Fund shows South Africa…

THE PRICE of 33 out of a basket of 44 basic foods increased by 10.6 percent year-on-year in March, according to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group (PMBEJD), which monitors the prices of foods typically bought by lower income families. PMBEJD programme co-ordinator Mervyn Abrahams said the most significant increases were for cake flour, cooking oil, eggs, tea, and bread and also included maize meal, rice and white sugar. The average increase is almost double the inflation rate of 5.7 percent. The March 2022 Household Affordability Index, which tracks food price data from 44 supermarkets and 30 butcheries in lower income areas of Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg and Springbok in the Northern Cape, showed that the Johannesburg basket increased by R86.64 (2 percent) from February,…

JUDGES have cried foul that the “erosion” of their salaries as a result of below-inflation and no increments over the past five years is unconstitutional. The Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers has detailed the judges’ position in its memorandum that proposes 3% increases to the salaries of the state’s highest earners. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s gross pay should increase by R89 695 annually to just over R3 million, the commission chaired by North West Judge President Monica Leeuw proposed. Deputy President David Mabuza’s salary should rise to just over R2.9m, while R72 000 should be added to the ministers’ current R2.4m. Members of Parliament (MPs) were also up for the 3% proposed increase. The Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and the Chairperson of National Council…

ABANDONED IN DEATH JD Robb Loot.co.za (R210) PIATKUS HOMICIDE detective Eve Dallas must untangle a twisted family history while a hostage’s life hangs in the balance. A woman’s body was found in the early morning, on a bench in a New York City playground. She was clean, her hair neatly arranged, her make-up carefully applied. But other things were very wrong – like the tattoo and piercings, clearly new. The clothes, decades out of date. The fatal wound hidden beneath a ribbon around her neck. And the note: Bad Mommy, written in crayon as if by a child. Eve Dallas turns to the department’s top profiler, who confirms what seems obvious to Eve: They’re dealing with a killer whose childhood involved some sort of trauma – a situation Eve is…

Moonshot: Inside Pfizer’s Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible Albert Bourla Loot.co.za (R381) HARPER AS A genre, vaccine development memoirs are a bit niche. But, given how important vaccines are to us all, and not only against Covid but also many other diseases, we could stand to know a lot more about how these lifesaving products come into being and how they can be developed so quickly. Albert Bourla, the chief executive of Pfizer, is ideally placed to provide such insight, and the subtitle to his book, Moonshot – Inside Pfizer’s Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible - sets up expectations of a breathless page-turner. But the skill set that makes for a successful chief executive of an international pharmaceutical company does not necessarily produce sparkling prose, and…

THE ANC does not care about the country it governs. In the period that it has been in power the quality of lives of people of colour has not improved. Instead, poverty is thriving as food, electricity and fuel prices keep rising. A lot of people often express their disdain for the ANC. People do not have hope for this country and believe that it will remain in power forever. They don’t believe in voting or look forward to the 2024 elections because “it won’t make a difference”. The ANC is still in power is because of the multi-party voting system. When there are over 30 parties seeking power, people’s votes are likely to be dispersed and a majority of the votes end up going to the ANC. |…

WHEN the Taliban rode into Kabul seven months ago, you could have been forgiven for thinking they were the liberators of Afghanistan. Sadly they were not. As it often happens in a violent regime change, one oppressor replaces another. Known as the jihadists, they are ultra conservative, steeped in fundamental Islam and male chauvinism. For as soon as they had taken over the country, they stamped their authority on the people with military rule and a strict code of conservative religious conduct. Sharia law was imposed and women’s freedom was curtailed. Besides teachers, nurses and doctors women are barred from doing most jobs outside their homes. Even if they travel they have to be accompanied by a male. But it was the girls who suffered the most under the oppressive…

DURING the first 10 years of his rule, Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan worked hard to develop the economy and introduce social reforms in the field of health, turning Turkey into an important player in the region. He also developed a Turkish democracy in many ways emphasising the rights of minorities, especially Kurds and senior generals who had been detained as a result of coup allegations. Erdogan’s Turkey is however a far cry from what it once was and has instead become a hub of human rights violations and lawlessness since 2011. Amnesty secretary-general Agnes Callamard and Amnesty’s research and advocacy director Netsanet Belay said on Monday that the judiciary system is non-functional in Turkey and government servants, opposition, journalists, women and students face oppression from the government. Erdogan is taking…

A Turkish prosecutor asked an Istanbul court to dismiss a case into the murder of Riyadh critic Jamal Khashoggi and transfer it to Saudi Arabia. Turkey is seeking better relations with Saudi Arabia, which worsened after the 2018 killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The prosecutor said yesterday that court orders could not be executed as suspects were foreign nationals. Turkey had launched its own probe into the murder and put 26 Saudis on trial, including two close to the crown prince. | AFP…

Israeli security forces yesterday raided a West Bank city after three fatal attacks rocked the Jewish state in just more than a week, with two Palestinians shot dead and a third killed after launching a stabbing attack on a bus. The violence comes after a Palestinian armed with an M-16 assault rifle killed five Israeli civilians in the streets of Bnei Brak, an Orthodox Jewish city near Tel Aviv, on Tuesday night. That shooting took to 11 the number of people slain in attacks carried out since March 22 by Israeli Arabs and Palestinians, including two killings linked to the Islamic State group. The latest bloodshed erupted in the West Bank city of Jenin yesterday when Israeli soldiers mounting an operation to arrest suspects linked to the Bnei Brak attack…

THE dream is over. The Proteas have been knocked out of the Women’s World Cup. Their objective of becoming the first South African team to reach a World Cup final lay in tatters on the Hagley Oval outfield yesterday. It will instead be traditional rivals England, who trounced South Africa by 137 runs in this second semi-final, and Australia that will once again contest the showpiece on Sunday. The major disappointment for the Proteas will be that they comfortably kept their worst performance of the tournament for the knockout stages. “Obviously it's a very sad changing room, different to all of our games that we've been playing," said captain Sune Luus. “It's going to be a hard pill to swallow this one, especially just in the way we lost. I…

FINALLY, after weeks and months of whining and moaning about the the allocation of fans to rugby stadiums, in particular, government has allowed 50% capacity; and after the first weekend of those new regulations, it was all rather underwhelming. This, of course, resulted in something of a debate as to why rugby fans across the country snubbed their sides this past weekend to rather stay at home, or go about their own business not related to the Bulls, Lions, Stormers and Sharks. As the argument goes, there is a deep underlying problem regarding a general apathy of supporters towards the game. Is it because the ticket prices are too high; or there is just not enough on offer at the venues to stimulate a day out to one of them;…

SAFARI Investments RSA, the JSE-listed real estate investment trust (Reit) with a portfolio of premium retail assets in semi-urban areas, said yesterday that it had performed in line with guidance for the period up to February 28. The company, which owns seven retail centres and a day hospital in SA, and a mixed use development in Namibia, said yesterday in a pre-close operational update for the year to end-March 31, the strategy to focus on food-anchored convenience shopping centres in mainly semi-urban areas had proven to be a key factor in the defensive nature of its portfolio. “Improvements were evident in all key trading metrics of the portfolio. In particular increased tenant turnover and trading densities are encouraging and bear testament to the resilience and dominance of Safari’s centres.” Tenant…

WORKFORCE, the JSE-listed labour services group that provides staffing, outsourcing, and training services to companies, has opted not to declare a dividend for 2021 due to the weak economic circumstances. The company said at the release of results for the year to December 31, 2022, that it was concerned about the potential effects of the war in Ukraine on the global economy. “The Russian invasion of Ukraine is likely to strike a devastating blow to global growth if the war is permitted to escalate and if no negotiated settlement is reached soon. “Although it is too early to tell with any certainty what impact this will have on Workforce, the following could potentially be impacted: the fuel price, and this will negatively impact industries and businesses downstream. “There are certain…

Learners in Gauteng on Wednesday held a memorial service for the two boys from Hoërskool Birchleigh who drowned while on a beach trip on Sunday. According to the Department of Education, Kamsi Ezeugo and Malatswa Kgasago were on a school trip in Durban from March 24, where learners were participating in a rugby tournament and were scheduled to return yesterday. Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said the learners had gone down Durban’s North beach when the incident took place. “Some were assisted to the shore by lifeguards after they experienced troubles while swimming. “When staff conducted a headcount, they found that two learners were missing,” he said. Lesufi said all the learners were accompanied back to their accommodation while the teachers searched the vicinity, looking for the two missing…

THE UNFORGIVEN Liz McGregor Loot.co.za (R185) JONATHAN BALL A SEARING, intimate memoir tracing the author’s attempt to find out the truth about her father’s murder. Robin McGregor, an older man living in a small town outside Cape Town, is brutally murdered in his home. Cecil Thomas is convicted of the crime, but his trial leaves more questions than answers. His daughter, Liz, tries to move beyond her grief but she still wants answers. What drove Thomas to torture and kill a complete stranger? The author meets the murderer’s family and discovers that he comes from a loving, comfortable home. He is educated and skilled – there is no apparent reason for his descent into delinquency. After protracted obstruction from the prison authorities, she finally gets to confront him but not…

In view of the numerous incidents of failure of air safety in our airspace, it becomes imperative for the SA Civil Aviation Authority to check on the quality of workmanship when passenger aircraft are brought in for repairs. The troubling issue of bogus parts being installed on passenger aircraft is a matter of serious global concern. Faulty, incorrect or illegal parts have led to multiple crashes globally resulting in hundreds of deaths. Critical aircraft parts made by third-party suppliers are of serious concern. On average a 737 consists of 600 000 parts, each of which plays a crucial role in air safety. Critical parts made in China are not baked long enough to remove some of the hydrogen, whilst other safety-critical parts are made of inferior material. The US National…

HAVE you ever felt a sense of distress that you could not adequately express yourself? You feel like rending your garments like an emotionally stunted Caiaphas, the high priest who presided over Jesus Christ’s trial during the Roman Empire. That was how I felt when I learnt of the demise of Mapule Thelma Mbhalati who served the SABC concernedly and devotedly for a period bordering on 40 years under all sorts of pressures. God gave her the heart of a child, and the awesome courage to live it out when she occupied her status and enacted different roles at the SABC. She was a trail blazer of note! Mapule started her career as a teacher, and I was fortunate enough to imbibe knowledge from her during my childhood. She was…

Many of us are now aware that President Cyril Ramaphosa is considering at least five possible candidates for the next national police commissioner who will succeed General Khehla Sitole. Until we know who the incumbent commissioner will be, there may yet be much speculation. One fact to highlight in this development is that Sitole becomes the latest national commissioner to be replaced under a cloud before completing his term. Unfortunately, this has become a pattern with national commissioners ever since the appointment of Jackie Selebi in 2009. The second fact to consider is that since Selebi, successive national commissioners have been embroiled in criminal activities (including corruption), political controversy or conflict within the higher echelons of the SAPS. There can be little doubt that the troubles in the highest structures…

Pope Francis heads tomorrow for a two-day trip to Catholic-majority Malta where he will highlight the plight of migrants, as the Ukraine war sends a stream of refugees across Europe. The pontiff, 85, is the third pope since 1990 to visit the tiny Mediterranean archipelago, where Saint Paul was said to have been shipwrecked in 60AD, and which wears its religion proudly. Malta has been accused by NGOs of refusing to help migrant boats in distress in its waters, but it insists that it takes a disproportionate share. | AFP…

SECOND placed Royal AM will go into their league clash against TS Galaxy tomorrow with confidence after coach John Maduka and forward Mxolisi Macuphu were honoured with the coach of the month and player of the month awards by the PSL at a press conference in Durban yesterday afternoon. Royal AM have been the league’s biggest surprise package this season. The Durban club are on course to qualify for the CAF Champions League in what is their first season in the South African top flight. Maduka told IOL Sport that the team is focused on ending the season on a high rather than Champions League qualification. “We’ve got a plan and want to finish as high as possible this season. We don’t really want to deviate and think about the…

ANALYSTS have remained divided about the potential impact of the proposed labour migration policy on the economy and job creation in South Africa. This comes as the government in February unveiled South Africa’s National Labour Migration Policy for public comment and engagement. The Employment Services Amendment Bill proposes a framework that will enable the Minister of Labour to regulate the extent to which employers can employ foreign nationals in their establishments. If passed into law, employers would be compelled to implement quotas on the number of documented foreign nationals who can be employed in sectors like agriculture, hospitality and tourism, and construction. Talita Laubscher, a partner at Bowmans’ employment and benefits practice, yesterday said the proposed legislation was not really a new thing. Laubscher, however, said the definition of the…

FOR MANY YEARS, the mining industry has been increasingly aware of the need to comply with environmental, social and governance standards and targets, primarily to address its impact on the environment and communities. This is succinctly articulated in a 2017 academic paper, “Mining industry and sustainable development: time for change”: “Mining is the human activity that has been more disturbing to the environment and is linked to large social impacts and inequalities.” Importantly, “Mining activities are very diverse and may have different ecological footprints. Past mining activities left such imprints in the environment, but two issues, in particular, are of major and worldwide importance: mine tailings and acid mine drainage.” Understanding these realities and the increasing demands from local communities has required that we do things differently. The unavoidable effect…

BEHIND THE SEQUINS Shirley Ballas BBC BOOKS IT was once said that one can have enjoyed a successful career performing on the stage, but not many people will have heard of you; but have one appearance in a television programme and suddenly you are famous. That was the case for Shirley Ballas when she first became chief judge on the hugely popular Strictly Come Dancing in 2017. Ballas came to Strictly with a dance career of over 40 years, having garnered many national and international awards for her dancing, and a teaching career that had seen many of her pupils rising to the top of the profession. In her nearly five years at the Strictly judging table, her warmth combined with her always encouraging words of criticism have established Ballas…

THE MONARCHS Danielle Paige, Kass Morgan Loot.co.za (R425) HODDER & STOUGHTON IN THIS thrilling conclusion to New York Times best-selling authors Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige’s The Ravens duology, loyalty, love, and friendships are tested as sorority sisters Scarlett and Vivi must face the forces of hell itself when a rival sorority threatens to wreak havoc on campus. The ultra-exclusive Kappa Rho Nu -–the Ravens – are determined to restore balance to the world. After destroying an ancient talisman and barely saving their sorority in the process, they’ll go to any lengths to keep their secret as Westerly’s most powerful coven of witches. Scarlett Winter, a legacy Raven, has finally got what she’s always wanted: Scarlett is Kappa Rho Nu’s newest president. Unlike her mother or older sister before her,…

RESEARCHERS from UCT’s Division of Interdisciplinary Palliative Care and Medicine and the Division of Radiation Oncology, in collaboration with colleagues in private practice and at King’s College London, have found that advanced cancer patients are at high risk of pain and depression. Published in the ecancermedicalscience journal, the investigators recruited 343 patients of whom 229 (66.8%) had stage 4 cancer. This is the first study in South Africa to assess patient-reported symptoms and the risk of depression in patients with a range of cancers and receiving oncology care. Reporting the findings, principal investigator Dr Lindsay Farrant said: “The prevalence of pain in our study was 64.7%, with 47.1% of patients with pain describing the burden as high, emphasising the importance of regular pain assessment and management as part of oncology…

OUR nation, especially blacks, believe rumours easily. This is dangerous. In the past, many people have died, and some injured (physically, mentally and emotionally), because of rumours. This must come to a stop. For instance, in the past, many innocent people were killed because they were said to be “sell outs” or “impimpis”. All it took was for one person to label them as impimpi, without providing proof. That was enough for innocent victims to be killed. In addition, there are people that believe President Cyril Ramaphosa reports to the Stellenbosch mafias, if there is such. And that Ramaphosa is filthy rich because of the Stellenbosch mafias. Is that a fact? Interestingly, there are also some who believe the EFF leader is a pawn of white monopoly capital. There is…

LOCAL music and dance performers Bridget and Prudence Maila have introduced themselves to the entertainment industry and seek to make their mark. Lajimo, as they are affectionately known, say their love of music and dance dates back to the day they saw that they had all the qualities to be superstars. Growing up, the 24-year-old twins used to showcase their talents at weddings and birthday celebrations. At school, they were known for their passion for dancing, which boosted their confidence. Although they started as dancers, their transition to recording artists has also brought many successes. The multi-talented performers shared their proudest moments with The Star, such as featuring on popular morning television show Expresso on SABC3 and their first music video, which saw them brimming with pride. “Since we started…

WITH the dawn of the new multi-party government and the seven Mayoral Priorities which guide the leadership of the municipality, a new commitment opportunity for the city has come about to revive, renew and restore our residents’ confidence in our ability to deliver basic services properly. One of the local government’s mandates is to create a city of inclusion, opportunity and transformation, especially in decision-making processes. The Integrated Development Plan (IDP) thus serves as the local government's tool used to ensure public participation. The IDP stems from the conclusion of community-based planning meetings of intense analysis of inputs, comments and suggestions from community members. All information has been collated and sent to the city’s departments and entities for them to formulate into a draft document. The draft IDP for the…

THE executive director of transport, Dorothy Mabuza, who is relatively new to the position, has ambitious plans to use technological innovation to develop a world-class public transport system. Mabuza says transforming the city’s transport industry to be techno-savvy could turn Johannesburg into an economic powerhouse. She adds that it is no secret that the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the digitisation train have long left stations worldwide. It is increasingly becoming the new way of working and living. “There is a lot of technological innovation happening around us. The question is how to introduce modern technologies to integrate the city’s public transport system and deal with the new era of disruption when we implement these,” she says. Mabuza says strategies are being discussed around digitalisation, which includes having a…

The rise in the use of smartphones and increased adoption of mobile internet in Africa are fundamentally altering the media ecology for election campaigns. As mobile phones become commonplace, even in Africa’s poorest countries, the uptake of social media has become ubiquitous. Applications like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp and blogs form an integral part of today’s political communication landscape in much of the continent. These platforms are becoming a dominant factor in electoral processes, playing a tremendous role in the creation, dissemination and consumption of political content. Their influence and embedded power over political content invites further scrutiny, which informed my research. Is the rise in social media uptake in the continent a game-changer in political communications? And if it is, does social media influence political campaigns? To answer these…

Nine foreign judges from Britain, Australia and Canada confirmed they will stay on Hong Kong’s top court after two senior British justices resigned to avoid endorsing China’s new security laws. Judges from common law jurisdictions are invited to sit as non-permanent members at the court, which is separate from mainland China’s legal system. Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam said the resignations were part of a “political plot” by the British government, linking them to a six-month report on Hong Kong. | AFP…

South Africa 233/4 OPPORTUNITIES abound at Kingsmead. For players making debuts and teams missing stars, for World Test Championship points and more history in the case of Bangladesh. South Africa got the authoritative start the team’s leadership demanded, but they would have headed back to the hotel yesterday pondering the missed opportunities. Three of the dismissals were gifts to the tourists. Everyone got into double figures, but that Dean Elgar’s 67 was the highest score indicates batters not taking advantage of starts. Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque had chosen to bowl after winning the toss possibly seduced by the extra grass covering on the surface, a somewhat unusual sight at the venue in recent seasons. There was help for the seamers, but Bangladesh weren’t good enough to exploit it in the…