Índex per 2022-06-01 a Star

UNEMPLOYMENT in South Africa could continue trending towards record highs if the country’s economy fails to break out of its “low-growth trap”, even as the jobless rate has started to ease. The official unemployment rate in South Africa eased by 0.8 of a percentage point to 34.5 percent in the first quarter of 2022, down from a record high of 35.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021. But it was still higher than the 32.6 percent recorded in the first quarter of 2021. Data from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) yesterday showed that the number of unemployed people fell by 60 000 to 7.9 million in the first quarter of 2022. Stats SA said 370 000 jobs were created between the two…

FAMOUS Brands, which holds brands such as Debonairs, Milky Way, Mugg & Bean and Wimpy, lifted operating profit a massive 428 percent to R630 million in the year to February 28 after customers returned to restaurants with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. The strong results were reflected in the share price, which closed 4.6 percent higher at R61.34 on the JSE yesterday. Revenue increased 38 percent to R6.48 billion for continuing operations, close to the 2020 revenue figure of R6.5bn. Headline earnings per share increased by 568 percent to 356 cents. A dividend of 200c was declared. Interest-bearing debt reduced to R1.14bn after R358m was repaid. “All four divisions continue to benefit from our initial financial management measures implemented in response to the…

CORPORATE pundits are calling for the board of disgraced commodities trader Glencore, including former Reserve Bank governor Gill Marcus, a non-executive chairperson, to be held responsible for the group's unethical behaviour, which recently saw it admit to fines of $1.5 billion (R23.26bn) in three territories. Between 2007 and 2018, Glencore and its subsidiaries paid more than $52 million to intermediaries to bribe Nigerian officials in return for profits of $124m, US court filings show. From $27m of payments to an agent to bribe officials in Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea. However, the US department of Justice has confirmed that there are parallel investigations by other foreign jurisdictions. “At the core of Glencore’s unlawful conduct is that Glencore not only entered into corrupt relationships to secure oil contracts…

Actor and rapper Mxolisi “Zulu Boy” Majozi has responded to rumours that he was fired from the popular e.tv medical drama series, Durban Gen. Speaking to Isolezwe, Zulu Boy, who plays MacGyver in Durban Gen, denied claims that he was axed for misconduct. “I filed my notice to resign before time because I’d secured a second job. I’m working with MaMkhize in Royal AM. I gave them 30 days to write me out of the script for my exit on the story. “It’s not true that I was fired. These are just rumours from people who want to tarnish my reputation,” Zulu Boy said. Asked about allegations that he sometimes arrived at work intoxicated, he shook his head and said that was hogwash. “I respect work and that’s why even…

l18 calls made by Abramjee to judges l Mkhwebane alerts Hawks, JSC Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane seems to have proven the assertions that there are illegal links between the judiciary and members of the media in a discovery that may prove the theory called “the capture of judiciary”. Mkhwebane has revealed that over 18 phone calls were made between Ismail Abramjee and Justice Jody Kollapen as well as Judge President Dunstan Mlambo between January and April this year. The investigation by the public protector says a text message by Abramjee claiming that he had it on good authority that the Constitutional Court would dismiss her rescission application case reveals that these calls were exchanged between January 4 this year and April 22. This is said to be two…

The Alexandra Magistrate’s Court on Monday sentenced Chinedu Jonathan Madueke to seven years for fraud and extortion, with five years suspended on condition that he is not convicted for the same charges during the suspension period. Madueke was arrested on May 14 by the Hawks after he was positively identified as a wanted suspect by authorities at OR Tambo International Airport departing to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He pleaded guilty to extorting $800 (about R12 385) from a victim he met on an online dating platform. The identity of the victim cannot be revealed. It was reported that in March 2020, Madueke introduced himself to the complainant on a dating site as a female model from Italy named “Ruth”. The two seemingly hit it off and…

More than 4000 residents from the Covid informal settlement in Driftsand who erected structures on the retention dam within the Driftsands Nature Reserve would be relocated to an alternative site in time for the rainy winter season. The residents received notices last week giving them until June 25 to relocate from the land which belongs to Cape Nature. The area is one of the informal settlements established during the pandemic and is grappling with the provision of basic services. Community leader Luthando Mcuntula said they were not satisfied with how Cape Nature was dealing with the issue and were concerned that residents would not have access to basic amenities. Now, in the meantime, they will remain in the area until these are ironed out. Cape Nature spokesperson Nathan Adriaanse said…

IT HAS been a good season in terms of rainfall in most parts of the country, and this is a good sign in terms of water supply security as most dams and catchment areas have good water levels. But the situation is not that good in some parts of the country, like in Nelson Mandela Bay which is facing serious water supply challenges due to the supply dams and rivers running dry and at critically low levels. Even with good rainfall, what we must always keep in mind is that South Africa is a water-scarce country which calls on all to make sure every drop counts by conserving and using the little we have in a responsible and sparing manner. The rain season is coming to an end in most…

The father of one of South Africa’s most beloved rugby icons, Bryan Habana, was arrested on Monday. Bernard James Habana was arrested for fraud in relation to a case the police have been investigating for almost five years. He was brought to Linden police station before later appearing in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court. The court granted him R1 000 bail and his case was postponed to a later date. A law enforcement official close to the case revealed that Habana had been apprehended after he was alleged to have posed as a travel booking agent. According to a police official close to the case, Habana was nabbed after investigations implicated him in allegedly pretending to be a travel booking agent. Police spokesperson Dimakatso Sello said: “The suspect in this matter…

A group of teenage surfers from across South Africa have flown to El Salvador in South America to represent the green and gold at the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Junior Championships. Among them are youngsters from KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape. The team arrived in South America last week for one of the most prestigious tournaments on the world surf calendar and will take on the world’s best from May 27 to June 5. The tournament opens the surf world to the future of the sport as 500 contestants from 45 nations compete. The 18th edition of the ISA junior world champs are taking place at the La Bocana and El Sunzal in El Salvador, according to ISA. The first day of the competition was on…

ENTERING the colder months of the year, you may be tempted to ditch your healthy eating habits and opt for less nutritious foods. There are many possible reasons, but the short of it is that they make us feel good when the temperatures dip. Dr Sivuyile Madikana, an expert in health care and a member of the South African Herbalife Nutrition advisory board, emphasises the importance of that “a healthy diet” to help keep winter ills at bay, and says it should be made up of 30% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 30% healthy fats. These delicious meal ideas come with all of the taste and none of the empty kilojoules! Breakfast Try fruity baked oats with nuts and a scoop of protein powder, or some wholegrain toast with avocado,…

Pitso Mosimane was left to reflect on a number of displeasing issues as his Al Ahly side were beaten 2-0 by Wydad Athletic in the Champions League final on Monday night in Casablanca, Morocco. Among a host of elements that Mosimane felt gave the home side the edge was the performance of a fellow South African, referee Victor Gomes. The ex-Mamelodi Sundowns mentor felt Gomes could’ve handled the situations on the field better. “The referee should have kept time, as the referee himself replaced his watch for three minutes, and the goalkeeper fell to the ground several times and wasted more than three minutes,” he told the media at the post-match press conference. “In addition to the stadium boys who wasted a lot of time while returning the ball, this…

The Premier Soccer League’s DStv Premiership season has miraculously ended incident-free, thanks in the main to the timely efforts of acting PSL prosecutor Zola Majavu. The end of last season was vastly different, when there was a legal stand-off between the PSL and First Division club Royal AM, who fought tooth and nail to gain automatic promotion to the elite Premier League. The super-rich Royal AM dragged the matter through several courts over a few weeks before seeking relief in the world’s highest sports court, the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The PSL had its fair share of challenges this season, and the Kaizer Chiefs saga could have been as big as the Royal AM case last season. Once the Safa Arbitration Tribunal had made a decision, the outcome should…

SHARES in Gold Fields plunged nearly 15 percent on the JSE yesterday after the gold mining firm announced an all share offer of $6.7 billion (R104bn) for Canadian miner Yamana Gold, which investors felt constituted a high premium. Gold Fields’ acquisition of Yamana Gold has been described by Bank of America’s investment banking division as the “largest outbound South African transaction of all time” and as one of the top mining transactions in the entire Europe, Middle East and Africa regions since 2008. Gold Fields chief executive Chris Griffith sought to re-assure investors in an afternoon investor presentation following the slide of the company’s shares on the JSE. He said Yamana had a “high-quality portfolio of assets” that was bringing “diversity” for Gold Fields in terms of exposure…

INSIMBI Group, a provider of resources to the steel industries and manufacturer of plastic containers, more than doubled headline earnings a share to 24.58 cents (10.36c) after rising commodity prices lifted revenue and margins, and due to better economic activity locally and abroad. Gross profit for the group that operates in 27 countries increased by 27 percent to R576 million in the year to February 28, 2022. No dividend was declared. “The period marked a return to stable operating conditions for Insimbi. We built on a solid first-half performance to deliver excellent results. The year was not without challenges, however, from national infrastructural issues affecting ports and rail networks to rising costs for input materials,” chairperson Robert Dickerson said. Prices for most of the group’s commodities were…

BOBBY Brown fears a new biopic, about his late wife Whitney Houston, will drag up her personal drama instead of focusing on her music. The superstar singer died in 2012, at the age of 50, and her life is going to be brought to the big screen in a new Sony Pictures movie, with actress Naomi Ackie in the lead role and Houston’s long-time pal Clive Davis among the producers. Brown has revealed he hopes the biopic will not focus too heavily on Houston’s demons, telling Billboard: “I truly hope that they let her rest and also let our relationship rest. I don’t know anything about the biopic that Clive is doing. But hopefully it won’t dive into our relationship. Hopefully it will be more about the music and not…

The removal of the body of soccer star Senzo Meyiwa from a Vosloorus house on October 26, 2014, amounted to contamination of the crime scene. This was according to advocate Malesela Teffo, representing four of the five accused in the Meyiwa murder trial in the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, yesterday. Teffo, who cross-examined forensic detective Sergeant Thabo Mosia, told the court one of the witnesses lined up would testify that Meyiwa was already dead when he was rushed to Clinix Botshelong-Empilweni Private Hospital. “The witness will further testify that the deceased was taken to hospital in his car, (a BMW) X6, driven by Nonhlanhla Kelly Khumalo,” Teffo said. Khumalo was Meyiwa’s girlfriend, and the house where the shooting took place belonged to her mother. The property has since been…

FORMER ANC spokesperson and member of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) Carl Niehaus has slammed former finance minister Tito Mboweni for contributing to the country’s economic and policy woes during his tenure as miniser and governor of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). Niehaus called Mboweni a “sell-out” and the “true personification of a dream deferred”, for his role in forcing the ANC to change its radical economic policies to neo-liberal policies that have characterised the policy and economic uncertainty of the country since the start of democracy. The recent outburst between Niehaus and Mboweni comes after yet another Mboweni social media “intellectualism” on Monday, where the former minister recalled the words of former president Thabo Mbeki about a dream deferred. “Recently, I have been thinking about what…

If things go according to the EFF’s wishes, the seat of Parliament would be relocated from Cape Town to its administrative seat in Tshwane. This emerged in the Government Gazette where EFF leader Julius Malema gave notice to table a private member’s Bill to provide for the relocation of the national legislature. This comes as the Old Assembly and the New National Assembly buildings that were damaged by fire earlier this year are still to be restored. According to the notice, Malema intends to introduce the Relocation of Parliament Bill during the second quarter of the 2022-23 financial year. Malema said the current location of Parliament created several problems for MPs, the Cabinet, the government and officials from organs of state and the broader society who wished to participate in…

Ingredients 2 tbs virgin olive oil 1/2 red onion, sliced 6 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp crushed garlic) 1 tsp fresh thyme 1 tsp BBQ spice 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp ground mixed dried herbs 1 tsp ground coriander 750g mince, seasoned, and added with diced onion, roll into round balls 1 cup spinach 1 tin chickpeas (drained) 1 tin garden peas (drained) 4 chopped tomatoes 1/2 green pepper (diced) 1 cube beef stock coriander, to garnish Method Heat the oil in a deep pan and brown meatballs, remove and set aside. Add the onion, garlic, and cook until soft and translucent. Add the spices and fry them until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add the chopped tomatoes and diced green pepper then stir, then add the…

Bobby Brown was totally smitten with Janet Jackson, but they couldn’t have a relationship because her strict dad didn’t approve of him. The New Edition star has opened up about his doomed romance with Michael Jackson’s singer sister, admitting he had a huge crush on her, but the relationship didn’t last long. Speaking in an A&E biography special, Bobby said: “I had a big crush on Janet. Everything. Her little smile, her body, dance moves, her little laugh. We loved each other’s company.” However, he said the romance didn’t last and he’s convinced it’s because Janet’s strict father Joe Jackson didn’t want her dating a man from the “hood”. After his romance with Janet fizzled, Bobby went on to romance another famous pop star, Whitney Houston. | Bang…

Real Madrid’s France star Karim Benzema deserves to win the Ballon d’Or, according to seven-time laureate Lionel Messi. Benzema was crucial in Real’s Uefa Champions League victory this season, culminating with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in Paris on Saturday. Although he did not score in the final, Benzema’s back-to-back hat-tricks in the knockout rounds – starting with a 17-minute treble against Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain to overturn a 2-0 aggregate deficit – were crucial in generating the momentum that swept the Spanish side to the title. “There’s no doubt… it’s very clear that Benzema has had a spectacular year, and has ended it by winning the Champions League,” Messi told Argentine channel TyC Sports. “He was crucial from the last-16 onwards in every match, and I think there’s no doubt…

When it comes to the state of officiating in rugby, who better than to get the opinion of Andre Watson – one of the most decorated and experienced match officials to ever blow the game. Earlier this week, while attending the new sponsorship announcement between the Golden Lions Rugby Referees Society and BestMed at Ellis Park, Watson – who is employed by the union at the helm of training and education – revealed his thoughts of officiating in the United Rugby Championship (URC). “It is no use trying to be diplomatic,” Watson said. “It hasn’t been the best of competitions when it comes to refereeing standards, but I think with Tappe Henning now the boss of URC reffing, things will change. He is a very, very experienced guy. “I think…

Coco Gauff reached her first Grand Slam semi-final at the French Open yesterday when she defeated fellow American Sloane Stephens. Gauff, 18-years-old and ranked 23 in the world, triumphed 7-5, 6-2. She will face Italy’s 59th-ranked Martina Trevisan for a place in Saturday’s championship match. Victory avenged her defeat to Stephens at the US Open and helped erase the memory of her quarter-final defeat last year to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova in Paris. “I feel so happy,” said Gauff. “Last year was a tough loss for me, but I believe that match made me stronger. “Last time I played Sloane, I lost. Today was different. I stayed mentally strong, as she is the kind of player who can make shots others can’t do.” Yesterday, Gauff broke in the second game…

MOTORISTS and consumers will have to continue digging deeper to pay for food and transport in the winter months as the fuel prices in South Africa rose to yet another record high, despite fuel levy relief being extended for another two months. Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe yesterday announced that the price of 95-octane unleaded petrol will increase by R2.33 a litre, while 93-octane unleaded petrol will go up by R2.43/l. Meanwhile, diesel prices will rise by R1.10 (0.05 percent sulphur) a litre and R1.07 (0.005 percent sulphur) a litre respectively, while illuminating paraffin will increase by R1.56 a litre. The maximum liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) retail price will fall by 51c per kilogram. These fuel hikes come at a time when consumers are struggling…

REINET Investments’ €5.9 billion (R98.5bn) net asset value reflected annual compound growth of 9.7 percent, its results for the year to March 31 showed. This growth by the Luxembourg, Amsterdam and JSE-listed investment group includes dividends paid. Over a year, net asset value had increased 9.4 percent. Net asset value per share as at March 31 came to 31.99 euro cents from 29.21 euro cents a year before. The company also conducted its fifth share buyback programme through the year, with 174 021 ordinary shares repurchased for €3.5 million. Commitments worth €343m for new and existing investments were made during the year, and €248m was funded, chairperson Johann Rupert said yesterday in a statement. Dividends received from the investment in British…

Neill Blomkamp, director of South African cult hit District 9, is being eyed to direct a Gran Turismo movie. The 42-year-old director is in talks with Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions about bringing the iconic driving game to the big screen. The film is in the very early stages of development and plot details are being kept under wraps at the moment. Rumours had surfaced that a TV adaptation of the game was in development, but the reports are said to be wide of the mark. The Gran Turismo series has a rich history, and was created by Polyphony and Kazunori Yamauchi, in 1997. It has been hailed as one of the most authentic driving simulators for its focus on precise graphics, driving physics, and attention to car details. The…

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe have provided further relief to motorists for two more months. However, the price of fuel will still cost motorists between R1.07 and R2.43 more. The ministers said they had ahead injected R4.5 billion for the next two months to stave off a spike in energy prices. The National Treasury and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy said yesterday that unlike in March when the government sold R6bn of strategic fuel stock to provide relief to motorists, the latest intervention would be funded through the fiscus. This would result in R4.5bn that would be forgone in the Budget. However, if there were any further changes required after August, this would be announced in the Medium Term Budget Policy…

THE ANC in Johannesburg has appealed to its members not to use the death of its former regional treasurer, Mpho Moerane, as a campaigning tool. Comrades in the region have been accusing each other of dirty politics after a string of deaths rocked the region. The latest death was that of the former mayor of the city, who had been contesting the position of chairperson of the region. At a media briefing announcing its readiness for the ANC conference at the end of the week, the region’s spokesperson, Sasa Manganye, warned comrades to keep it clean. “The dirty politics we need to avoid is when we lose our regional fund-raiser and people want to accuse comrades (of being) involved in his demise,” Manganye said. He said despite senior ANC leaders…

The DA says it has tested the basic capabilities of 140 national and provincial government departments for their ability to answer phone calls and respond to email communication over the past three weeks and the results are frightening. This is because according to the DA, 73% of these departments are dysfunctional as they failed to answer phone calls and/or respond to their enquiries. “Over the past three weeks, the DA tested the basic services of 140 national and provincial departments to answer phone calls. From the SAPS to the provincial Departments of Roads and Infrastructure, we systematically made at least three phone calls to each department in order to ask tailor-made questions related to the work of the department. The contact information was principally sourced from the government contact directory.…

The social housing backlog in South Africa is one of the biggest challenges the government faces. Not enough houses are being built, and existing projects are not being completed fast enough, while budget constraints are a huge factor hindering progress in social housing developments. The problem needs innovative and cost-effective solutions to deliver sustainable human settlements. The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), in partnership with The University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) School of Civil Engineering & the Built Environment, is currently researching this very topic. The UJ website states, “The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) has embarked on a programme for the piloting and demonstration of 3D printing additive technologies for sustainable human settlements in South Africa. The DSI has identified 3D printing as a transformative technology that has…

The US has a population of close to 330 million. With such a large population there are bound to be a large number of cranks and crackpots, as well as those who suffer from other mental illnesses such as bearing a grudge against humanity, or institutions, or people. That’s life all over the world. It is not only “American culture that is based on mindless violence”. South Africa immediately comes to mind. In South Africa, almost 57 people are murdered every day. Sadly, 800 to 900 children are gruesomely murdered annually. South Africa has one of the highest rape rates in the world. Violent demonstrations are the norm. Vigilantes stone and beat alleged criminals to death while some are burnt alive. Barbaric to say the least. In April this year,…

MUSIC-streaming giant Spotify has released this week’s music chart about the South African music scene with multi-award-winning artist Emtee leading the pack. Mthembeni Ndevu, known as Emtee, is the highest new entry on Top Artists South Africa, securing #191 spot. This is not the first the rapper has dominated the Spotify charts – earlier this year he took the number one spot with his song iThemba. Sofa Silahlane by Wanitwa Mos, Master KG, Lowsheen and Nkosazana Daughter was among the songs dominating the charts on Top 5 tracks in South Africa on Spotify Charts. This single has also been doing well on other music platforms. Master KG recently turned to his Twitter to say his recent single, Sofa Silahlane, which he released through his label Wanitwa Mos, is number…

In the Spirit of Ntu is Nduduzo Makhathini’s 10th offering, and his second release under premier US jazz label Blue Note Records and the newly founded Blue Note Africa. The philosophy of Ntu (stemming from the philosophy of ubuntu) speaks to the merging of the physical and spiritual and so, in conversation with Makhathini, I have sought to understand how he continues to bridge the artistic, the cultural and the spiritual through song and narrative. My point of departure for our conversation was something he had said in a previous interview: “I want to try to get the piano to speak the language of my people, and by the language of my people I mean isiZulu … the melodic structures of the language … that filters into how my people…

Having played a few seasons for the Cheetahs, Walt Steenkamp participated in the PRO14 – the precursor to the United Rugby Championship (URC) – but never featured in a play-off match. While the Bloemfontein-based team just missed out on the quarter-finals previously, Steenkamp’s current team, the Bulls, did well enough during the round-robin stage to host Saturday’s showdown with the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld. And it comes at just the right time, with the 26-year-old lock reportedly heading to Japan at the end of his Bulls contract in October. He was reluctant to talk about that yesterday – “I think that’s a discussion for another day. For now, I am contracted to the Bulls, and I am focused on the work for the rest of the time (in Pretoria)” –…

The last time the Proteas men’s team toured India, the world was an entirely different place. It was March 2020 and nobody could even begin to imagine what would transpire over the next two years, after the three-match ODI series was abruptly aborted, with the Proteas rushed back home and into quarantine. The Covid-19 pandemic was a global crisis never experienced before. But thankfully, after two years of strife, the Proteas now return to the subcontinent with the cricket-crazed nation slowly returning to some form of normality after the Indian Premier League final was played in front of a world record 105000-strong crowd on Sunday. During the pandemic, the Proteas were, however, forced to navigate through a mine-field of potential crises of their own. Coach Mark Boucher’s future was top…

TS Galaxy (13th) There was improvement in the play of Galaxy after Sead Ramovic succeeded Owen da Gama in September following a run of poor results. Overall, it was not a good season for the Rockets. They did the bare minimum to avoid relegation, and Ramovic has his work cut out during the off-season if he wants to ensure that his club are not involved in another relegation battle next term. With four goals apiece, Chidi Kwem and Wayde Lekay were Galaxy’s top scorers this season – a poor return for a top-flight club. If they want to improve their performances next season, they definitely need to try and rope in players who can score goals on a more regular basis. The positives that Galaxy can take from this season…