Índex per 2022-06-10 a Star

Ikapa Group Express Auctions will be hosting a South African Revenue Service Customs online auction on June 22, from 8am to 1pm. Items can be viewed on June 17, 20 and 21 from 9am to 3pm. The auction will be at the Sars State Warehouse, Musina Miltary Base, Old N1 Road, Musina in Limpopo. The Ikapa Express Auctions sale is a countrywide affair with the lots derived from neighbouring countries’ border posts. A deposit of R10 000 is required and buyers can register online. Ikapa use the Bidsa online platform for all its online auctions. For more information about the sales, contact Sars directly, call Johan Kotze at 082 854 4685 or go to www.ikapagroup.co.za. |…

ZELDA VENTER THE court has delivered a groundbreaking judgment which opens the door for foreigners working in South Africa who have children born on local soil. Previously, they had to leave the country after breaking up with their spouses. In terms of sections of the Immigration Act, foreigners’ spousal visas terminated once their relationship with their South African spouses ended. This meant that they either had to leave the country, even if it meant leaving their children behind, or they had to reapply for a visa to remain in the country. However, they could only do so from outside the country. Various applicants, who come from countries such as France, Switzerland, Germany and Zimbabwe, turned to the Western Cape High Court to have the relevant sections of the act declared…

A HAUNTING and thought-provoking dual time frame historical novel about a woman attempting to find her family after they were separated at a concentration camp. 1944. Leo Stern arrives in the camp of Borek with his wife Irena and their two daughters. The Sterns are briefly spared from the death chambers when they are witnesses to a horrifying incident, but in a place that humanity has deserted, Leo has to make unimaginable choices to keep his family alive. 1961. For 17 years, Hanna has been unable to remember her name, or how she was separated from her family at the end of the war, until the discovery of an anonymous letter among her late uncle’s possessions reveals her real identity – Hanna Stern – and sets her off to Berlin…

Two decades ago, I registered the domain www.tests4u.com. It was always my intention to utilise technology to help learners achieve excellence. It certainly would have been too soon launching such a venture then. Now, after the lockdown of schools because of Covid-19, it is the right time to harness technology and gain real momentum. With my political career ending in November, I sought out a firm in Sandton to develop an online test platform for me. In technical terms it is going to be a progressive web application (PWA). This means that the online tests I schedule, when the system goes live, can be accessed by students via a computer, an Android, iOS or Huawei device. The issue for me is simple: learners must receive sustained help and intervention to…

A new collection of gripping short stories from the master of the legal thriller. Homecoming takes us back to Ford County, the fictional setting of many of John Grisham’s unforgettable stories. Jake Brigance is back, but he’s not in the courtroom. He’s called upon to help an old friend, Mack Stafford, a former lawyer in Clanton who, three years earlier, became a legend when he stole some money from his clients, divorced his wife, filed for bankruptcy, and left his family in the middle of the night, never to be heard from again. Until now. Mack is back and he’s leaning on his old pals, Jake and Harry Rex, to help him return. His homecoming does not go as planned. In Strawberry Moon, we meet Cody Wallace, a young death…

Jislaaik, but the president runs his own bank on his plaas. Many millions lying around without security is of great concern. If he could not care less about all his millions lying around on his plaas. Why should he show an iota of concern to his fellow South Africans? It’s a valid question, as concerned citizens look on and question his honesty and integrity. Trial by media is in progress. Will the president survive? I wonder where he stands in the realm of public opinion?…

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan shocked the world recently by describing Sweden and Finland as “incubators” for terrorist groups. Erdogan opposed the Nato membership of these Nordic states, accusing them of harbouring members of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK). The PKK is recognised by Turkey as well as the EU and the US as a terrorist organisation. On the other hand, Turkey’s main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu raided the headquarters of the Sadat, the international defence consultancy, known as Erdogan’s shadowy army. Kilicdaroglu called Sadat “a paramilitary organisation that trains terrorists”. Erdogan last week announced plans for a military operation in northeastern Syria’s Tal Rifaat and Manbij provinces in a bid to eliminate the threat from the People’s Defence Unit (YPG) in the region that borders Turkey. The Turkish leader has,…

ABOUT 70 little ones from White City, Snake Park and Dobsonville this week enjoyed an educational day at the Roodepoort Museum as part of the early childhood development programme at the museum. As the little ones walked through the museum, all you could see were happy and curious faces. The programme has been running for three years and aims to develop young children through education, interaction, play and creative sessions to help build knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Children learn more about history, geography, general knowledge and vocabulary through the programme. “I’m happy,” said one of the little ones while jumping to show his excitement before his class entered the museum. Carolina Geldenhuys, the senior curator at the Roodepoort Museum, said such visits allow the children to…

South Africa is amending its electoral law to make it fairer by enabling citizens to contest provincial and national elections without being forced to join political parties. This follows a 2020 Constitutional Court judgment that found that excluding citizens from being elected as independent individuals was unconstitutional. The court gave Parliament 24 months to amend the 1998 Electoral Act accordingly. South Africa’s Constitution prescribes an electoral system “that results, in general, in proportional representation”. The country has used this system for national and provincial elections since 1994. But in 2020, the New Nation Movement, a civil society body, challenged the electoral system for unfairly excluding independent candidates. In its view, the act makes it impossible for voters to have a direct link to national and provincial representatives who can be…

Beijing: One person has died and two were injured when a fighter jet crashed in central China yesterday, state media reported. The plane, an Air Force J-7, “had an accident during training and fell in the vicinity of an airport ... causing damage to private homes”, said state broadcaster CCTV. The pilot parachuted to safety and had been transferred to hospital along with the other injured. The cause of the crash in Xiangyang, in Hubei province, was being investigated. Footage of the crash site showed black smoke billowing into the air from a street in Xiangyang. Several buildings appeared flattened. | AFP…

Bangkok: Thai authorities have seized 200kg of crystal meth hidden inside a replica Easter Island statue awaiting shipment to Taiwan, police said yesterday. Thai drugs officers working with Taiwanese police raided a shipping company in the port city of Laem Chabang, 50km south-east of Bangkok, to examine six statue heads. A UN report published last month said a record 1 billion methamphetamine pills were seized in East and Southeast Asia last year. Myanmar’s northern Shan state is the region’s primary source of meth and production is at unprecedented levels. Myanmar’s lawlessness is providing ideal conditions. | AFP…

THE IMPACT of Comair’s liquidation was a significant loss to the nation, and sub-Saharan Africa, and would likely impact not only business and private trips, but the industry and those who supply the failed firm, Kevin Storie, the acting chief executive of Commercial Aviation Association of Southern Africa (Caasa) said yesterday. Storie said that there was the possibility of a significant increase in ticket prices due to availability. Caasa promotes and protect the commercial interest of the general aviation industry in southern Africa. Its member companies include airport operators, non-scheduled operators, business aircraft operators, flying training organisations, aircraft maintenance companies and companies offering a whole range of supporting and retail services. Storie said while the organisation did not represent scheduled operators such as Comair, the liquidation of the airliner was…

Inflation was one of the top issues affecting citizens of countries around the world last month, as revealed in the Ipsos study, What Worries the World for May. The market research company’s monthly What Worries the World survey explores what the public thinks are the most important social and political issues currently across 27 countries. May’s What Worries the World study revealed that worry about inflation had risen for the 10th month in a row and remains the number one concern with a global average of one in three (34%) of participants saying inflation was one of the top issues affecting their country. According to the study, all 27 countries surveyed have a higher “worried about inflation” figure in May than they did at the start of the year. South…

Shutdown or no shutdown? That seems to be the question as no one seems to know whether the country will wake up to a normal working day or a day of action and protest against rising fuel and food costs in the country. With social media messages circulated amid concerns of a national shutdown this morning, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) has issued a warning against those found to be circulating messages of an imminent strike, adding that it has put measures in place to react to it should it happen. Cosatu as well as taxi industry bodies such as the SA National Tax Council (Santaco) and the Taxi Alliance have all distanced themselves from the national shutdown across the country. NatJoints said it was aware of…

GLOBAL Witness was established in 1993 with the mission of “breaking the links between natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses worldwide”. In Very Bad People, Global Witness co-founder Patrick Alley brings us the inside story of their work. This book is dedicated to those people around the world who daily risk their freedom, and sometimes their lives, standing up to the “very bad people” this book is about. I hope it contributes something to the cause, even if that’s only giving people some idea of what we are up against. As the book’s title suggests, it took a lot of planning, nous and tremendous courage for Global Witness to tackle the “missions” covered in this book. Their first investigation saw them going to Cambodia to investigate…

Just over 200 years ago in 1810, William Burchell, a 30-year-old Englishman, landed in Cape Town after a four-year stint as a naturalist on St Helena island. The following year he embarked on an epic four-year journey through the Cape Colony. He covered 7 000km, collected more than 50 000 specimens and built up a vast collection of sketches and paintings. He also travelled to Brazil, and later, back in England, took his life at the age of 82. Burchell’s Travels is a fascinating account of what travel was like 200 years ago, and tells the story of Burchell’s journeys, bringing to life an important figure who had faded into historical obscurity. The explorer is probably best known for the many animal, bird and plants species that are named after…

He is the president of the country and he hides his money in his furniture on his farm house, like in the old times when poor, ignorant folk hid their money under the mattress. But Cyril Ramaphosa is not only the leader of the nation but a billionaire. Would a shrewd investor who apparently owns 150 McDonald’s stores hide his money under the mattress? Not a small amount but a huge amount of undisclosed money, $4 million dollars and they all got stolen? What makes it even more intriguing is that the robbery was all hushed up. According to former State Security director-general Arthur Fraser, who is an ally of Jacob Zuma, the president did not report the theft on his farm Phala Phala to the police but to the…

EVEN though it’s early days, the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial is like Pandora’s box of secrets. The more it unfolds, albeit in early stages of the trial with the first witness on the witness box, the murkier it gets. Unprecedented in criminal cases, there is now discovery that at some point there was another inconclusive police docket. There appear to have been two sets of police investigations. Two different investigations. Hence two police dockets. The questions are: How? Why? The second police docket reportedly entertained the prosecution of the group of people who on October 26, eight years ago, were inside the Vosloorus home of Kelly Khumalo, girlfriend of the former Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goal minder and the mother of his child. The docket suggests those who were…

BENAHAVIS: A wildfire in mountains in southern Spain has forced the evacuation of 2 000 people from the town of Benahavis and injured three firefighters, officials said. The blaze started on the slopes of Pujerra mountain in the Sierra Bermeja, above the Costa del Sol, a magnet for British tourists on the Andalusia coast, Andalusia’s Wildfire Department said on Twitter. Hot summer weather and adverse winds are stoking the blaze. Emergency services set up tents in the town of 7 000. As many as 200 firemen from the department, 100 army personnel and 50 firefighters from other towns are battling the fire. | Reuters…

With a cloud still hanging over himself ... president sends public protector packing With a cloud still hanging over himself regarding the US dollars allegedly concealed on his farm, under-fire President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane with immediate effect. In a statement, his office said: “President Cyril Ramaphosa has, in accordance with section 194 (3)(a) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, decided to suspend Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane from the Office of the Public Protector effective 9 June 2022. “Section 194 (3)(a) of the Constitution provides that the president may suspend the public protector (or any member of a Chapter 9 institution) ‘at any time after the start of proceedings by a committee of the National Assembly for (their) removal’. Advocate Mkhwebane will remain suspended…

From page 1 In a noisy back-and-forth with ANC MPs over Zoom, Matuma stood firm: “We can’t have someone addressing us who hides 16 million under the mattress.” As Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa- Nqakula was repeatedly interrupted, she threatened to throw out those EFF MPs who had attempted to block Ramaphosa’s speech. But veteran EFF MP Natasha Ntlangwini fired back: “We can’t be addressed by a money launderer and criminal, we can’t be addressed by a person who (has) got such serious allegations against him.” After being asked to withdraw the statement, Mapisa-Nqakula ordered that Ntlangwini and Matumba leave the Chamber. When they refused, she ordered the sergeant-at-arms to physically remove them. Not long after that, all MPs on Zoom were muted and Ramaphosa could go ahead with his speech. But,…

IF THERE’S any writer who has displayed an honest and candid approach to the conversation about the complexities of racial struggles in this country, it has to be Haji Mohamed Dawjee. In her new book, Here’s the Thing, she offers a collection of thought-provoking essays. Filled with stories and insights that are at turns contemplative, comedic and controversial, there is a touching letter to her father, a piece on the honest truth about the pain in the arse that is parenting, as well as ponderings over struggles with the vicissitudes of a modern world filled with cancel culture. There is also a serving of the many lessons the game of tennis has to offer, as well as hilarious insights into and observations about dustbins – yes, dustbins – and ageing…

It is very frustrating how journalists – print and electronic – are reporting on the Meyiwa case. They are bungling their reporting for sensational reasons that have no direct bearing on what is happening in the courtroom. You watch the live broadcasts and then check the reporting – especially when they try to interpret what has transpired – then you have polar opposites. One big mistake they are making is to speculate that Sergeant Mosia’s performance on the stand and the ability of the defence to poke holes in his evidence is going to collapse the case. But this is pure fantasy. For one, what the court should establish is if the crime scene was contaminated. Was this done deliberately or by accident? This is because “contamination” of a crime…

If there is one glaring human deficit pervading society, it is our inability to handle death and the dying. On Monday, I received a death announcement from Osofo Robert Kubayi informing all and sundry about the demise of Eric Risimati Bamuza. At the end of the death announcement there was a disclaimer that the deceased had been relieved of pain after a long illness. The deceased was a staunch member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in South Africa. He served the church in various capacities for a period bordering on 60 years devotedly and concernedly. His unique asset was his baritone voice, which was capable of charming birds from the trees. A parade of questions marched through my mind about his prolonged illness. Given the fact that his illness was…

The popular Jägermeister Night Embassy Joburg makes an explosive comeback with a relaunch party on June 15 at the Old JSE Building in Newtown. This event will feature a diverse mix of the freshest new acts and the much-loved established artists such as DBN Gogo, Blxckie and ByLwansta. The line-up will also include entertaining sounds from the Night Embassy’s Ambassadors of the Night Unmuted, Other Village People, Kombonation and Dormant Youth. Night Embassy Joburg aims to explore new trajectories in nightlife and fulfil the promise of creating safe spaces for nightlife communities. They revealed new sounds and spotlighted subcultures and creative communities of Joburg nightlife, culminating in two events: Unmute The City by Unmuted, and Queertopia by Other Village People. When the pandemic hit the globe, it all came to…

THE City of Johannesburg’s Department of Economic Development this week hosted a seminar to explore urban regeneration for sustainable regional economic development at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown. In his welcoming address, Economic Development MMC Nkululeko Mbundu said that the department had a strong desire to fulfil its objective to move Joburg into becoming a business-friendly city, which is also one of the seven mayoral priorities. “There is a need to identify focus areas that will lead the city into achieving these objectives. If we look at the past five years, it is evident that we have been in a state of decline. “With poverty and unemployment at its highest, it is a priority for us to support small and medium-sized businesses,” said Mbundu. He said that the department…

Narrative frames are fundamental to unifying ideologies. They frame what is possible and impossible, which ideas can be accepted and which must be rejected. In her book, Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics, storyteller and political analyst Nanjala Nyabola examines the framing of the Fourth Industrial Revolution narrative in this light. She argues that it is being used by global elites to deflect from the drivers of inequality and enable ongoing processes of expropriation, exploitation and exclusion. During a recent policy dialogue on the Future of Work(ers), she commented: “The real seduction of this idea is that it’s apolitical. We can talk about development and progress without having to grapple with power.” The Fourth Industrial Revolution’s chief ideologue is Karl Schwab, chairperson of the World Economic Forum, who published an influential book…

The US and China are expected to use Asia’s top security meeting this week to trade blows over everything from Taiwan’s sovereignty to the war in Ukraine, although both sides have indicated a willingness to discuss managing differences. The Shangri-La Dialogue, which attracts top-level military officials, diplomats and weapons makers from around the globe, will take place from today to Sunday in Singapore, the first time the event has been held since 2019, after it was postponed twice because of Covid-19. On the sidelines of the summit, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Minister of National Defence General Wei Fenghe are expected to hold their first face-to-face meeting since President Joe Biden took office. “We expect, from our perspective, the substance of that meeting to be focused on managing…

GOMA: The armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo have accused Rwanda of sending 500 special forces in disguise into Congolese territory, the latest accusation in an escalating dispute between the neighbours. Rwanda’s government said it would not respond to baseless accusations. The Congolese military said 500 Rwandan special forces, wearing a green-black uniform that is different from their regular uniform, had been deployed in the Tshanzu area. Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group. | Reuters…

THERE will be no keener eye on the United Rugby Championship (URC) semi-finals this weekend than that of Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber, who will continue his evaluation of back-up players for the imminent series against Wales and the better they perform in the elevated pressure of knockout rugby against the competition’s best, the more they will impress. Nienaber said it is vital that this year is used to grow depth in every position ahead of next year’s World Cup. He added that the Boks need to grow their game plan, and with the Bulls and Stormers both playing an entertaining brand of off-load rugby, the further they advance in the URC, the better the chance of Nienaber allowing the Boks to play more adventurously. The Bulls have off-loaded the ball…

THERE can be no arguing that right now Red Bull are hot, hot, hot and are in the pound seats for this year’s F1 titles. They lead both championships – defending world champion Max Verstappen is on top of the world drivers’ title; while the team holds a 26-point advantage in the less prestigious, but more important constructors. Right now they have the most powerful car, with excellent reliability, which is the fastest car on the straights, and no squealing pig in the corners either. Verstappen is arguably the best driver in the paddock – his form and talents fusing together to make him a consistent force on the grid. Quite frankly, he is the driver to beat, but my big question is, will Red Bull allow it? Verstappen’s teammate,…