Índex per 2022-06-28 a Star

A rural Limpopo high school managed to move from an under-performing 39% matric pass rate to highest in the district for three years in a row, against all odds. Worried by the pass rate and school’s to meet the matric pass target set by the Department of Basic Education, the principal and deputy principal of Makgongoana Secondary School in Mankweng implemented learner support tools using a community development programme, Tools for Life. The initiative began deputy principal William Ramodike, who is also a Zion Christian Church pastor, attended a pastor empowerment seminar in Midrand delivered by the non-profit organisation, Scientology Volunteer Ministers. “I had the privilege of attending a seminar where I was introduced to a free life skills community development programme, Tools for Life,” said Ramodike. “The programme trained…

Though many people concede that social media plays an essential role in disseminating vital information there is also a deep-rooted belief that it has a negative impact on mental health. It is no secret that social media is contaminated with a lot of opinions and criticism that can come across as vile. In many cases celebrities fall victim to atrocious comments when they share an opinion or a picture. The only reason many choose to stay is the amount of valuable information that can be easily acquired – and there is no denying that it is a field of breaking news. Media personality Nandi Madida turned to Twitter to share how people should perceive social media and how crucial it is not to take everything that happens there to heart.…

Every now and again, the suggestion is made that the president should be directly elected by the voters. Our Constitution provides for Parliament to elect the president. The motivation is that the people would thereby have more control over and more confidence in a president they elect, rather than having the MPs do the electing. Superficially, this might seem to have merit. But there are many reasons why we should firmly reject the proposition. The most recent proposer is Chief Justice Zondo. He hopes that a directly elected president might prevent the election of another Jacob Zuma, or someone even worse than him, thus avoiding the looting and thievery of the Zuma presidency, about which Mr Ramaphosa, the then deputy -president, remained quiet. With respect, the chief justice is wrong.…

Negotiations over the revival of the Iran nuclear deal, which reached an impasse and were suspended in March, will resume this week, according to participants in the talks. The agreement to return to the table, announced over the weekend by Iran and the EU, came after a visit to Tehran by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. The EU, which serves as co-ordinator of the talks between world powers and Iran, has been trying for months to find a way to restart them. “A final deal is within reach, if other parties have the will to do so,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian wrote on Twitter late on Saturday after meeting with Borrell. A senior Biden administration official said on Sunday that the US has agreed to attend the new…

KABUL: Aftershocks continue to be felt in the area hit by a deadly earthquake in Afghanistan last week and the area remains unsafe for survivors, a senior Afghan official said yesterday, as authorities grappled with the disaster’s fallout. Afghanistan’s most destructive earthquake in decades struck a remote south-eastern region near the Pakistani border last week, killing at least 1 000 people, injuring 3 000 and destroying 10 000 homes. Among the dead were 155 children, with nearly 250 children injured and 65 orphaned, the UN humanitarian office said. | Reuters…

The North West has recorded a 41% increase in children aged between 10 and 14 giving birth in health-care facilities. In response to a question by the DA in the provincial legislature, the Department of Health (DoH) revealed that they recorded 153 deliveries from girls aged between 10 and 14 from April 2020 to March last year. It increased to 216 deliveries for the same period in 2021-22. During the same period, the DoH noted an increase of almost 17% in deliveries from girls aged between 15 and 19. Between April 2020 and March 2021, 8 806 deliveries were recorded, increasing to 9 424 deliveries between April last year and March this year. The DA spokesperson on health in North West, Gavin Edwards, said the party was troubled…

TWO pilots were killed after their aircraft crashed on a farm in Kinkelbos in the Eastern Cape at the weekend. The men, aged 25 and 33, left Dawid Stuurman Airport at about 6.15pm on Saturday, en route to East London. They turned the aircraft around at Kenton On Sea and headed back towards Gqeberha before crashing. Eastern Cape police spokesperson Priscilla Naidu said the aircraft was located via aerial view in bushes on a farm in Kinkelbos. “Two pilots died on impact after their light aircraft crashed. At about 8.07pm, communication with the aircraft was lost. At about 10pm, SAPS Search and Rescue team, including the Diving Unit and Gqeberha K9 unit, were mobilised to search for the missing aircraft. The search was abandoned at 2.30am and resumed at 7am.…

The countdown has begun for the long-awaited Miss Supranational pageant that will see contestants from across the globe battle for this coveted title. Reigning Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane has jetted off to Poland to compete in the prestigious event on July 15. Mswane will face-off with beauty queens from across the globe in the battle for the Miss Supranational 2022 crown. She will be representing South Africa for the second time on a global stage after making it to the top 3 in the Miss Universe showdown in Eilat, Israel, in December last year. The reigning SA queen did her countdown as she shared how pleased she was to be representing South Africa for the second time on the world stage. Bubbling with excitement Mswane took to social…

Why is it that when women come to power in politics or government, they seem to spend more time at the beauty salon than doing the jobs for which they were elected? They have a makeover and come out dressed to the “nines”, with fingernails that defy any hope of them being able to sign their name, let alone do admin or community work On Carte Blanche recently, the Free State representative was invited to meet farmers and townsfolk who were decrying the state of the roads, with potholes as large as craters. She was three hours late, arrived with a six-car entourage and came looking like she had stepped out of a salon. Please, ladies, if you want us to take you seriously, show more commitment to solving our…

THE Western Cape High Court has reversed the decision of a magistrate who had ordered a woman to pay R50 000 in damages for defamation because she had reported that a father was sexually abusing his children. A magistrate’s court earlier found that the woman had bad-mouthed the father in the letter of concern she had sent to the police. She was ordered to pay him damages. However, the woman, who is not identified to safeguard the children, took the judgment on appeal to the high court. She maintained from the start that her intention was not to defame the father, but she insisted it was her legal and civil duty to report her concerns to the welfare people and the SAPS if she suspected that children were…

THE ONSET of the Covid-19 pandemic and the many months of uncertainty, anxiety and push for scientific breakthroughs sent journalists all over the world on the hunt for expert voices. They wanted sources to explain to audiences what was happening and why. Research has shown that when journalists look for sources, they often focus on already visible – and accessible – experts associated with prestigious institutions. These institutions are favoured because they tend to have a demonstrable track record of engaging with the media in terms of time pressures and the need for reliable quotes. One of the problems with this approach is that the visible scientists, as research has shown, are mostly men. Also, it’s been found that when female experts are interviewed, they are often judged on…

QUITO: A 10%-per-gallon cut to gasoline and diesel prices was not enough to halt two weeks of protests which have hit the country’s weakened economy and threatened its oil production, Ecuadorean indigenous organisations say. The price reduction announced by President Guillermo Lasso is the latest concession to try to quell the demonstrations demanding lower fuel and food prices. At least seven people have died in connection with the marches, which began on June 13, and the country’s oil output has been halved, with the energy ministry saying a production halt is possible today. | Reuters…

RABAT: The father of a Moroccan man sentenced to death by a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) on mercenary charges urged his country yesterday to open a dialogue with pro-Russia Donetsk authorities to help release his son. Tahar Saadoun said although Rabat did not recognise the DPR, it should find channels to communicate with authorities there over his son Brahim Saadoun, 21. He was found guilty last month of “mercenary activities and committing actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order” of the DPR along with two Britons. | Reuters…

South Africa 284 Marizanne Kapp smiled. That’s a rare thing, but so is a Test century. With arms aloft, she turned to the change-room, her smile matched those of her teammates, who all stood, rightfully and applauded, one of the best Test knocks by a South African player. It was a much-needed one too, because when Kapp arrived at the crease SA’s position was a precarious one. Having been inserted by England captain Heather Knight, the Proteas, playing their first Test in eight years, struggled against the new Dukes ball, which was being used for the first time in a women’s Test match. The visitors lost openers Andrie Steyn and Laura Wolvaardt in the opening hour and by the time Kapp arrived at the crease, the Proteas had slumped to…

The NATIONAL Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) supports less than 1 800 students living with a disability. Briefing the media last week, Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande said the department and the NSFAS would continue to support 1 770 students with disabilities – who received a comprehensive set of allowances from the scheme – for the current academic year. “We have committed that students with disabilities will qualify for NSFAS if they come from families who are not only earning up to R350 000 (a year), but who are earning up to R600 000 per annum, because of this government’s commitment to assist those of our people and students with disabilities,” Nzimande said. His spokesperson, Ishmael Mnisi, confirmed the figure was correct.…

MZANSI Magic is introducing a new star-studded show, Isifiso, which boasts some of the country’s most well-known actors. Isifiso is set to premiere on Monday, July 4, and will explore the theme of sibling rivalry gone wrong. The story centres on a woman living in her younger sister’s shadow, envying her seemingly-perfect life – but not all is what it seems – as she tragically learns. The 13-part drama series is produced by Match Point Productions. The cast includes Nelisa Mchunu who has made stellar appearances in Isibaya and Isithembiso, Melusi Yeni (The Wild); Ntando Mncube (The Wife) and Zinhle Mabena (Isibaya). The supporting cast includes familiar and fresh faces, such as Duduzile Ngcobo, Bandile Maphalala, award-winning musician Sjava and Nkosinathi Kheswa. Director of local entertainment channels at M-net, Shirley…

THE Animal Law Reform South Africa, EMS Foundation and Chief Stephen Fritz want three elephants, Lammie, Mopane and Ramadiba, released from the Johannesburg Zoo. They have taken their plight to the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, and have lodged an application against the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo and other governmental institutions involved in the running of the facility. The applicants want the continued confinement of the elephants at the Johannesburg Zoo to be declared unlawful and unconstitutional. Secondly, the decision to continue to keep the elephants in captivity in the Johannesburg Zoo should be reviewed and set aside. They are asking in the alternative that the elephants be released into a suitable and appropriate re-wilding facility. According to them, the elephants are being held in conditions unsuited to their…

“Self care” content has been trending for a while on social media. But female content creators seemed to dominate the space until male content creators started curating that category of content. Popular content creator – Sabelo the Kreator – was the first breakthrough male influencer to create that style of content. His videos received a lot of backlash and a majority of them were men who felt it was not “okay” for men to be cleaning as much as Sabelo did or to take care of their space to such an extent. With passing time and people getting used to the content, there has been a change in tune. More male content creators are coming out of their shell and are curating self-care and mental health care content and sharing…

THAT tragedy that befell the families of the children who died at Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park in the Eastern Cape calls for not only parents, but the community to reflect on how we can do better in raising our children. No one wishes to give birth to a child and raise them only to bury them at a tender age as young as 13. The pain that is felt by the families of the 21 children whose bodies were found lying strewn across tables, chairs and on the floor at the tavern – with no obvious signs of injury – is extremely shocking and painful for the nation. As questions are raised and no information as to what caused the death of the possibly young future leaders of our…

KYIV: In a virtual address to leaders at the G7 Summit yesterday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wanted the war waged by Russia against Ukraine to end before winter. He asked the G7 leaders for reconstruction aid, anti-aircraft defence systems, help with grain exports and security guarantees and to intensify sanctions on Russia. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Russian missile strikes showed it was “right to stand together and support Ukrainians”. Zelenskiy is also expected to address the Nato Summit in Madrid. | IANS…

SAFA vice-president Ria Ledwaba has claimed that the association’s president Danny Jordaan is not the right man to lead South African football forward. The 70-year-old retained his position after securing victory in the election on Saturday. Jordaan accumulated a total of 186 votes while Ledwaba received 27 and Solly Mohlabeng of Safa Gauteng managed just eight, all of which ensured a further four years of Jordaan at the helm. Following his victory, Jordaan will now serve a third term as the president of Safa, a position he has held since 2014. Ledwaba shared her post election thoughts with members of the media and expressed her displeasure at the outcome of the Safa National Elective Congress. "I don’t think he (Danny Jordaan) is good for our football, I believe he has…

CAF president Patrice Motsepe has promised that the CAF Champions League final will soon return to its former format of being played over two legs (home and away). This comes amidst an outcry from last season’s Champions League final runners-up Al Ahly to have the venue of their final against Wydad Casablanca changed. The final was played in Morocco for consecutive years, which also gave Moroccan-based Wydad home advantage over the Egyptian giants. Motsepe also played down suggestions that his relationship with former Al Ahly and Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane is unhealthy, referring to Mosimane as his “favourite coach”. Mosimane and Motsepe are believed to not be on good terms since the latter departed Sundowns in order to take charge of Al Ahly in 2020. “We’re going to fix that,”…

Wales assistant coach Stephen Jones says the non-achievement of the Welsh teams in the United Rugby Championship has no bearing on how the national team will perform against the Springboks in Pretoria on Saturday. Jones, who played over 100 games at flyhalf for Wales, says the Welsh players carry no baggage from their failed URC campaign into the three-Test series against the Boks. “How we went in the URC has no psychological bearing on this series, none at all,” said Jones, who was on the field for the British & Irish Lions when they lost the vital second Test to the Boks in Pretoria in 2009. “The last six games between Wales and South Africa have been very close and the majority of our guys were here with the Lions…

New Zealand’s preparations for the first Test against Ireland were thrown into disarray yesterday after head coach Ian Foster, two of his assistants and two players tested positive for Covid-19, with the visitors also hit by the virus. To help cope with the disrupted build-up New Zealander Joe Schmidt, who coached Ireland from 2013-2019, was rushed into camp to attend All Black training sessions. Ireland also suffered a setback with wing Mack Hansen testing positive, while forwards Iain Henderson and Rob Herring both picked up knocks in weekend training and underwent scans yesterday. Munster’s Niall Scannell has been added to the squad to provide additional cover at hooker and is expected to arrive today, Ireland said in a statement. Foster, forwards coach John Plumtree and defence coach Joe McLeod are…