Índex per 2022-07-04 a Star

JUNE 2022 new vehicle sales were “inspiring” considering the ever-increasing challenges in market conditions, but further strong sales in the next few months looks less promising. National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) data released Friday showed June domestic new vehicle sales increasing 7.6 percent to 41 019 units from 38 131 vehicles sold in June 2021. Export sales also increased 18 percent, to 33 054 units compared to 28 010 vehicles exported in June 2021. “As consumers start to feel the pinch of rising food and fuel prices, with higher interest rates on their cost of living, the spill-over effect of reduced disposable income will result in lower demand for non-essentials.” Stage 6 load shedding would also cost the economy dearly…

KWAZULU-Natal-based business heavyweight and AmaZulu FC owner Sandile Zungu is trashing opponents in his bid to be elected as chairperson of the ANC in the province. In a surprising twist over the weekend, the mogul turned down calls for him to be premier saying “he was not interested in a government position but wanted to be chairperson of the ANC in order to renew and rebuild the party”. It was believed that provincial Finance MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube was in the lead to be the province’s chairperson but Zungu’s “New KwaZulu programme” has put a in spanner in the works. Zungu has been meeting big corporates in a bid to create jobs, construct new highways and a fast train between Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Richards Bay. Early this year several people asked…

A FORMER traffic officer who died more than 10 years ago left “his wives” in a difficult position as he apparently took his secrets to his grave as to whom he was married to at which stage. The now 79-year-old Maria Mkhari took the other Mrs Mkhari (no first name given in judgment) to the Limpopo Division of the High Court for an order that Home Affairs register and record the civil marriage between her and the now-deceased husband, entered into in the late 1970s. She said her husband paid R70 lobola for her in the 1960s after their first child was born. She insists she is the one and only Mrs Mkhari and that the house her husband built for her in Polokwane was only hers. The granny told…

After decades of neglecting the continent, Turkey finally decided to turn its attention to the African continent in 2005, with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) declaring that year as ‘The year of Africa’. The AKP signed a trade and cooperation agreement with 45 countries in Africa, while Turkish contractors completed $70 billion (about R 1,183b) worth of projects. Turkey’s trade volume with Africa has increased fivefold during the last two decades. Business communities and Turkish NGOs contributed significantly toward this. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, has together with his family become the sole beneficiary of Turkey’s hard-earned achievements in Africa. The display by the Djibouti Armed Forces of a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drone in commemoration of the 45th anniversary of independence day is a testimony to the…

THERE is no doubt that the economy of South Africa is in the hands of Eskom – and it would, therefore, be foolish to expect the economy to improve in the the face of the darkness that we have been subjected to for years. As it is, everything associated with the government is collapsing in front of our eyes and we seem to have given up, waiting for biblical Moses to rescue us. Eskom doesn’t need any commission of inquiry, as some MPs would like the public to believe. The role of any commission of inquiry is simply to locate the cause of the crisis and make recommendations to mitigate a given catastrophe. Eskom, like any other state-owned entity (SOE), has been experiencing heightened levels of political interference…

I waS sitting in an Eskom Stage 4 blackout reading your article on the Toyota BZ4X electric car (Tuesday, June 20) when Eskom announced a Stage 6 blackout starting at 2pm (just when my Stage 4 blackout was supposed to end), meaning I had another two or three hours of blackout. One of my pet hates is people who waste our scarce electricity when petrol is widely available. Their excuse (apart from wanting to show off) is that electric cars (EV) are “greener”. In South Africa, this is not true, as the following comparison with an internal combustion engine car (ICE) will show. In his test drive of the EV, Willem van de Putte achieved a usage rate of 71.4kWh over 385km. According to Eskom’s reports, their coal-powered stations typically…

SOUTH Africa’s Constitutional Court has decided to strike down the government’s plans to end old-style analogue television broadcasting at the end of June. The decision upholds the right to information, which poor South Africans would have been denied as government has been slow to roll out the devices they need to access the new digital signal. But the decision further delays migration to digital broadcasting and will leave South Africa struggling longer, with a lack of urgently-needed bandwidth. The migration would free-up space on the frequency spectrum for mobile data and other uses. The government had many years to ensure a smooth transition and ensure that poor households would continue to have access to television services but it failed to do so. A last-minute rush and hasty deadlines could not…

Geneva: With smiles, pride and emotion, the first same-sex couples tied the knot in Switzerland on Friday following a referendum that changed the landscape for LGBTQ rights in the country. Among the first to get married were Aline, 46, and Laure, 45, who have been together for 21 years and converted their civil union into marriage at the plush Palais Eynard in Geneva. Beneath a sparkling chandelier in a mirrored salon, and with close friends and family in attendance, the couple exchanged touching words recalling their years together and love for each other. |…

While the country will be plunged into Stage 6 load shedding again this afternoon, Eskom continues to blame its implementation on the “unlawful industrial action” by workers that appear to have sped up wage negotiations which has resulted in a new wage agreement proposed by Eskom. The proposal was heard at the Central Bargaining Forum (CBF) on Friday, where unions deliberated for almost 12 hours and were expected to decide on the agreement tomorrow at the next CBF hearing. They appealed for the public’s patience while they consulted with their members. Eskom CEO André de Ruyter said that the increased power outages were continuing as a result of “the unlawful and illegal industrial action” which the power utility was still experiencing in spite of a return-to-work call issued by…

THE UN’s 2021 Champions of the Earth and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley will be the speaker for the 20th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture. The Nelson Mandela Foundation announced on Friday that Mottley had been chosen as the speaker for the 20th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, which would be held in eThekwini in November. The lecture was expected to take place in eThekwini in solidarity with the people of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape who were hit by severe rains and catastrophic flooding in April. The foundation said that the lecture was a unique platform to drive debate on significant social issues and that the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture was an important event on the foundation’s calendar. “It encourages the public, both local and international to enter into…

Two suspects, aged 25 and 57, charged with fraud and money laundering, appeared in the Lenasia Regional Court after they were arrested last Monday by the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation team in Johannesburg. “The investigation team executed a warrant of arrest against the two additional accused, Zain Muhammed Valle, 57, and Michelle Bianca Bezuidenhout, 25, at their respective residence in Lenasia and Alberton,” said Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Captain Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu. The arrest of the two emanated from an alleged crypto currency establishment scam where the complainant was lured to invest in Siyakhula Logistics Pty (LTD) in February 2020, with the potential of lucrative dividends. Mulamu said the complainant in the matter allegedly transferred approximately R34 million into the establishment and Bezuidenhout’s bank accounts, on different transactions. “Valle and…

SAA knows not what it does. It has been revealed that an SAA airbus departed Accra with a load of contaminated fuel, endangering the lives of those on board. The airline industry in general follows strict pre-flight protocols, ensuring the safety of their equipment and passengers. Not so for SAA, as the pilot decided to take off with dubious fuel and the question is, was he aware? It has emerged that the aircraft, upon its arrival in South Africa, was quarantined, and the fuel lines placed under a microscope, to ensure that the aircraft was safe to fly. Accra airport officials showed a concerning dereliction of duty as they pumped the unacceptable fuel. All flights to and from this destination should cease immediately until Airbus Company and the South African…

WHAT an embarrassment Zimbabwe’s judiciary system is! The Human Rights Act says all courts in Zimbabwe must apply the law in a way that respects human rights. Opposition MPs Job Sikhala and Chitungwiza North counterpart Godfrey Sithole were arrested on the June 14 after the eruption of violence during the funeral wake of slain CCC activist, Moreblessing Ali, which involved CCC and Zanu-PF supporters. What a farce of a legal system. What an embarrassment our country’s judicial system is. I asked myself why no Zanu-PF people were arrested in that incident because they were also there? Why Job Sikhala and Godfrey Sithole were arrested? This case has hit me hard. Zanu-PF must be disbanded because it is so corrupt. What kind of a ruling party kills, annihilates opposition members, allows…

Algeria marks 60 years of independence from France tomorrow, but rival narratives over atrocities committed during more than a century of colonial rule still trigger bitter diplomatic tensions. The North African country won its independence following a gruelling eight-year war which ended with the signing in March 1962 of the Evian Accords. On July 5 of the same year, days after 99.72% voted for independence in a referendum, Algeria finally broke free from colonial rule – but memories of the 132-year occupation continue to mar its ties with France. The country’s authorities are planning to mark the anniversary with pomp and ceremony, capped by a vast military parade in Algiers, the first of its kind in 33 years. A show is also planned at the capital’s opera house that “retraces…

Banjul: The Gambia has suspended all timber exports, following reports the West African state is serving as a transit point for the illegal smuggling of endangered rosewood. “All existing permits issued for the export/re-export of timber are permanently revoked,” the information ministry said, instructing port authorities to prevent any logs from being loaded on to ships. “The export/re-export or import of Pterecarpus erinaceus is banned,” it added of endangered African rosewood used for woodworking and protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. |…

Dutch sprinter Dylan Groenewegen snatched victory in the third stage of the Tour de France yesterday, edging Wout van Aert on the line, although the Belgian retained the overall race leader’s yellow jersey. Bike Exchange rider Groenewegen ensured Jumbo’s Van Aert finished second for the third time after the 182km stage, the last in Denmark before the race returns to France, with large crowds lining the route in the Jutland region. Van Aert leads Yves Lampaert atop the overall standings by seven seconds with Tadej Pogacar in third at 14 seconds. The yellow jersey holder is also top of the sprint points rankings for the green jersey. “I’m looking forwards to the next week in France,” said Van Aert, who could end up in yellow for a while. “The team…

LIMPOPO head of Department of Health, Dr Thokozani Mhlongo, has resigned amid the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) scandal that was under investigation. Her resignation letter was handed in to the office of Premier Stan Mathabatha, who accepted it and wished Mhlongo “well in her future endeavours”. The premier’s spokesperson Ndavhe Ramakuela said Mhlongo cited personal reasons for her resignation on Friday. This was despite Mhlongo together with the chief financial officer, Justice Modau, and other senior officials undergoing an internal disciplinary process for their role in the PPE scandal. Mhlongo’s resignation came after the Special Investigative Unit’s (SIU) report revealed a range of offences in the procurement of PPE in the province, including irregularly appointing a company called Pro Secure. In the January report, the SIU found, among others, that…

MEMBERS of the newly-formed ANC Women’s League National Task Team (NTT) have chosen to remain mum about the exclusion of its president and former social development minister Bathabile Dlamini following the disbandment of the organisation in April. The ANC’s highest decision-making body, the national executive committee (NEC), disbanded the structure after it failed to hold an elective conference and replaced it with the NTT led by former speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete as convenor. A letter penned by ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile stated that the 43-member structure was to ensure that all structures were in good standing, conferences are held in branches, regions and provinces to ensure that the ANCWL national conference is convened within a year and ensure that processes are accurate so that the standing of the conference…

ALL roads led to Durban at the Greyville Racecourse over the weekend where Mzansi’s A-listers and horse-racing lovers immersed themselves in the Durban July experience under the theme, “Show me the honey”. The Hollywoodbets Durban July holds up an iconic status with its acclaimed race which does not only command the attention of South Africa but has gone beyond the borders. This prestigious event is hailed as Africa’s greatest horse-racing event attracting people from all walks of life. Every year travellers and media from abroad make special trips to Durban to enjoy the “July experience”. The Durban July is arguably one of the events that wins at capturing the interests of people with its entertainment. The event does not only present horse racing but people get to showcase their extravagant…

For a good two years, the world reeled from the Covid-19 pandemic, causing havoc and distress as it wrecked human lives and robbed us of peace. However, as the saying goes that “from the ashes, a fire will be woken”, resilience prevailed and the Hollywoodbets Durban July was proof that no havoc can bring us down. If there was an event that attracted both the poor and the rich, the ordinary people, traditional, religious, and political leaders under one venue, then it is the annual Hollywoodbets Durban July. This event has the strength to attract people and bring them to South Africa’s tropical city which continues to be resilient even when natural disasters strike it and destroy its infrastructure. Not only did we see a display of art and fashion…

New York: The US state of New York moved to enshrine abortion rights and access to contraception in its constitution on Friday, becoming a vanguard in the pushback against a ruling by the country’s Supreme Court that upended reproductive rights nationwide. New York state law already permits abortions, so the move would add an extra layer of legal protection for the procedure. Meanwhile, Google announced on Friday it would delete users’ location history when they visit abortion clinics, domestic violence shelters and other places where privacy is sought. |…

New Delhi: Ayush Gharat and Avni Singh from Gurugram and from Bengaluru, both students associated with the Future Leaders programme, have been conferred with Diana Award 2022 for going above and beyond in their daily life to create and sustain positive change. The awards were conferred on Friday virtually as the ceremony happened in London. Singh, 17, helps underprivileged children get mainstream learning through her project named Neev. And through his project named Aashwas, Gharat, 18, provides aid to frontline health workers by conducting fun sessions for them and raising funds for PPE kits. The Diana Award was established in the memory of the late Princess of Wales to inspire positive change among young people and it is considered one of the highest accolades a young person can receive for…

The lure of securing an automatic qualifying berth at next year’s Women’s World Cup may be a far bigger proposition than attaining glory at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in progress in Rabat. Nigeria’s Super Falcons have reigned supreme in the continental competition and have won the title 11 times in 13 attempts. On the two occasions Nigeria failed to reach the final, they bowed out in the semi-final rounds. Banyana Banyana have never won the title, but have reached the final five times without success in the decider. Thrice they were defeated by Nigerians, and in the remaining two finals, they lost to Equatorial Guinea, who will not be campaigning in Morocco this time. Against this background, South Africa may be purely focused on bagging a World Cup…

SuperSport United midfielder Keagan Johannes is raring to go after earning selection to Bafana Bafana’s squad for the Cosafa Cup. The youngster’s call-up comes as a reward after regular first-team action for Matsatsantsa last season. The 22-year-old also proved that he is a scoring threat as he notched three league goals last term. “I feel good. It’s an honour to be here. It was not an easy choice for the coaching staff to select the squad based on the quality of players that we have,” said Johannes, a former South Africa Under-23 player. While Johannes is new to the senior national team set-up, international football is nothing new to him. He was part of the South African team that finished third at the 2019 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations. By…