Índex per 2022-07-21 a Star

CONSUMERS should brace themselves for further price hikes as the cost of living in South Africa is expected to remain elevated for the remainder of the year and only ease somewhat in the last three months. This as the headline consumer inflation surged to a 13-year high in June driven by rising fuel and food prices. Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) yesterday said the annual inflation rate in South Africa quickened to 7.4 percent in June from 6.5 percent in May, rising above market expectations of 7.2 percent. This was the highest rate since May 2009 when the rate was 8 percent and the economy was facing the headwind of currency depreciation during the global financial crisis. StatsSA said prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose…

KENHARDT, the sleepy but arid town in the Northern Cape that bloomed from under a camel-thorn tree, is being put on the map for the most spectacular renewable energy project after the Norwegian group, Scatec, was first out of the blocks as it builds a R16 billion renewable energy facility. The company announced yesterday that it had reached financial close with the financing in place for its Kenhardt projects – Scatec projects Kenhardt 1, 2 and 3 – under the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme after signing all the project agreements on June 2. The project will deliver 150MW of PV Solar Energy, with 1.1GW of battery storage, which will be sold to power utility Eskom amid a power shortage in South Africa. The project –…

BANKS must come to the party amid the slow pace of transformation, which was dictated by those who owned the economy and assets, Black Business Council (BBC) vice-president Gregory Mofokeng said yesterday. Mofokeng was speaking during a panel discussion at the launch of the second 2022 Sanlam Gauge report held yesterday. The panel speakers included information and communications technology sector council chairperson Andile Tlhoaele and financial sector transformation council chief executive, Pumla Ncapayi. “If I own a company, I decide whom to sell it to at what price. What do black people own to transform the country? Black people and the government are blamed for the lack of transformation. The people who decide whom to sell to are the owners of the assets,” he said. Mofokeng said when the assets…

“Driver Sought In Hit-and-Run; Victim Critical”, read the headline in the Daily Oklahoman on May 2, 1990. The newspaper reported that police were still searching for the driver of a car that had struck 22-year-old Tonya Dawn Hughes a week earlier on a service road near a major highway in Oklahoma City. That isn’t the type of incident usually explored in a true-crime film, but the story went far deeper, as chronicled in the chilling Netflix documentary The Girl in the Picture, which has been atop the most-watched movies on the streaming platform since it premiered last week. Even the original 12-paragraph Oklahoman article made the story seem simple, if sad, noting that Hughes had been staying at a nearby motel with her husband, Clarence Hughes, and their son, Michael,…

Angry residents of Tembisa in Ekurhuleni took to the streets in a violent protest yesterday, saying they were sick and tired of the shortage of electricity and other service delivery-related issues. Most of the streets in the area were barricaded by burning tyres, rocks, stones, tree branches and other debris, preventing motorists from driving in or out of the township. Gauteng provincial SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo said a large police contingent was deployed to maintain calm, but the situation was still tense. One protester said: ”We are hungry and we are deprived of electricity, for what reason we don’t know. Rent is too expensive, we are not coping.” Another resident called for the Rabasotho Customer Care Centre to be closed, saying it was not assisting them when they raised…

ACCORDING to ousted ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, the problems of the party began before the 54th Nasrec ANC national conference in 2017, with the recalling of former president Jacob Zuma in March 2018 being the final nail in the coffin. Magashule, who was ousted due to the ANC’s step-aside policy, was speaking on Power 98.7 in an hour-long interview on Tuesday. “My problems started as we were moving towards the Nasrec national conference. They started there and we only learnt when we were at Nasrec that the judiciary behaves in this way. If you look at what happened during those months towards Nasrec, you could find judgments simultaneously throughout the country and we did not actually understand. “That is why some believe that some and not all the judges are…

In just two days in early July, 25 people were shot dead in four separate incidents at taverns across South Africa. In one of these shootings, in Soweto, 16 people lost their lives. The killings made international headlines and were shocking even in South Africa, a society with one of the highest murder rates in the world. There has been intense speculation about the motives behind the killings in the absence of reliable evidence that explains why the multiple murders took place. To provide some insights into the possible reasons, I reflect on some of the research about mass shootings in South Africa with a view to recommending violence prevention interventions. Our mission is to share knowledge and inform decisions. South African police classify a mass shooting as an incident…

Conservationists have called for the introduction of environmental education in schools to protect and conserve biodiversity. Catherine Khun from Nature Connect, a Cape-based conservation group, was speaking to delegates at the Africa Protected Areas Congress (Apac) in Kigali, Rwanda. Kuhn said environmental education in South African schools was a key aspect of their work to support the preservation of the country’s unique and biodiverse natural heritage. This was done through education, training and conservation initiatives. “Environmental education involves integrating environmental and conservation knowledge-based learning into the school curriculum through various interactions and immersive activities either at schools or off site,” Kuhn said. Kuhn believed that environmental education in schools was essential to protecting and conserving this diversity as it enabled youth, adults and community members alike to better understand the…

The Suzuki Ertiga is one of Mzansi’s most affordable seven-seat people movers and for the 2022 model year the compact MPV range has been realigned, in a way that Suzuki feels is more in tune with what buyers want in this segment. Previously you could buy a Suzuki Ertiga in three specification flavours – GA, GL and GLX – but now the latter has been dropped in favour of an up-specced GL, which also gets some visual enhancements such as a new patterned chrome grille and brand new 15-inch alloy wheels with chrome detailing. The value leader is still the GA, which has gone up in price from R247 900 to R254 900, but it’s still cheaper than the Toyota Rumion equivalent that retails at R260 600. Standard features in…

RASSIE van der Dussen may not have had the amount of game time he desired in the Indian Premier League, but he did not sit around sulking for the two months spent in India. Van der Dussen, who plays with England captain Jos Buttler at the Rajasthan Royals, poured his energies into his fitness regime to prepare for the international season with the Proteas. Van der Dussen was often seen post matches doing drills in the searing subcontinent heat while also hitting the crossfit sessions hard in the gym with his personal trainer. After a belated start to his international career, the 33-year-old takes immense pride in his physical preparation. It is arguably the secret behind his success, particularly in the ODI arena, where Van der Dussen boasts the world’s…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has come out in full support of the black economic empowerment (BEE) laws in South Africa as one of the means to achieve inclusive economic growth. Ramaphosa yesterday said that black businesses should have a seat at the table and enjoy meaningful and equitable participation in the economy without any barriers. Next year South Africa will mark 20 years since the adoption of the BEE Act. Ramaphosa said an economy that only benefited a few, and did not reflect the country’s demography, would never be sustainable or dynamic. “There can be no growth without economic inclusion and without a business sector that reflects the diversity of our people and our society,” Ramaphosa said. “There can be no inclusive recovery and reconstruction unless broad-based black economic empowerment is…

NEDBANK Group said basic earnings per share (Eps) and headline earnings per share (Heps) were expected to increase by more than 20 percent in the six months to June 30, 2022, when compared with those in the six months to June 30, 2021. Basic Eps was expected to increase by 28 to 33 percent, resulting in a range of between 1 384 to 1 438 cents per share compared with the prior period figure of 1 081c per share. Heps was expected to increase by 23 to 28 percent resulting in a range of between 1 333 to 1 388c per share when compared with the prior period of 1 084c per share. The interim results are expected to be released…

What started off as Cassper Nyovest trolling Slik Talk asking for a rematch quickly took a left turn and somehow led to a Cassper v Priddy Ugly fight. On Tuesday evening, the Siyathandana hitmaker took to Twitter to share a screenshot in which Slik Talk texted him on WhatsApp claiming that if he had trained for the pair’s fight the outcome would’ve been very different and that he deserved a fair one. In his caption, Nyovest said, “Not Slik Talk wanting to get his ass whooped again”, which naturally led to several comments. One particular comment caught Cassper’s eye. “Ek se Abhuti Billiato, I was never scared,” commented rapper Priddy Ugly. “You hit my line & called me up about a fight & I gladly said yes, I didn’t hesitate,…

Supporters rally around former health minister in bid to get him to run for president The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had allegedly been instructed to move swiftly and ensure that former health minister Zweli Mkhize be charged to hinder his participation in the elective conference of the ANC that is set to take place in December. Political pressure to charge and arrest Mkhize has been met with resistance from his supporters, who have vowed to protect him. They believe he is being politically targeted. In July 2021, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) referred Mkhize to the NPA after an investigation report by the SIU found that the selection of Digital Vibes to conduct National Health Insurance and Covid-19 media campaigns was irregular, as were subsequent extensions and modifications of the…

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala paid homage yesterday to the 13 men who were shot dead at Mdlalose Tavern in Orlando, Soweto, earlier this month. Zikalala, together with MEC for Social Development Nonhlanhla Khoza and members of the uMzimkhulu Local Municipality and Harry Gwala District Municipality attended the event at the uMzimkhulu TVET Campus. The attack took place on July 9. The 13 victims were aged between 19 and 35. Police said more than 100 AK47 cartridges were found in the tavern. “Today we have come to the home of our dearly departed comrades under this veil of sadness and despair to say goodbye to relatives, friends and children of Harry Gwala who perished during the attack on the Mdlalose Tavern in Orlando. “KwaZulu-Natal and indeed our country simply cannot afford…

There's a global renaissance regarding women’s rights in the sporting world and some seismic shifts in political appointments, too. France, always at the forefront of gender equality endeavours, has appointed its first female prime minister in 30 years. In fact, Emmanuel Macron’s cabinet is made up of 14 male and 14 female ministers. Colombia has appointed its first female vice-president in its history. Ketanji Brown Jackson has just been appointed the first female black US Chief Justice, as President Joe Biden continues his relentless promotion of this protected species, since choosing a female as his second-in-charge. Both the Finnish and Swedish prime ministers (females) have launched a bifurcated and well-synchronised bid for Nato membership and the entire block is backing them. Moldova’s first female president, Maia Sandu, has launched a…

With his eye firmly on a trip to Thailand for the U23 World Wheelchair Basketball Championship, Wiseman Dlamini, pictured, said learning and bringing the knowledge home was at the top of his mind. The sportsman, a wheelchair player and coach of the Diesel Electric Services Eagles basketball team, is part of the Gauteng wheelchair basketball team for senior men. He said he needed the public to help him achieve this dream. Dlamini, a team manager for the national basketball team for senior men, said the event was set to take place from August 30 to September 17. “I need to raise around R35 000, for flights and accommodation.” The flight tickets cost R10 000 for the return trip, and accommodation could be negotiated at a special rate of $70 (about…

Right now fuel prices are laughing at the previous record highs that we complained about not too long ago – how we all feared that R20-per-litre doomsday – and just about everything seems to be inflating at a rapid rate, except most of our incomes. In these tough times it’s tempting to look at cars that are classified as fuel savers, and while you might say these little hatchbacks are as cute as garden gnomes, they’re unfortunately also not much bigger. Not the kind of cars that most South Africans like to buy, especially those with families to lug around. After spending a week with the recently updated Toyota Starlet, it occurred to me that this is the perfect car for the times. It’s about the size of a Polo,…

FORMER Bafana Bafana captain Mbulelo Mabizela has slammed the state of the Premiership. South Africa’s top flight is due to kick off at the beginning of next month with Mamelodi Sundowns looking to defend their title for the sixth time in a row. Mabizela, one of the best players to emerge from South African shores, has expressed his displeasure at the quality of football displayed in the nation’s top league. “I don’t watch the PSL any more, it’s boring. Things aren’t the same as when we used to play but I also don’t expect it to be. If you were to compare the standard of football from when we played, it has somewhat taken steps backwards,” he said. “The current generation couldn’t take the baton and continue from where we…

IT’S been a tricky few weeks for Sune Luus as she struggles with her form, while also dealing with drama surrounding the shock retirement of limited-overs batting ace Lizelle Lee. “It’s been quite tough mentally,” Luus remarked yesterday. Luus, usually the Proteas women’s stand-in captain, has now occupied the position for all of this year, with Dane van Niekerk still not fully recovered from the fractured ankle that she suffered just before the World Cup in February. Luus led the Proteas admirably through that tournament, and it has been virtually non-stop for her since. She was among a handful of players involved in some T20 gigs before the tour to England, then was called on to lead in a Test match while making her debut, and a one-day international series…

THE MAJORITY union at power utility Eskom, the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (Numsa), yesterday said that it was perplexed by the Department of Public Enterprises’ SOS call to Solidarity to help fill a skills shortage linked to “aggressive transformation”. Trade union Solidarity earlier this year offered to help Department of Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan to recruit at least scarce skills for the power utility, saying it had a list of more than 1 000 skilled people who were willing to assist and would set up a panel to select the top 100 people. Reports emerged yesterday that the minister had formally requested Solidarity to help with the recruitment of power station engineers – including mechanical, nuclear, electrical, system and maintenance skills – as well…

THE COUNTRY achieved a record six months without a mining fatality caused by a fall-of-ground (FOG) in gold and platinum mines, the Minerals Council South Africa said yesterday. This built on the record performance in the first three months of 2022 when a single person was killed in a FOG incident in the coal sector. “The leadership initiatives and the implementation of strategies, leading practices, and the Minerals Council-led FOG Action Plan to mitigate incidents have resulted in no fatalities in the gold and platinum mines for the first six months of the year,” it said. The entire industry was FOG fatality-free in the second quarter of the year. The council said its data showed that 23 employees had died in the year to date (July 18) compared to 29…

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix documentary series is reportedly being timed for release with The Crown. The releases are set to be timed so the shows did not get overshadowed by Prince Harry’s upcoming autobiography. A source added: “There is a lot to organise. Netflix wants to make sure they get in there and don’t get scooped. “(Netflix executives) knew the book was coming out, which is why they wanted the series this year. They don’t want to hold off any longer.” Harry, 37, and his wife, 40, known as Meghan Markle before they married, have been working on their Netflix content for more than a year after signing a reported mutimillion-dollar deal with the firm in 2021. Executives reportedly hope to show their docuseries shortly after the…

THE Information Communication Technology Union (ICTU) has vowed to fight side-by-side with the Sekunjalo group against the unbanking of the group and its subsidiaries by the banks, a situation that is likely to cost many jobs. The union, which represents more than 200 employees of the Independent Media group, including journalists, is concerned that the unbanking is a political ploy to remove Independent Media from the Sekunjalo stable. ICTU deputy president Origenous Mogoatlhe and union general secretary Vulture Ntuluki held a meeting with Independent Media workers in Durban yesterday to discuss, among others, Standard Bank’s recent announcement that it had decided to terminate its business relationship with Independent Media, citing “reputational risk”. The bank is one of two banks that still provide banking services to the company. The other one…

Ithuba said it was searching for the winner of the Powerball Plus jackpot who bagged almost R14 million. The draw took place on July 15 and the person won an amount of R13 909 149.80. According to Ithuba, the player bought a ticket at Shoprite Checkers in Soweto, Gauteng. The person spent R45 on a quick pick. Ithuba is also urging the Lotto Plus 1 winner from KwaZulu-Natal to come forward. The winner from draw number 2247, won an amount of R4 623 303.30. The person purchased the R15 winning ticket at Boxer Superstores in Pinetown and opted to select the numbers manually. Ithuba encouraged both players to contact their nearest Ithuba offices to claim their prizes. “We are excited to offer life changing jackpots and to continue to…

MORE than 30 schools in Gauteng are still using the platoon system despite the lifting of lockdown restrictions and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s order for the return to normal schooling throughout the country in April. This was revealed by Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi in his written reply to questions by DA spokesperson on education Khume Ramulifho in the legislature. Ramulifho asked Lesufi to give details about the number of rotational learning schools after Education Minister Angie Motshekga declared that all learners must return to normal schooling. In his reply, Lesufi gave a list of 38 schools that were on rotational learning, saying 19 of the 38 schools managed to return full-time, leaving the other 19 on rotational learning. “However, 15 new schools have moved from full-time attendance to rotational learning,…

The National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (Numsa) has rejected a planned purchase of Telkom by network provider MTN. In a statement yesterday, Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said it had learnt of a planned privatisation of Telkom through media reports. Jim said if the plans to privatise Telkom materialise, they must be rejected. He said Numsa condemned any plan to privatise Telkom. Telkom is a state-owned enterprise and the government stakeholder owns a 40.5% stake in it. It is the country’s biggest telecommunications provider. “As of 2020 it has overtaken Cell C to become the country’s third-largest mobile operator. We are opposed to any privatisation of state-owned companies. We have consistently warned about the dangers of privatisation and the dire impact this would have on the working…

a LOCAL dancer, Sinenhlanhla “Sne” Hlope, was euphoric after clinching the Johannesburg qualifier in the popular “Red Bull Dance Your Style 2022” global competition. The contest started the regional qualifying tour in Johannesburg, where dancers came in their numbers to compete for the chance to represent South Africa at the world final due to take place in the country on December 10. The tour got off to an exhilarating start this weekend as the energetic spectators at The Playground in Braamfontein cheered Hlope, from Randburg, to victory. The 19-year-old’s win advances her to the South African national final on October 22 and 23. Hlope said the competition was not smooth sailing. “All the rounds were tough, and even more challenging when I had to dance against one of my favourite…

Hyundai certainly has some magic under the bonnets of its cars. The engines are capable, quiet and seem to be able to run off the whisper of a rumour of fuel. Take the Hyundai Grand Creta 1.5D for example. When I had IOL’s test model delivered, it was sitting on an average of 6.5l/100km. I took it down to 5.5 – a car this large should not be using so little fuel. It beggars belief. And the diesel engine is both quiet and smooth. Yes, under hard acceleration you’re going to hear it moan a little, but this is not a car you’re going to be accelerating hard in (unless you’re in Sport mode, but more about that later). But let’s talk about what the Grand Creta is. It’s… well……

SEVERAL members of the media spewed vitriol in the aftermath of South Africa’s controversial Wafcon semi-final win over Zambia at the Mohammed V Stadium, in Casablanca, Morocco, on Monday night. Four minutes into added time, South Africa were awarded a penalty after Fifa accredited referee Lidya Abebe was made aware of a foul on her earphones by the officials operating VAR (Video Assistant Referee). After reviewing the play on the pitchside monitor Abebe, who refereed at the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup in France, awarded South Africa’s Banyana a penalty. Banyana winger Linda Motlhalo, aka ‘Randfontein Ronaldinho’, stepped up and netted from the spot. Motlhalo, who plays for Swedish club Djurgardens, was also crowned Player of the Match. The 1-0 scoreline remained unchanged in the remaining time and South Africa…

THE Springboks got the job done in their series against Wales, and now the focus shifts to the Rugby Championship. The series against Wales was far from an easy one. Not only did the Boks set up Cape Town as the decider with that 13-12 defeat in Bloemfontein, but up until the final Test in the Mother City, things could have swung either way in the first two outings, while the South African coaching staff also had to spend quite a bit of time defending their selections for the second game. The South Africans did enough in the third and final Test, however, to clinch the series 2-1 as they handed the Welsh a 30-14 defeat on Saturday. Here are five Springboks to watch out for come the Rugby Championship,…

THE singing of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika before every Springbok Test match is always a special occasion. While I remain neutral when writing about SA sports teams, I am proudly South African, and hearing the national anthem is a profound moment for me, especially considering what this beautiful country has gone through during the horrors of apartheid to fight for a democratic dispensation, and then the current battles we face as a nation in almost every sphere of society. Sports matches are a bit of escapism from all those travails such as loadshedding, the petrol price and the cost of living, and for 80-odd minutes, South Africans urge on their rugby heroes in green and gold to at least give them something to cheer about. But then, shouldn’t those Bok fans…