Índex per 2022-08-10 a Star

Imposition of duties by the US government has had negative impact on jobs SOUTH Africa has used the visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to once again push the US government to lift punitive Trump-era tariffs against South African metal imports to that country. In 2018, then President Donald Trump’s administration imposed additional tariffs on global steel and aluminium imports, at 25 and 10 percent ad valorem, respectively. The tariffs were imposed for national security reasons, based on the findings of an investigation in terms of Section 232 of the US 1962 Trade Expansion Act. Certain countries were granted temporary exemption from the tariffs, including Canada and Mexico, but no exclusion was granted to South Africa, despite extensive lobbying by the government. The imposition of the duties…

CONSUMER food price inflation could moderate in the second half of the year as all data points to another favourable agricultural season in 2022/23, Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) chief economist Wandile Sihlobo said on Monday. He said higher tractor sales, attractive prices and favourable weather forecasts suggested that South Africa could have another favourable agricultural season in 2022/23, which could then see the consumer food price inflation moderating in the second half of the year from the higher levels of 9 percent year-on-year in June. Agbiz believed the food price inflation could remain contained at relatively lower levels in 2023. “The global price movements and fuel prices remain the key upside risks. Still, we foresee a better outlook, provided the conditions we spelt out hold,” Sihlobo said. Agbiz said as…

Not Okay a satirical black comedy which focuses on whiteness, notoriety and white guilt in pursuit of social media clout, falls short of hitting its mark. The movie follows Danni Sanders (Zoey Deutch), an aimless aspiring writer with no friends, no romantic prospects and – worst of all – no followers, who fakes an Instagram-friendly trip to Paris in the hopes of boosting her social media clout. When a terrifying incident strikes, Danni unwittingly falls into a lie bigger than she ever imagined, and then instead of owning up to her lie, she doubles down. As an influencer and advocate, Danni finally has the life and audience she’s always wanted. But it’s only a matter of time before the façade cracks and she learns the hard way that the internet…

SIXTY-SIX years after South African women fought against the injustice of apartheid in 1956, women now experience the most violent sexual crimes and witness gruesome murders, said civil society organisations. Yesterday, as the country marked National Women’s Day, civil society bodies said women are still oppressed and still do not have freedom of movement because they fear gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). The SA Civil Society for Women Adolescents’ and Children’s Health (SACSoWACH) said it was time communities rallied behind women. “Violence against women and children is rising at alarming rates. There should be agreement on what needs to be done at family, community and societal level,” said SACSoWACH chairperson Precious Robinson. The National Shelter Movement of SA (NSMSA) said the government must take responsibility for failing women and children…

Crime in the Johannesburg central business district has only gotten worse over the years, but in recent times, parts of the city have become no-go zones for most residents and motorists. Nugget Street and the MTN taxi rank, both in the Hillbrow area, including the surrounding roads, have turned into criminal dens that prey on innocent people passing through to get to work or their businesses. Business robberies, traffic light robberies and muggings in the Johannesburg CBD have become somewhat of a norm, with new videos popping up on the internet almost every week, showing citizens at the mercy of criminals. As for law enforcement, there is no area that is considered a “no-go” zone, said Xolani Fihla, spokesperson for the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD). Fihla said police had…

All Blacks captain Sam Cane expects another “hostile” reception at Ellis Park when they face the world champion Springboks in the second round of the Rugby Championship on Saturday. The All Blacks were overwhelmed at Nelspruit last weekend, and Cane knows the challenge will only increase at the 1995 World Cup final venue. “It’s a hostile environment, but we quite like playing in places like this because it tests you,” Cane said yesterday. “We are a bit higher (in altitude than last weekend) and the air is a bit thinner, so it is a massive challenge.” If the All Blacks’ task of turning around a horrendous season was not hard enough, they are now also sweating over the fitness of star wing Will Jordan. The 24-year-old, who has dotted down…

Swallows FC blew a two-goal lead before edging an entertaining encounter 3-2 with a late penalty against Cape Town City at the Dobsonville Stadium last night. The match was briefly disrupted prior to kick-off with unfamiliar drama as City filed a motion to play the match under protest, as Swallows fielded new signing Kwanda Mngonyama from the start, but listed him as a substitute on the team sheet. The Dube Birds took a surprising lead in the 16th minute through new man Waseem Isaacs, following a spell of pressure by City. Tshediso Patjie and Abel Zulu combined very well before floating a cross to Isaacs in the box, the former Stellenbosch man excellently evaded his man in the penalty area before leaping and placing his header into the top corner,…

There are no picturesque backdrops here, no ocean views, stretches of white-sand beaches nearby, a flat-top mountain with a rolling blanket of cotton-banked cloud, nor manicured grass lawns of suburbia. You will find none of that around the precinct of Ellis Park. Instead, you will witness the works of the everyday man and the metropolitan sprawl of concrete, iron and urban decay; the faint sense of despair associated with all inner cities; a boiling pot of cultures, ideas, traditions – but also, the murmur of hope intertwined within quotidian activities. Ellis Park sits within a depression barely visible until it is upon you, hidden by factories with their weather-worn zinc roofing and battered buildings coated by dirt and grime. Once it comes into view, the brutalist design of concrete and…

ONELOGIX Group has warned that it has become increasingly difficult to operate a logistics company in South Africa due to the great number of challenges outside its control. The group’s shares are currently trading under a cautionary notice that warns of its possible delisting following a transaction that it does not yet name. The group said in a trading statement on Monday: “Within this sluggish economic environment, it has become increasingly costly to conduct a logistics business in South and southern Africa, primarily due to the inability to recover various rising costs from our value chain.” Headline earnings a share were expected to decrease by between 55 percent and 75 percent for the year ended May 31. Headline earnings a share were expected to fall to between 2.8…

THE LARGEST paper and plastics packaging business and recycler in Africa, Mpact, is facing relentless cost pressures, forcing it to charge higher prices. “Input costs have continued to escalate since the end of June, putting further pressure on margins. “Discussions are under way with paper customers regarding selling price increases, to be implemented in October,” chief executive Bruce Strong said at the release of the group’s results for the six months to June 30. In the six-month period to June 30, the group managed to beat rising input costs by raising prices. Macroeconomic uncertainty and persistent global supply chain constraints caused difficulties in the cost and availability of most raw materials and new capital equipment. “Where possible, we increased raw material inventory to mitigate long lead times and periods of…

Outgoing KwaZulu-Natal premier insists he has been a loyal supporter since 2005 OUTGOING KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has dispelled assertions that he betrayed former president Jacob Zuma to become the province’s first citizen. He called the assertions a myth that was peddled by people within the organisation to dent and undermine his leadership. Zikalala, who advised ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo last Thursday of his resignation, said he was one ANC official who had supported Zuma in his face-off with the law. The assertions come after Zikalala’s defeat at the party’s provincial conference against former ANC Youth League official Siboniso Duma, who is now the party’s chairperson in the province. The party has since announced that Zikalala will be replaced by Nomusa Dube-Ncube, who has been a member of the…

THE bail application for accused number 3 in the Hillary Gardee murder case was postponed on Monday following an announcement that the presiding officer in the matter had taken ill. EFF protesters sang outside the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court while lawyers for the accused were expressing distress inside, following yet another postponement in the case. It was announced that Magistrate Edward Horn was off sick, and therefore the bail hearing for 52-year-old Albert Gama could not resume. Gama’s lawyers were unhappy because they had brought a witness, his brother, all the way from Durban to testify. The case was postponed to August 16, when Magistrate Horn will either return or a new magistrate will take over the bail application. Last week, accused number 1, Sipho Mkhatshwa, 39, was denied bail when…

According to reports, Bheki Cele, referring to the brutal gang rape of eight women in Krugersdorp, said he could not imagine a beautiful woman with a zama zama and to be raped only once is a lucky break. Such reckless comments must be condemned as it can reinforce the skewed belief that women are like “commodities”. I cannot imagine the deep trauma these innocent victims of sexual sadism are going through, and we have the minister of police making such absurd statements. Beyond swift justice for rape victims and the need for harsher punishment for perpetrators of rape, urgent strategic approaches need to be put into place. Sexual assault and rape inhibit women’s lives and limit their opportunities. The aim of the intervention should not be about just reducing rape…

Ingredients 2 Tbsp (30ml) olive oil 2 onions, roughly chopped 4 sticks celery, sliced 6 carrots, sliced 4 cloves garlic, grated 8 sprigs fresh thyme 1 large packet (100g) tomato paste 5-6 cups vegetable or beef stock 1 can (400g) chopped and peeled tomatoes Salt and milled pepper 1 cup (150g) pasta (like alphabet pasta or macaroni) 1 packet (300g) green beans, sliced into 2cm pieces 6 baby marrows, roughly sliced ½ packet (150g) Swiss chard or kale, shredded 1 can (400g) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed Grated parmesan, for serving Buttered sourdough bread or crusty rolls, for serving Method Heat oil in a pot and brown onions, celery and carrots. Add garlic and thyme and fry for a minute. Add tomato paste and cook until sticky. Pour in stock…

Thor is back. And with his mighty mitts infused with the power of Mjollnir in hands powerful enough to crush the phalanges in a handshake or when clamping down on a rugby ball – and the girdle of Megingjord restored around him, which makes him an immovable object at the breakdown – he will hope to bring order to Ellis Park this weekend. Yes, Duane Vermeulen is back in the Springbok starting XV for their Rugby Championship match against the All Blacks on Saturday (5.05pm kick-off). Vermeulen has spent just over two months out of action, and although the 36-year-old has seen very little game time during that period, he was confident at the Bok team announcement yesterday that he will bounce back into his old, devastating, hard-running habits immediately.…

Ashleigh Buhai won her first Major after a four-hole play-off against South Korea’s In-Gee Chun in the Women’s Open at Muirfield on Sunday, and has been on cloud nine ever since. Buhai and Chun ended on 10-under-par after 72 holes, and the South African star held her nerve to get the better of her South Korean opponent in the play-off to become the second SA woman to clinch a major title after Sally Little in 1980 (LPGA Championship) and 1988 (du Maurier Classic). As Buhai began packing her clubs for her next journey across the pond, the newest SA major champion took time out of her busy schedule to chat about the biggest week of her life. What does this victory mean to you, and how did you celebrate? Buhai:…

DIVERSIFIED Namibian company Trustco Group Holdings’ share price leapt 35.56 percent higher to 61 cents after it announced on Monday that a South African high court had granted it the right to review the JSE’s decision to suspend the company’s listing on the bourse. The review application is set down for a hearing on September 5. Trustco approached the high court to prevent the JSE from enforcing its issued suspension decision. In November 2020, the JSE found that Trustco did not comply with the listings requirements in relation to its annual financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2019, and interim results for the six months ended September 30, 2019. At the time, the JSE directed Trustco to take steps to rectify its non-compliance. The JSE then…

US GROUP Prudential Financial and LeapFrog Investments have taken a 33 percent stake in local financial services company Alexforbes Group Holdings after a partial offer to shareholders concluded on Friday. Alexforbes announced in March this year that Prudential was interested in increasing its stake in Alexforbes in a bid to enhance the US financial giant’s emerging market strategy. Alexforbes Group Holdings said on Monday the investors had increased their shareholding to 33 percent with the purchase of a 14.83 percent stake, following the implementation of the Mercer Sale Agreement, and through the acquisition of 246 047 621 Alexforbes shares in terms of a partial offer to all shareholders. The partial offer constituted about 18.2 percent of Alexforbes’ issued shares as at July 8.…

The Drama Factory is celebrating Women’s Month with a series of stage productions, music, comedy, dance and panel discussion, all presented by women for women. The inaugural Women’s Month Festival, Your Voice, Your Stage, runs at The Drama Factory until August 21. Festival co-producer Faeron Wheeler and Sue Diepeveen, the owner of The Drama Factory, had been toying around with the idea of a festival for women, for many years. “It’s been an that we’ve been kicking around for a while, but a festival takes a bit of work and time to put together. When lockdown restrictions started lifting, and there was some light at the end of the tunnel for the entertainment industry, we thought let’s do it this year and we’ve done it. And we’re very…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa said despite the progress women have made since 1956, their struggles continue today. Ramaphosa was speaking at an official event at Silahla Sports Field, Richmond Municipality, in KwaZulu-Natal. “The women of South Africa today have attained a number of rights. Opportunities that their grandmothers and great-grandmothers were denied for years. The struggle of women in the country is not done yet, there is still a mighty struggle that needs to be engaged. We still need to uplift the women of our country to the level where they are equal to men,” said Ramaphosa. Women’s Day is an annual commemoration of the August 9, 1956, Women’s March to the Union Buildings by 20 000 women from all backgrounds who resisted the apartheid authorities’ imposition of pass laws. Ramaphosa…

WATER utility, Joburg Water, will be implementing an urgent short-to medium-term plan in which old asbestos cement piping infrastructure in the central and north of Joburg will be replaced. MMC for the environment and infrastructure services department (EISD), Michael Sun, said: “A large section of piped infrastructure in places like Craigavon, Bloubosrand, Maroeladal, Chartwell and surrounds is asbestos cement. This decades-old infrastructure is not designed to withstand the rapid opening and closing of the water system that occurs during upgrades and routine maintenance.” Last week, residents in Fourways and surrounds experienced severe water interruptions as Joburg Water attended to several planned and emergency outages. The EISD said a planned outage due to scheduled piping upgrades in Craigavon caused constant outages in the immediate vicinity for several days due to asbestos…

ENTERING Women’s Month with a bang, award-winning South African playwright Napo Masheane hosted the inaugural HerStory International Theatre Festival. The festival made history at the Soweto Theatre this month with a seven-day event that came to an end on August 7 after a successful turnout. The opening night on August 1 was filled with women from various walks of life, sharing their creative gifts at the Soweto Theatre, and the performances were curated and presented in a unique way that was very appealing to the eye. The performances included Elelloang, a poem by the Yamoria duo comprising twin poets Fumane and Mfumo Ntlhabane, music sung by Buhle Bendalo, classical music by Caroline Barole, and performances by bass player Aus Tebza with the bass guitar and the Fat Black Women Sing,…

On the 77th anniversary of the bombing of Japanese-cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Congolese Civil Society of South Africa (CCSSA) and Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education remembered the first victims of the atrocity – those who had mined the deadly uranium for the atomic bombs with their hands at the Shinkolobwe mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The annual commemorative event was held at Gardens Commercial High School on Saturday. On August 6, 1945 the atomic bomb “Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima, and “Fat Man” on Nagasaki on August 9. The mining of the uranium at Shinkolobwe formed part of the Manhattan Project, a US-led effort to produce the first nuclear weapons. The society’s Yves Salankang said the shadow of silence and secrecy was still on…

Jose Riveiro’s victorious Orlando Pirates will look to keep the Soweto flag flying tonight after rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Swallows FC tasted defeat in their opening Premiership matches over the weekend. Pirates, fresh from a 1-0 ‘original Soweto derby’ win over Swallows, face Stellenbosch FC at Danie Craven Stadium (7.30pm kick-off). They will run out for the first time in their new white-and-grey away kit, which was designed to mark the club’s 85th anniversary. Attendances were up at most venues for the season openers, and the Mother City had one of the most impressive turnouts after 15 000 fans were present for Friday’s Cape Town City-Mamelodi Sundowns match at Cape Town Stadium. Some 60 kilometres further down the N1 is Stellenbosch’s home venue, and it is likely there will also…

Champions League debutants Cape Town City were first out of the hat when the preliminary round draw took place in Cairo yesterday. Eric Tinkler’s City, last season’s Premiership runners-up, will play Congolese team AS Otoho in the preliminary round. The winners of the home-and-away tie will advance to the first-round proper and play the winners of the prelim tie between Associacao Black Bulls of Mozambique and Angola’s Petro de Luanda. Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns were exempted from the preliminary round, along with defending champions Wydad AC, Raja Casablanca (Morocco), TP Mazembe (DR Congo), Esperance (Tunisia) and Al Ahly (Egypt). Sundowns will face the winners of the tie between Volcan Club de Moroni (Comoros) and La Passe FC (Seychelles). The preliminary round matches will be played on the weekends of September…