Índex per 2022-09-07 a Star

THE RAND REMAINED weak above the R17-mark against the US dollar yesterday as the size of South Africa’s economy in the second quarter shrank smaller than what it was before the pandemic. Data from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) yesterday showed that real gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 0.7 percent quarter-on-quarter due to heavy flooding in Kwa- Zulu-Natal in April and intense power outages. However, the economy was up a touch by 0.2 percent on an annual basis. The subdued economic growth saw the rand weakening to R17.30 against the greenback around 4pm while stocks were stable with the JSE benchmark index remaining almost unchanged. The rand and other emerging markets economies currencies have been struggling to gain traction as investors have sought the safety of the dollar…

l Launches private prosecution over medical records THE Jacob Zuma Foundation believes the former president has a serious case that can put lead State prosecutor advocate Billy Downer and News24 journalist Karyn Maughan behind bars for 15 years. However, the media house and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) have respectively declared their support for the two to the hilt. The foundation revealed that Zuma had launched a private prosecution against Downer and Maughan, accusing them of publicly disclosing details from his medical records. The foundation’s spokesperson, Mzwanele Manyi, said yesterday that after much resistance the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), advocate Shamila Batohi, had acceded to Zuma’s demand to provide him with a nolle prosequi certificate in terms of section 7 of the Criminal Procedure Act, and in…

The Star asked Rebaone Phithi about her pageantry journey as the Face Of Devotion Mzansi 1. How has Face of Devotion Mzansi affected you? Immensely. Face Of Devotion Mzansi has given me a platform of amazing opportunities. For one thing, my face is on a billboard. Never have I thought that I would have that kind of opportunity. One would even call it an opportunity of a lifetime. Moreover, through this brand, I have learnt the importance of true leadership, compassion, growth in my own potential and I have received the gift of a new family. It’s been a life- changing journey as I’m getting to experience new things, travel all over the country, meet amazing individuals and form new connections with people in the modelling industry. Face of…

You know it is Sunday evening when Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye is claiming trends on social media as scores of viewers react to his controversial show Uyajola 9/9. While the show was trending on Twitter, media personality Andile Ncube spoke out about the participants in this show often compelled to do things unwillingly by the show’s security guards. “One day a smart lawyer will watch this show and reach out to many unwilling participants who get restrained, held and forced to stay put against their will by guards. I’d be a fly on the wall who hears what the law would say,” Ncube tweeted. His comments evoked a strong response, with some telling him off, while others echoed his sentiments. Big Step pointed out how the show perpetuates abuse.…

Health authorities in the Eastern Cape health are liable for damages to a widow after her husband fell out of the fifth floor window of the Livingstone Hospital in Gqebera. The incident was found to have been due to the negligence of the staff who under-medicated him and did not properly monitor him for his apparent psychosis. George Williams was admitted to this hospital while he was suffering from severe alcohol withdrawal, a condition known as delirium tremens. He also appeared to have been suffering from secondary schizophrenia. Williams died of his injuries hours after he had fallen out of the glass window from the fifth floor at the nurses’ tearoom. How wife, Jeanine Williams, instituted a claim for damages in the Eastern Cape High Court, saying if the…

According to the ANC, Cyril Ramaphosa is the best that they can give the country. The governing party is even considering to give him a second term in their forthcoming December elective conference. It’s only the deputy presidency and other positions that will be contested, it seems. There is also an additional factor: according to a survey, the governing party leader is more popular than the ANC brand. That means the ANC‘s brand is damaged, and there is no hope that it can be redeemed, despite the calls for the party to “renew” itself. Having said that, Ramaphosa has proven himself to be the worst president ever. Yet the ANC sees him differently. He lacks the courage to act against corrupt members in the name of “unity”. He also takes…

Cyberattacks are on the rise globally, with seriously negative implications for countries’ strategic, national, economic and social well-being. A cyberattack can be defined as an unauthorised attempt – successful or not – to infiltrate a computer or computer system for malicious purposes. Reasons for such attacks vary from financial gain to espionage or gathering strategic and national information and intelligence about an adversary. Such an adversary can be a nation state, a corporate entity or a private individual. The authoritative international Cybercrime Magazine expects global cybercrime costs to grow by 15% a year over the next five years, reaching $10.5 trillion (about R180 trillion) a year by 2025. “This represents the greatest transfer of economic wealth in history, risks the incentives for innovation and investment, is exponentially larger…

JAKARTA: Thousands of people rallied in Indonesia’s biggest cities yesterday, demanding the government reverse its first subsidised fuel price increase in eight years amid soaring inflation. Under pressure to control an energy subsidy budget, President Joko Widodo said he had little choice but to cut the subsidy and let fuel prices rise by about 30% . Protests took place in and around the capital, Jakarta. Police were deployed across Jakarta, many guarding petrol stations, fearing they could become targets of anger over a price increase that unions say will hurt workers and the poor the most. | Reuters…

BEIJING: Chinese drug regulators have approved the world’s first inhalable Covid-19 vaccine, made by Tianjin-based manufacturer CanSino Biologics, boosting the company’s share price by 7% this week. The needle-free vaccine – which can be stored and administered more easily than intramuscular jabs – will be given through a nebuliser. The company did not offer details on when the adenovirus-vectored vaccine – which a Lancet report in July 2021 said induced strong antibody responses – will be made available for public use. Scientists in several countries including Cuba, Canada and the US are also trialling inhalable Covid-19 vaccines. | AFP…

ONLY time will tell if Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis was telling the truth after she predicted the team will play much better at next year’s World Cup. Ellis’ comments followed after they suffered a 6-0 thumping by Brazil in Durban on Monday evening. It must have sent shivers down the spine of the South African technical staff as Brazil, the world No-9 ranked team, ran roughshod over Banyana in the drubbing. Apart from Friday’s match which the South Africans lost 3-0, the only other time the team ran out against world-class opposition this year was in April when Banyana Banyana lost 5-1 to the Netherlands, No 6 in the world. It was a coup of sorts that the South African Football Association (Safa) managed to secure world-class Brazil for…

IN the midst of the excitement around Nedbank Running Club’s clean sweep of the men’s podium positions at the Comrades Marathon, a massive achievement by a member of coach Dave Adams’ ‘Happy Bunch’ has sadly gone somewhat unnoticed. Perhaps rightly so though. For how else could anyone be “side-tracked” from the one-two-three feat accomplished by dow- run debutant Tete Dijana, 2019 up-run champion Edward Mothibi and Comrades novice Dan Moselakwe? The discerning Comrades Marathon follower would, however, have taken note that the sole woman in Adams’ six-member team set a record of sorts at last week’s 95th running of the Ultimate Human Race. That not much noise has been made about Galaletsang Mekgoe’s fifth-place finish is because there were “bigger” tales about those who got to Moses Mabhida Stadium ahead…

BALDWIN NDABA Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi has confirmed that ANC bigwig in Ekurhuleni, Sello Sekhokho, scored R14.5 million in 55 contracts from Tembisa Hospital in the past three years. Mokgethi made the admission in her written reply to questions asked by Jack Bloom, the DA’s spokesperson on health in Gauteng. Bloom asked Mokgethi to give a detailed account of payments made to Kaizen Projects, Nokokhokho, and Bollanoto Security by Tembisa Hospital in 2019/21. She said Sekhokho was selling cleaning material, protective clothing, medical consumables, office supplies and groceries. Sekhokho is the treasurer-general of the ANC’s Ekurhuleni region. His three companies, Kaizen Projects, Nokokhokho Medical Supplies and Bollanoto Security, were awarded R2.8m in contracts in 2019, R4.2m in 2020 and R7.5m last year when Dr Ashley Mthunzi took over as…

THE North West University (NWU) has confirmed that it is investigating its student teacher said to have called a Grade 9 PJ Simelane Primary learner sis bhuti (sissy boy). Tiro Moalusi died by suicide, ingesting rat poison after this “homophobic slur”, allegedly at the hands of the student teacher. “It was an unfortunate incident that led to the death of the learner. The incident has been brought to our attention and we have also communicated to both the Minister of Basic Education (Angie Motshekga) and the Minister of Higher Education (Blade Nzimande) that we have launched our own investigation into the matter,” said NWU spokesperson, Bertie Jacobs. Jacobs said the investigation was still ongoing and the university was yet to share the details. Moalusi’s death sent shock waves across…

Author, activist and social entrepreneur Amonge Sinxoto has written a thought-provoking book which sheds light on the significance of pronouncing names precisely to help people see the power their names possess. My BIG name is a book about a young girl Isenguye who comes to understand the power her “BIG” name retains. This relates to her full name and its meaning. Unpacking the book she reveals on her first day of “BIG” school, Isenguye mets her teacher who refused to learn to pronounce her name, and in doing so, took away the power in Isenguye’s name. Sinxoto says the book is relatable to many Africans whose names are constantly mispronounced, and how these experiences can be damaging to a child’s self-esteem. She revealed that she had always known that she…

International Literacy Day, marked globally on September 8, underlines the important role education plays for empowerment, progress and peace. Education is the key to the empowerment of individuals, through the discovery and development of their inherent potential. As Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith states: “Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.” Today, millions of people all over the world are deprived of realising their God-given potential, due to lack of access to education. According to Unesco statistics, 773 million people (15 years and older) cannot read or write and most of them are women and girls. In addition to its role in the empowerment of individuals, education is also…

Graphic illustrations about the wanton destruction of school property at Alex High and confirmation that the virtual destruction of Charlotte Maxeke Hospital was an act of arson reveal we are a nation of vandals, destructive predators, who even desecrate tombstones. The destruction of the passenger rail system by miscreants graphically illustrates and confirms we are a nation of shameless vandals. Under the shadow of Covid-19, criminals dismantled a fully functional rail system, resulting in displacing millions of commuters. It pains me to say we are a nation of vandals. We vandalise anything from the new to the old, beautiful to the ugly, the public to the private, precious to the inexpensive. Vandalism is considered to be the result of wilful or thoughtless behaviour towards the environment, resulting in the destruction…

Though there are contrasting views on Gorbachev’s legacy, it is important to recall that as leader of the former Soviet Union he oversaw the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989, after Moscow’s failed decade-long war there. While he served as secretary-general of the Communist Party before ascending to the presidency of the country, his country’s ill-fated war on Afghanistan, was viewed by him as a “political mistake”. What he failed to acknowledge is that despite the Soviet Union’s massive firepower, widespread bombing campaigns and thousands of troops, the resistance by the Mujahideen was no walkover. Indeed, he failed to own up to horrendous atrocities and massacres amounting to war crimes in Afghanistan. Massive displacement of millions as Afghan refugees in neighbouring Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran…

Geneva: The UN warned yesterday the humanitarian situation in flood-ravaged Pakistan was expected to get worse, a day after establishing an air bridge to deliver aid to victims. More than 33 million people in Pakistan have been affected by the flooding, brought on by record monsoon rains. The floods have caused at least 1 300 deaths. The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) said more than 1 460 health centres had been damaged, the majority of them in the southeastern province of Sindh. More than 4 500 medical camps have been set up. WHO said it was still difficult to get to areas hit hard by the floods | AFP…

BET Africa has announced its new daily drama, Redemption, which boasts a star-studded cast alongside new emerging talent. The latest original production revolves around the highly respected Zikode family. Critically-acclaimed actor Themba Ndaba portrays celebrated pastor Simon Zikode, who mysteriously disappears, forcing his daughter Faith, played by Kwanele Mthethwa, who is on the cusp of her international music career, to rush to her family’s rescue. The cast also includes Africa Movie Academy Award winner Tina Jaxa as the pastor’s devout wife, Evelyn Zikode, a classic matriarch who guards her nest like a hawk. Of course, no drama would be complete without the resident bad guy, and Mzansi favourite Sthandiwe Kgoroge will be taking up that role. Critically-acclaimed Safta winner Seputla Sebogodi, Yonda Thomas, Pearl Modiadie and Sparky Xulu will also…

The EFF has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of using his employees to hide his crimes. This comes after a News24 article which alleges that Ramaphosa admitted to acting public protector, advocate Kholeka Gcaleka, that he was aware that a mysterious Sudanese businessman handed $580 000 (about R10 million) to an employee at his Phala Phala farm, 45 days before the much-talked about farm heist on February 20, 2020. In a statement, the EFF said it was not surprised that Ramaphosa had confirmed in a leaked communication with the public protector that he had knowledge of the $580 000 at his farm 45 days before it was stolen. The name of the alleged Sudanese businessman is said to be Mustaf Mohamed Ibrahim Hazim, who allegedly handed the…

THE SA Gross Domestic Product shrunk by 0.7% in the second quarter of the year. According to data released by Stats SA yesterday, this was due to the devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal, while load shedding contributed to the decline, weakening an already fragile national economy that had just recovered to pre-pandemic levels. One could not ignore that on the same day as the data was released, power utility Eskom implemented stage 2 load shedding. That has been a contributing factor to the contraction in GDP. According to the national statistical service, the flooding had a negative impact on a number of industries, most notably manufacturing. Manufacturing is the largest industry in KZN, according to 2019 data, accounting for a fifth of national manufacturing production. “The damage to factories and plants,…

Actor and musician Simphiwe Majozi, known for his portrayal of the vibrant Sbu Makhathini on the popular TV show Uzalo, has come out to defend his name against abuse and infidelity allegations by his former girlfriend. A few days ago, startling charges were made public by Majozi’s former lover Kekeletso Mahlelebe, who claimed that she was subjected to physical abuse and infidelity while in a relationship with him. Majozi has slammed all the claims against him, saying his former girlfriend gravitated to his portrayal of Sbu on Uzalo, rather than to who he was authentically. In a statement, Majozi said: “I have learnt of the malicious claims of abuse and cheating by my ex-girlfriend Kekeletso Mahlelebe on Sunday Times Edition. I would like to categorically state that I respect…

CORRUPTION by traffic officials taking bribes will be dealt with harshly, no matter what amount of money is involved, a judge has said. With these words, the judge confirmed the two-year direct jail sentence meted out to a Limpopo traffic official. “Dishonesty remains dishonesty, and the value of gratification received will not make it less dishonest. A high degree of professionalism, morals and honesty is expected from the law enforcement officers. “If they are left to do as they wish, the society at large will lose confidence in the officers who are supposed to protect road users from those who break traffic laws on a daily basis,” Judge Maake Kganyago, sitting in the high court in Polokwane, said. Traffic officer Portia Ramphelo found out the hard way a bribe –…

Gary Selikow (“DA evidently remains a white party”, The Star August 31) attacks the DA and tells untruths about me. Dealing with the DA, Mr Selikow evidently uses the word “white” as a pejorative: white equals bad. I do not know his race, but he really has no need to feel ashamed of being white, if he is. White people are full and equal citizens of SA and they make a significant contribution to virtually every aspect of national life. The DA polls between 20% and 26% of the vote. Since white voters make up 8% and not all whites vote or vote DA, it follows that more than two-thirds of DA voters are not white. It is in fact that most multi-racial party, by far. Hardly a white party.…

SOUTH Africa’s stagnant economy needs a major shot in the arm – or two. The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 0.7% in the second quarter in quarter-on-quarter, Stats SA announced yesterday. Yes, GDP grew 0.2% year-on-year in April-June, but it’s cold comfort considering that in the same period last year, we were in the middle of a pandemic and the economy was in partial lockdown. And while we are staring down the barrel of yet another interest rate hike later this month, and the rand hit a two-year low – R17 to the US dollar – we can at least take heart from a R2 petrol price dip this week. It’s taking longer than hoped to shake off the effects of last year’s civil unrest and flooding in KwaZulu-Natal,…

An earthquake in south-western China killed at least 66 people this week and sparked criticism about orders for residents to stay put in Covid-19 lockdown instead of fleeing to safety. The 6.8-magnitude earthquake is the latest challenge for Sichuan province, which has been beset this year by floods, drought, power shortages and onerous pandemic controls. The quake, whose epicentre was in rural Luding county, has also prompted an outcry about authorities’ continued prioritisation of coronavirus prevention over other emergencies. A screenshot of a chat group was widely shared on social media, in which residents in the city of Chengdu were ordered by their building manager to stay in their apartments through the earthquake. “Everyone, you may not go down the stairs!!” the building manager wrote. “You may not run!!!!” The…

Seoul: Two people were killed and 10 others remain unaccounted for after typhoon Hinnamnor moved away from South Korea. The 11th typhoon of this year brushed mainly through the country’s southeastern areas. One woman in her 70s was found dead in Pohang, 270km south-east of Seoul, after she had been swept away by torrential waters. In Pohang, eight people went missing after entering inundated underground parking lots to remove their cars, while another was swept away into rapid torrents. Another woman in her 80s died in Gyeongju in a collapsed house. In Ulsan, a man, 25, went missing after falling into a stream. | IANS…

KAIZER Chiefs are hoping gangly striker Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana will beef up the team’s anaemic attack. Burundian international Bimenyimana made his Chiefs debut over the weekend when he joined the fray against AmaZulu in the 70th minute. He replaced striker Ashley du Preez who had a quiet game after returning from a three-game lay-off because of injury. The record shows that Bimenyimana has not played many games in the past few seasons when he was active in several countries including Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Slovakia and Lithuania. During his 10-minute outing, Chiefs tried to bring him into the game with feeds from deep options, but he struggled to gain possession. He does however come highly recommended and is known as a power striker of the ball and superb in aerial duels. Chiefs coach…

NEWLY promoted Richards Bay claimed a 1-0 victory over Royal AM at Chatsworth Stadium yesterday to climb to the top of the Premiership standings. Luvuyo Memela capitalised on confusion in the Royal AM box to hand his team the advantage in the 27th minute. The veteran winger pounced as the ball bounced between defenders, after his first effort was parried by Patrick Nyame, and he reacted quickest again to fire past the Cameroon international to give the visitors the lead. Royal AM came into the encounter looking to make it three consecutive league victories and extend their lead at the top of the log, with Mamelodi Sundowns and AmaZulu hot on their trail. Royal AM had to make do without the experienced duo of Ricardo Nascimento and Thabo Matlaba at…

HAVING good travel plans are essential in the quest for success for South African rugby teams. It is no coincidence that the Stormers and Bulls contested the first United Rugby Championship final, considering the fact that SA sides generally struggled in Super Rugby. While the New Zealand teams were good, what most SA players and coaches would tell you is that travelling to Australasia had a debilitating effect. Travelling to Europe for URC games is much more comfortable due to the time zones being similar. But things can always be better, and that is why the Qatar Airways partnership announced on Sunday in Doha will make the lives of the SA teams significantly easier. Bulls coach Jake White spoke just yesterday at the local URC season launch in Midrand about…