Índex per 2022-11-17 a Star

Earlier this week, South African actress and fashion designer Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa took to social media to expose a stranger who was threatening to leak “private chats” and “sexy pictures” of her, online. In a conversation she shared, she asks the stranger: “Why are you telling me about Peter?” To which the stranger responded: “We have the sexy pics you sent each other that will get more views,” followed by, “You have been warned, we also have rights.” In a now deleted Instagram post, the Safe Bet actress wrote: “I spoke up last night against the evil and gaslighting that has tormented me into a psych ward, because how dare I recognise #AmaLungelo that women such as Sojourner fought for. “All because I fall outside of a cabal! #SonkeSinamaLungelo *illegally…

Road Accident Fund plans to apply for leave to appeal judgment overturning its directive THE Road Accident Fund (RAF) is unhappy with the judgment issued last month in which the court put an end to a payout ban for members of medical aids. The North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, declared the directive by the RAF not to pay for past hospital and medical claims issued by members of medical aid schemes unlawful. The RAF was as a result interdicted from implementing the directive. But, the RAF said in a notice filed in court that it was in the public interest to appeal this judgment. It will ask the court for leave to appeal the judgment before the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein. Lawyers acting for the RAF said…

PRESSURE is mounting on the government and the ANC to resolve the deadlock on wage negotiations with public sector unions. Cosatu, the Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) and the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) are planning a nationwide national shutdown on Tuesday. The government is due to implement the disputed 3% salary hike to public servants today, but the unions affiliated to the three federations met three days ago and agreed to mobilise all their members to stay away from work on Tuesday. The shutdown is expected to affect services at major hospitals and national key points. At the heart of the unions’ complaint is the government’s unilateral payment of the salary increase despite the wage deadlock declared in October and early this month. The Young Communist…

African Transformation Movement (ATM) leader Vuyo Zungula has called for a complete ban on pit bulls in South Africa. This comes in the wake of several pit bull attacks, mainly on children. The latest incident was the mauling an 8-year-old boy in Vista Park, Free State, on Sunday. It is reported the police had to shoot dead the pit bull after it allegedly jumped over a fence and attacked the boy. Citing countries such as Netherlands, Poland, France, Germany, New Zealand, Denmark, Australia and Italy, which have banned the breeding of pit bulls, Zungula said owners and communities had a responsibility to protect children. The SPCA in Bloemfontein said more than 49 owners had surrendered their dogs to its care this week. The reporting of death after mauling by pit…

November 25 marks the start of the UN’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, and this year, mobile power bank provider Adoozy has joined forces with Women INPowered and the BEAR Foundation to launch a new personal protection initiative for high school girls and young women at universities. This involves free workshops that teach young women they have choices when in a threatening situation. Rather than focusing on traditional self-defence training – often ineffective due to the long hours required – the workshops help participants identify layers of safety to raise their awareness of potential threats. This initiative aims to teach them one critical life-saving physical defence technique that does not require hours of training. The Adoozy INPowered campaign kicks off in a personal protection workshop at Itirele Zenzele…

The only way to describe the plunge into so-called renewable energy into which South Africa is being manoeuvred is that it constitutes a reckless disregard for reality (Business Report, November 14). Development Bank of Southern Africa CEO Patrick Dlamini claims that, “(the) clear goal is to improve energy security because South Africa is suffering from climate change.” His assertions are absolute nonsense. In the first place, South Africa is not “suffering” from climate change because climate change is a natural, historical reality devoid of man’s influence. Dlamini’s projection that wind and solar energy will improve energy security is refuted by California and Germany’s energy insecurity because of their extreme reliance on those sources. While reducing CO2 emissions by 3.6 million tons – which means reducing coal mining by tens of…

IT WAS while touring the impressive facilities of Toulon rugby last week that the gap between South African and European rugby became apparent. Spoilers will follow. I recount now the villainous base in the James Bond film Spectre. Ernst Blofeld, the Moriarty to Sherlock Holmes of the Bond universe, has engineered – through some plot device – that 007 finds himself in the Sahara. There, in a crater, the nefarious villain’s base is discovered. It is a state-of-the-art facility, one that will capture and view the unlimited intelligence of participating nations, giving Blofeld vast power that could decide the fate of millions of people. Into this one base, a small city of henchmen works with technology that even the wealthiest of nations cannot even begin to fathom. They manage to…

MUSCAT: A tanker was hit off the coast of Oman this week sustaining minor damage to the hull with no injuries or spillage of the gas oil cargo, Israeli-controlled Eastern Pacific Shipping said yesterday and an Israeli official said Iran was responsible. Three maritime sources said a drone was suspected to have attacked the tanker. An Israeli official said Iran was responsible for the attack, using a Shahed-136 drone, the type it has been supplying to Russia for use in Ukraine. Iran’s Nournews, affiliated with the country’s top security body, blamed Israel for the attack. | Reuters…

Monday provided the clearest illustration yet of what is more interesting, attractive and newsworthy in South African cricket. Spoiler – it isn’t the Proteas. Despite the novelty of the SA20 League, it was striking how different the scrutiny was between the launch event for that competition – hosted at The Deck hospitality venue adjacent to the Wanderers Stadium – and the announcement of the Proteas Test squad for the series against Australia next month. For the latter, just a handful of media accepted the invitation to interview the chairman of selectors Victor Mpitsang and new interim coach Malibongwe Maketa at Cricket South Africa’s Centre of Excellence in Tshwane. In Illovo, meanwhile, the SA20’s commissioner Graeme Smith had to deal with a media scrum as he was backed up against a…

Beyoncé has received nine nominations for the 2023 Grammy awards and now holds a joint record with husband Jay-Z as the most nominated Grammy artists in history. The 41-year-old superstar is now tied with her husband with a total of 88 nominations each. She enjoyed a career comeback earlier this year with chart-topping single Break My Soul as well as new album Renaissance. Beyoncé has received a total of nine nods for the upcoming ceremony, with nominations in the categories of Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best R&B Song, and Best Dance/ Electronic Music Album, Best R&B Performance, and Best Song Written For Visual Media. However, the Single Ladies hitmaker faces competition – she is closely followed by…

A FORMER Pinegrove Primary School teacher has accused the school of targeting and vilifying him for pointing out incidents of maladministration and racism at the former model C school in Springs, Ekurhuleni. Farai Botha, who was a Grade 7 science and social sciences teacher at the school until September, told The Star it all started in 2017 when he pointed out nepotism, race-based discrimination and other issues at the school. Botha has accused the school of withholding his bonus for 2017 as punishment for his stance against maladministration, racism and nepotism, which he said had been left unattended to for a long time. This included the alleged employment of white student teachers without qualifications while black people were not afforded the opportunity to work at the school as student…

AFTER two years of reinvention as a virtual event, the popular Hugh Masekela Heritage Festival has changed shape again, this time introducing a name change, HughFest, hosted by Assupol and the Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation. The event is set to take place at Nirox Sculpture Park, in the Cradle of Humankind, on December 4. In its new persona as HughFest, the festival line-up continues to reflect Bra Hugh’s essential template. This year’s music line-up includes the downhome spiritual tones of Mandisi Dyantyis; a township collaboration led by Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, with the immensely talented vocalist Gugu Shezi; a cross-generational collaboration with the effervescent piano skills of Thandi Ntuli and the well-forged guitar mastery of Bra Themba Mokoena; and the candy-stripe duo of Leomile, of Lesotho, and Muneyi, of Venda. In…

Just a few days to go and Fifa’s showpiece, the 2022 Qatar World Cup, is embroiled in controversy. Human rights activists are painting a gloomy picture of the oil-rich nation’s human rights record. According to Amnesty International, Qatar has been using forced labour in the construction of the infrastructure for the global event. The Guardian reported that as many as 6 500 migrant workers had died on the sites. Although not as severe as Iran, women’s freedom of movement, the issue of marriage, child custody and inheritance are restricted to a certain extent in Qatar. But it’s the question of homosexuality that raised a storm in the West. Qatar’s World Cup Envoy Khalid Salman infuriated Europeans when he told German television homosexuality was “damage in the mind”. Former Fifa president…

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that there will be an “intensification” of the principles of black economic empowerment. All this, at the expense of the white minority as reverse racism is applied, seeking to ingratiate themselves with their dwindling support base. Ramaphosa is currently making overtures to “white” money lenders in Europe and America, begging for financial aid, to prop up a faltering economy and a party in ruin. This could be classified as economic racial irony – treat your whites at home like “s**t”, while seeking the sympathy of white money lenders abroad. The ANC has become a pitiful lot, unable to govern a complex country, having missed opportunities to galvanise and solidify the goodwill of all its people. The white minority has been marginalised, but Ramaphosa and his…

IT’S been a while since we’ve had so much fun driving a car. And that’s exactly the point Toyota had in mind when they launched the new GR86 with the apt pay-off line of an “analogue car for the digital age” that sticks to the “Waku Doki” fun-to-drive brief. With a lower centre of gravity than its GT86 predecessor, tweaked Subaru-sourced horizontally opposed boxer engine powering the rear wheels and enhanced dynamics, the GR86 takes all the Toyota Gazoo Racing bits and bobs into a stylish well balanced sportscar car aimed at unadulterated driving pleasure. It’s also Toyota’s third global GR model alongside the GR Supra and GR Yaris. Its short overhangs, wide and low stance, individually accentuated front and rear wings and functional aerodynamic features such as front air…

The AU adopted an agreement more than 13 years ago to prevent the arbitrary displacement of people and to uphold the dignity of such victims. Yet the problem has remained notoriously persistent in Africa. In 2018, out of a global estimate of over 45.6 million internally displaced people, close to 19 million were on the continent. Globally, conflict and violence are the main drivers of internal displacement. Africa accounted for almost 70%, of the world’s internal displacement statistics in 2018, due to armed conflict and related human rights abuses. Environmental disasters were the second most important cause of internal displacement in Africa, at 15%. Victims of internal displacement often outnumber refugees from other countries. Yet they receive less attention from the major aid bodies, researchers and the media. Their vulnerability…

Poland yesterday said a deadly blast that killed two people in a village near the border with Ukraine was likely caused by a stray Ukrainian air defence missile launched against a Russian barrage. Polish President Andrzej Duda played down international fears of a further escalation in the war in Ukraine saying there was “no indication that this was an intentional attack on Poland”. Duda said it was “very likely” the Soviet-era missile was launched by Ukraine in what he called an “unfortunate accident” but he said the blame lay with Russia because of its attacks on Ukraine. After emergency talks of the Nato military alliance, its chief Jens Stoltenberg also said there was “no indication of a deliberate attack” on Poland. The blast occurred in the village of Przewodow in…

Japan forward Daichi Kamada says his team’s large contingent of Bundesliga players can draw mental strength from knowing they “share the same stage” as first-up World Cup opponents Germany. Japan’s squad for the finals in Qatar includes eight Germany-based players – more than any other national league, including Japan’s first-division J1 League. Nine Japanese players play in the first division of the Bundesliga, seven of whom have been selected in the squad for Qatar. Qatar-bound midfielder Ao Tanaka also plays in Germany, for Fortuna Duesseldorf in the second division. Kamada, 26, who has 12 goals in all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt this season, will be one of Japan’s most important players in Qatar. “There are a lot of Japanese players in the Bundesliga now and I think we’re on an…

Rassie van der Dussen, along with his finger, mindset and form, will be under the microscope as the DP World (Gauteng) Lions kick off their challenge in the 4-Day Series in Potchefstroom against the North West Dragons today. Due to the peculiarities of a minuscule domestic schedule, neither the Lions nor the Dolphins, from KwaZulu-Natal, were in action last week when the four-day competition started for the Division One teams. For the Lions, it provided extra time to polish their preparations after what was a disappointing run in the T20 Challenge, which was also held in Potchefstroom. The Lions finished in fifth spot after the round-robin phase, and failed to find any consistency over the course of the three weeks of that tournament. However, Van der Dussen’s return adds a…

After seeing the negative reviews he’s been receiving with the recent single he’s been teasing, Bana Ba Stout, Cassper Nyovest announced on Monday he was calling off all planned upcoming releases. Previously, the Move For Me star had promised to release new music every time he reached a million views, but those views have been hard to come by. “Bana ba Stout not dropping any more cause I respect the fans,” he tweeted. “We gonna drop in 24 months. Me, Ronaldo and Lebron are having a bad season. As the 3 goats we need a break. I thank you.” Nyovest has been having an inconsistent year when it comes to his musical releases. It all started with Put Your Hands Up featuring Mousse T, his first release of the year.…

A contractor working at the Camden Power Station has been arrested after he was positively linked to sabotage. Camden Power Station, in Mpumalanga, is operated by Eskom. The perpetrator, employed by a maintenance company working there, intentionally removed the oil drain plug from the bearing causing the oil burners to trip repeatedly, Eskom said. Eskom said this malicious act caused all the oil to drain out from the bearing, damaging it. Camden Unit 4 subsequently tripped last Thursday at 16.54pm. A case of sabotage was opened at Ermelo police station. Eskom said intensive internal investigations led to the culprit, who confessed that the sabotage would ensure that his employer was awarded extra repair jobs at the power station. His arrest follows another two last week in which contractor truck…

Alexandra High School temporarily came to a standstill yesterday morning as City of Joburg council speaker Colleen Makhubele and Mokome Foundation delivered a year’s worth of sanitary pad packs to the girl learners at the school. Former women affairs minister Bathabile Dlamini recently put the number of young women in the country who struggle to access sanitary products at more than 7 million. Although these alarming statistics were upsetting, they reveal the reality of the country’s indignity and period poverty. This explains why Makhubele and Dr Vivian Mokome were so eager to lend a hand at Alexandra High School as part of their drive to bring dignity to young women who sometimes suffer indignity due to the shortage of this basic need. The two women were in the company…

AN ADMINISTRATIVE assistant at Nxuba Municipality in the Eastern Cape lost out on R150 000 in compensation from her employer after a judge on appeal found the sexual conduct she complained about did not seem unwelcome. The woman, only identified as Ms P, due to the nature of her complaints, was earlier awarded the amount in damages after the CCMA found the operations manager, identified as Mr F, had committed sexual harassment. It was found the municipality, as her employer, had failed to take appropriate steps to address her grievances. But the municipality appealed the finding in the Labour Appeal Court. The court found that in written conversations between the two, Ms P referred to Mr F as “honey” and “sweetie”, which suggested her manager’s advances were not all that…

There is again an allegation that one of the questions in the mathematics paper was “faulty” and “irrational”, meaning it could not be “solved”. Perhaps some vital component was accidentally omitted. It happens. It’s a human error. Except a matric examiner, checker, moderator are not meant to be just human. They have months and long weekends and school holidays to check and recheck, to make certain that nothing goes wrong. If you want to be an examiner you should first display a powerhouse of responsibility. Normal Level 1 educators, even at low-level high school grades and even at lower primary school level, are hauled over the coals even if a full stop or comma that could alter the meaning of a question is discovered to be out of place. At…

The Phala Phala saga continues to simmer every day under the nation’s political radar. It is difficult to sift fact from fiction, reality from myth, as damage control is in full motion. The drama reminds us of the Watergate break-in during Richard Nixon’s presidency that eventually forced him to resign in disgrace. Our political system has been strangled by the misconceptions, dishonesty and brazen defiance held and espoused by all our political leaders. The nation is having a moral convulsion. Levels of trust in our elected leaders, our institutions and in our convoluted politics are in a precipitous decline. Our current crop of leaders are masters of the art of deception. Corruption is being unearthed every day, converging on the inescapable conclusion that our tainted politics is rotten to the…

South Africa has once again experienced America’s overarching intrusion into its domestic affairs. The frenzy generated by the US embassy’s “terror alert” raised the spectre of bombs unleashed in the heart of Sandton by unnamed “terrorists”, and quickly degenerated into Islamophobia. Some media platforms hyped the alarm by using so-called “terror experts” who, without any shred of evidence, speculated that the likely perpetrators would be Muslims. Overnight, all forms of “objectivity” were dispensed with in their haste to bolster the US alert, instead of challenging the embassy to provide credible proof. That the “alert” had been disputed by South Africa’s security cluster and doubts raised about its credibility didn’t seem to deter the “experts”. Nevertheless, such intrusive conduct by the US in the affairs of sovereign nations remains a matter…

NAIROBI: Fifteen trucks carrying food aid entered Ethiopia’s Tigray region yesterday, the UN’s food agency said, as humanitarian groups gain access for the first time since a ceasefire agreement was signed two weeks ago. The convoy entered Tigray through the neighbouring region of Amhara using a route not viable since mid-2021, the UN’s World Food Programme said, when a bridge on the Tekeze River was destroyed. “WFP (World Food Programme) convoy just entered North West Tigray via Gondar corridor for first time since June 2021,” the WFP said in a tweet, adding that more food as well as medical aid was expected to enter the region. | Reuters…

The World Cup kicks off in Qatar on Sunday when the host nation play Ecuador in Group A (6pm kick-off). Twenty-eight days and 63 games later, one of 32 nations will lift the Jules Rimet Trophy. But who should you bet on to win it all? And what are some other smart wagers along the way? We take a look. The Contenders BRAZIL The Selecao are the world’s only five-time World Cup champions, although they haven’t won it ince 2002. Four of Brazil’s five previous championships have come in tournaments played in neither Europe nor Brazil. That’s a 50% win rate within that sample. And this is one of the deeper Brazilian rosters, built largely with the same players who as Under-23s helped win the 2016 Olympic soccer title in…