Índex per 2023-05-24 a Star

TYMEBANK, just more than 8 years old and one of the fastest growing digital bank groups globally, said yesterday it had raised $77.8 million (R1.5 billion) from two new international investors, Norrsken22 and Blue Earth Capital, to fund further expansion. The two new shareholders join Tyme following the Series B capital raise launched in January. Tymebank was the first bank in South Africa to be operated off a cloud-based infrastructure network, and it was the first to be granted a commercial banking licence, co-founder and Tymebank CEO Koen Jonker said in a telephone interview yesterday. The closing of the second capital raise also coincided with the group reaching 7 million customers this month, which, after entering the market as a disruptor, was now entrenched as…

This would be the 10th consecutive increase since the start of 2022 SOUTH Africans will have to tighten their belts even further as discretionary spending will be affected as interest rates are tipped to reach their highest in 14 years this month. Investors have priced in another 50 basis points hike by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) as the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is set to announce its decision tomorrow. This would be the 10th consecutive increase since the start of 2022, with South Africans seeing the repurchase rate (repo rate) rise from 3.75% at the start of January 2022. This as headline consumer inflation for April is unlikely to fall within the SARB’s target range of 3% to 6% per annum in just one month after it…

IN A NORMAL world and society, these rolling blackouts and load shedding would not be tolerated to persist this long. But South Africa is a unique country where the citizens are so tolerant of all forms of abuse by those in leadership positions. It has become normal to live under these horrendous electricity crisis conditions daily. In a given year, load shedding occurs more than 300 days of the year. This is not a normal society. It gets worse as none of those in positions of leadership seems perturbed nor disturbed about these never-ending power cuts crisis. Last week, it was very colourful at the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa). The parliamentary committee took a swipe, yet again, at Eskom shareholder, Minister of the Department of Public Enterprise…

MINISTER of Public Works and Infrastructure Sihle Zikalala said yesterday that his department had received 23 requests for expropriation of private land from Eskom to enable the transmission of electricity. This would be considered and processed in the 2023/24 financial year upon receipt from Eskom. Delivering his budget vote speech in Parliament, Zikalala said the power lines would provide much-needed electricity to communities nationwide. The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) had also released 24 land parcels for the regis- tration of Eskom servitudes for the construction of generation, transmission and distribution of power lines. The land parcels would be 117 hectares each. “A further six land parcels are being considered for release to Eskom in the 2023/24 financial year. The Department also processed 27 requests from Eskom…

The Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Finance in the City of Joburg, Dada Morero, has called on residents who can afford to pay their municipal bills, to do so. The City of Joburg is reportedly owed millions in rates and municipal services. In some communities, a culture of non-payment had grown, leading to poor collection of rates. Morero is on a drive across the city, engaging with communities and stakeholders. He has called on residents who can afford to pay to do the right thing and pay up for the services they have consumed. He said the city seeks greater collaboration with communities to find lasting solutions. Morero pleaded with communities to prioritise their municipal accounts the same way they prioritise luxuries such as pay TV and retail…

Renowned music and copyright lawyer Graeme Gilfillan has died. According to media reports, Gilfillan was found dead by his driver, who had come to pick him up from his Yeoville home on Sunday. Gilfillan is the founder of Siyandisa Music and a copyright lawyer who gained notoriety after taking the late Miriam Makeba’s two grandchildren, Lumumba and Zenzile Lee, to court in an attempt to block their access to her intellectual property and the rights to her legacy. Speaking to The Star, music manager and music publisher Sakhele Mzalazala said he was shocked to learn of the passing of his mentor. He said: “I just learnt of his passing now and am shocked by his death because this is the man who mentored me when I was starting my career…

eThekwini Municipality has confirmed a film crew, that were shooting in the Westville area last week and left behind a prop believed to be a “dead body”, did not have a permit. This comes after Mobi-Claw911, the SAPS, Metro Police and paramedics responded to the scene in the belief there was a body floating in a river. Municipal spokesperson Lindiwe Khuzwayo said the city was not aware of the shoot as the film crew never applied for a permit. In addition, Khuzwayo said the film crew did not inform the Durban Film Office of their intention to shoot a production in eThekwini. “We were made aware of the production when residents called Metro Police to report what appeared to be a dead body floating in a river. This was later…

IT IS not every day that academics such as Dr Izimangaliso Malatjie would pay attention to details about the township they grew up in. However, in her maiden book Me, Myself And My Journey To The Red Gown, Malatjie paints a vivid picture of exactly that place, the schools she attended, other places she has been to, her parents, grandparents, friends, childhood dreams and ultimately the final day of the “Red Gown”. This motivational book explores teachings about tenacity, self-belief, determination, focus, hard work and pursuing dreams until they come to fruition. “It reflects my personal journey to the ‘Red Gown’. The memoir takes you on a journey from where I was born, how I grew up, and the challenges I had to overcome to get to where I am…

Washing your hands can prevent one from contracting diseases, health-care professionals say. Sister Daisy Mndebele, from Vryheid Hospital, said keeping ones hands clean could play a role in keeping away mumps and diphtheria. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) recently confirmed the outbreak of mumps, with the majority of cases reported in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng. The NICD said mumps was an acute viral infection caused by the rubella virus rubulavirus, also known as mumps virus. It was sometimes called infectious parotitis, as it caused painful swelling of the parotid and or salivary glands. The NICD said mumps was generally a mild childhood disease that mostly affected children aged from 5 to 9. However, younger and older children as well as adults could become infected. It said people who…

Victoria Yards will be transformed into a unique nightlife experience as Red Bull Unlocked brings Joburg’s best venues together under one roof to offer an unforgettable night out on Saturday. The event promises to be the ultimate experience for party-goers who love socialising and having good vibes. At the heart of Red Bull Unlocked beats the rhythm of music, food, and culture which reverberates through the soul of Mzansi. From bars to clubs to performing artists and more, the night will be filled with a mash-up of immersive events and experiences – everything a “groovist” needs to make the best of their night out. This global event has been to Switzerland, Manchester, Nashville and Australia, and now it’s Johannesburg’s turn to showcase what Mzansi has to offer. Taking place this…

The Foundation for Education and Social Justice Africa (Fesja) is solidly behind the efforts of Education Minister Angie Motshekga as she prosecutes the struggle to help learners create a better future for themselves. According to Hendrick Makaneta, the deputy chairperson of Fesja, the results of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls) cannot be attributed to the minister. He said Covid-19 had a serious impact on every aspect of life, and education was not spared. “We, therefore, call on civil society to collaborate with education authorities to redress the imbalances in education outcomes that were further entrenched by Covid-19. “The foundation calls on civil society leaders such as Mmusi Maimane to also come on board with a view to lending a helping hand instead of running unnecessary petitions that…

REAL Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said yesterday that Fifa’s racism protocol in football was “obsolete” after Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior was abused by Valencia fans. The 22-year-old forward suffered vile racist taunts at the Mestalla Stadium on Sunday in La Liga, with some fans arrested by Spanish police yesterday. Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea activated the racism protocol after Vinicius squared off with fans, singling out one whom he saw abuse him. Fifa’s three-step process involves the match being paused until a stadium announcement is made asking for racist abuse to stop, which happened at the Mestalla. The second step, after any further abuse, is to temporarily take players off the pitch, and the third step, if it continues, is to abandon the game and give three points to the…

BUSINESS conditions in South Africa continued to deteriorate for the fourth month in a row in March as the global shocks over the US banking systems crisis undermined the US dollar-denominated export commodity price index. According to the SA Reserve Bank (SARB), the composite leading business cycle indicator in South Africa slipped by 2% in March, following a downwardly revised 0.5% fall in December 2022. This was the fourth consecutive period of declines in business indicators, as five out of the seven available component time series decreased. The SARB said the largest negative contributors were the decline in South Africa’s US dollar-denominated export commodity price index and a deceleration in the six-months smoothed growth rate in the real M1 money supply. On the other hand, the positive contributors were…

IF SOUTH Africa is to add the much-needed 4 gigawatts (GW) to 5GW of new renewable energy generation capacity to the grid each year, solutions and efforts will need to be employed to optimise the existing transmission infrastructure capacity, it will provide an interim short-term solution to allow Eskom more time to implement the Transmission Develop- ment Plan, which has now passed levels of urgency. The employment of multiple solutions and improved energy mechanisms are required if another failed renewable energy independent power producer procurement programme bid window is to be avoided. We have been engaged in efforts to tackle the issues regarding access to the grid and the unlocking of grid capacity since early 2022 while urging key stakeholders to prioritise the transmission build. More than a year later,…

TWO MAJOR South African telcos, MTN and Vodacom, have been seeking innovative solutions to minimise the impact of load shedding, while they decarbonise their footprints. Eskom has been battling with grid capacity and has been instituting load shedding. Recently, the power utility announced that it might increase load shedding to stage 8. Telcos are one of the sectors that have been massively impacted by power cuts. Load shedding has resulted in an increase in theft and vandalism of base stations of the mobile operators. Mobile operator MTN South Africa this week announced that it has launched an request for information (RFI) for zero carbon renewable “wheeling” and on-site renewable solutions for various data centres and base transceiver station (BTS) sites across South Africa. Wheeling is the delivery of energy…

ACTRESS and media personality Khanyi Mbau has been a hot topic for the debut of season two of Young, Famous & African, and also because of her relationship with Kudzai Mushonga. In the season, Mbau said she was in a relationship at the time of filming. However, there have been murmurs that the couple have gone their separate ways. Fans have noted that the star removed the Zimbabwean flag from her Instagram profile along with pictures of Mushonga. While Mbau has been quiet about the status of her relationship, Mushonga has left social media in a tizz with his latest posts. The Zimbabwean-born Dubai businessman posted on his Instagram Stories a video of himself driving in his Lamborghini, with the arm of a mystery woman also visible. Instagram blogger, MaphephaNdaba,…

A KWAZULU-NATAL man is in legal hot water for circulating pornographic images that he had allegedly altered to include the faces of President Cyril Ramaphosa, Police Minister Bheki Cele, and his wife Thembeka Ngcobo. Thabiso Scebi Nene, 34, appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court yesterday after his arrest on Sunday by the Hawks. This followed an investigation into the images which started circulating online at the beginning of the month. It is not confirmed if the images, that Nene had also sent to police officers, were taken originally or if they were in fact manipulated. The Hawks traced the images and arrested Nene in Azalea, Pietermaritzburg, and seized the device that was allegedly used as well as SIM cards and a multitude of pornographic images found on the device. Nene…

A FAMILY from the township of Winterveld, north of Pretoria, have been left irate and fuming after their 9-year-old daughter came home crying with belt marks on her buttocks after allegedly being assaulted by a teacher at her school. The girl’s grandmother, Rebone Moeng, said she was scared and worried after her grandchild came home from school hysterical and inconsolable on May 11. At first, she said she thought the child had got into a fight with another learner. However, her concern soon turned to rage after she learnt that her grandchild had allegedly been beaten by her teacher at Ikeleng Primary School, where she attends Grade 4. Moeng said when she asked the child what had happened, she was told that she was beaten repeatedly as another pupil had…

Casually leaning into the side window of a car stopped at a routine checkpoint on a congested Johannesburg road, a policeman tells the driver he needs “a cool drink”. The sun is shining, but it’s not really a refreshment that the officer is after. As most South Africans know all too well, a cool drink is code for bribe money in these parts. ‘’So what do we do?’’ asks the policeman, chewing gum under a blue cap sporting the SAPS logo, while spinning a set of keys around his finger. Across the road, the number for an “anti-corruption hotline” is emblazoned on the side of a parked police van. Shakedowns are fairly common across the continent. A 2019 Transparency International survey found one in four Africans reported having paid a…

A COLLABORATIVE effort between the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Veterinary Science and the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) of Somaliland in East Africa has most likely saved the life of Janet. The cheetah is a resident of a sanctuary just outside Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, in the Horn of Africa. One of the key role-players in the rescue operation was Dr Ross Elliott, specialist small animal veterinary surgeon in the Faculty’s Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital, who was approached by the fund to assist with what turned out to be a quite intricate situation. Janet was diagnosed with a fracture of the calcaneus, a bone behind the hock joint (the first joint below the knee in the hind leg of a cheetah). This led to an inability of the common…

AS a 21-year-old prop in 2012, Frans Malherbe had his first taste of the pressure of a final as he packed down in the Currie Cup final for Western Province in Durban. Fast-forward 11 years and a more experienced Malherbe, with a couple of trophies to his name, will anchor the scrum in a second consecutive final for the Stormers when they take on Munster on Saturday (kick-off 6.30pm) for the URC title. In 2012 he stepped up against World Cup-winning loosehead Tendai Mtawarira playing for the Sharks. On Saturday, he will step up as a URC and World Cup-winning prop with the pressure on his side to go back-to-back. Some may find it a daunting task, playing in a final, but Malherbe believes the Stormers will be ready to…

SOUTH Africa coach Hugo Broos has announced a 34-man provisional squad for their last Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) group stage qualifier against Morocco next month. Both Bafana Bafana and the Atlas Lions have sealed passage to the continental finals in Ivory Coast early next year, qualifying as Group K runners-up and winners after the fifth round respectively. Their last group stage clash at FNB Stadium on June 17 will be academic, with both teams starting their preparations for the main event. With Bafana wanting to bag a famous win over the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists, Broos named a strong preliminary squad even though eyebrows were raised over the exclusion of Lyle Foster. Foster hogged the headlines in recent months following a bumper transfer from Westerlo to Burnley, who recently…

IlKAY Gundogan has urged Manchester City to stay focused as the Premier League champions prepare for the climax to their treble bid. City were crowned English champions for the fifth time in six seasons on Saturday when second-placed Arsenal lost at Nottingham Forest. Pep Guardiola’s team enjoyed their title party on Sunday with a 1-0 win against Chelsea before captain Gundogan lifted the trophy. With their third successive title in the bag, City can focus on emulating the Manchester United team that won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in 1998-99. But before that City must finish their league campaign with trips to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford tonight and on Sunday. City, winner of their last 12 league matches, are unbeaten in 24 games and German…

BROOKS Koepka is fresh off claiming his third PGA Championship, a month after nearly capturing his first Masters title. No one has played the first half of the 2023 majors schedule with as much commanding form as the now five-time major champion. Yet, the two-time US Open winner is not among the three betting favourites for 123rd playing of the country’s national event next month at The Los Angeles Country Club. Scottie Scheffler rallied to tie for second at Oak Hill on Sunday, and reclaimed the world No 1 ranking in the process. Three weeks out from the US Open, he is the early betting favourite with most bookies, including +750 at BetRivers, +800 at BetMGM and +850 at DraftKings. The next-shortest odds belong to the reigning Masters champion and…

SOUTH Africa may face unacceptable energy deficits for decades as its long-term plans do not sufficiently address the scale of new baseload capacity nor the transmission infrastructure required. This was according to Coronation Fund Managers’ directors, which said in its results for the six months to March 31 that decisions on these issues needed to be taken now. They said that while the performance of the economy was discouraging, with long-term fundamentals continuing to deteriorate and little concrete action being taken to drive meaningful change, “our biggest immediate concern is the state of electricity generation.” The group manages more than R600 billion in investment assets. Recent regulatory relaxation to allow private sector power generation should reduce the intensity of load shedding in the medium term. However “if these investments…

DEVELOPMENTS in Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) technologies are receiving huge investments around the world. South Africa was the world leader until its Pebble Bed Modular Nuclear Reactor (PBMR) technology was lost. Losing this prime position in this technology clearly demonstrates the lack of foresight. Our government decided not to fund its further development and completion. This has resulted in South Africa being relegated to being the global spectator. As a consequence, its engineers and scientists that remained in South Africa have become alienated, and those who left are held in high regard as global leaders in this technology, which they displayed with unparalleled proficiency. But before spending much time soliloquising, I have to answer the question of what SMR is. SMRs are Nuclear Power Reactors that produce electricity of…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday launched the long delayed second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, which will boost South Africa’s water and energy security. However, the move although welcome, is unlikely to benefit farmers and is more for consumption. This is a partnership between South Africa and Lesotho dating back to a treaty agreed upon by the two governments to supply water to the Vaal River System, which ensures water security for Gauteng, the Free State, the Northern Cape and the North West. “The launch is a critical step on the journey to greater water and energy security for South Africans and Basotho, and is a demonstration of the strong relations between the two countries,” the Presidency said in a statement yesterday. Absa head of Agri Business Abrie…

The Joburg Theatre is looking to close off Africa Month on a high note with Lolea, a thought-provoking theatre piece that is set to start conversations around cultural values. Co-written by Given Maluleke and Ingrid Hlatshwayo, Lolea, which loosely translates to “dry or empty”, will run from May 30 - June 4. The piece is a provocative theatrical production that ingeniously advances its plot by using animated objects and various fused theatre styles. It captivates the audience and takes them on a journey that raises issues and starts conversations about cultural values and how they affect the modern world. The two-hander is performed by Nomvuyo Enhle Buthelezi and Falakhe Makhubo. Lolea is set in a deep and secluded South African rural village where cultural legacy and traditional lineage play…

HAMMANSKRAAL residents besieged by the outbreak of cholera have rubbished efforts by the municipality and government departments to curb the spread of the disease as nothing more than lip service for an “old ticking time bomb”. Fears about who will be next are all that the community of Hammanskraal is worried about following reports of the outbreak of cholera in the area, which led to the deaths of 15 people reported at Jubilee District Hospital this week. Residents remain sceptical despite assurances from the City of Tshwane, the national and provincial governments that a formal investigation would be opened to see if there was any foul play or negligence, as well as the establishment of a command centre to stop the outbreak. Tumelo Koitheng, chairperson of the Hammanskraal Residents’ Forum,…

Unions in the transport sector are calling for better working conditions for long-distance bus drivers. This comes after a fatal bus collision that involved an Intercape bus and another bus in the Western Cape this month. The resting periods for long-distance bus and truck drivers have been a controversial point between unions and employers in the bus sector. Anele Kiet, the deputy general secretary of the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu), said the working conditions for long-distance bus drivers were not only dangerous for the bus drivers themselves but for passengers too. “Our outcry is that bus drivers should not drive long distances without having rest periods in between. We are now starting to see incidents of this nature increasing (bus accidents), while the employers are not…

Diplomat and former spy chief Billy Masetlha, a staunch friend of the Palestinian people, has passed away. A monumental loss for the Palestine community, a man devoted to promoting peace and tranquillity among all religious denominations. A true patriot of tolerance who fearlessly tackled prejudice and bigotry. There are many in our country who are overwhelmed by grief that this devoted friend of humanity has left our earthly shores. Masetlha was a man who believed that the pursuit of prejudice was ethically and morally wrong and that Almighty God and the moral weight of the universe were against it. He lived striving for harmony. Moral courage was one of his noblest virtues. We must thank Masetlha for being a shining light of hope in our fragmented lives. He passed but…

KARABO Baloyi, 25, died last week at home after consuming tap water in Hammanskraal, but he was never taken to Jubilee District Hospital for treatment. His distraught father, David Baloyi, yesterday told the Pretoria News that his son was not counted among the 15 deaths that were reported by health authorities on Monday. His son’s death comes amid a cholera outbreak that was officially declared in the area by the government this week. Many people have been admitted to the hospital because of diarrhoeal disease or gastrointestinal infection in the area since Monday last week. Baloyi said that his son, who was deaf and used sign language to communicate, drank water from the tap because he was thirsty. “I guess it was because he was thirsty, and he just rushed…

“You have 30 minutes to vacate this area,” was the order by loud-hailer that covered the Marikana informal settlement in Centurion, Pretoria, but Moses Khoza did not understand what was happening. The residents of the settlement located next to the Centurion Gautrain station were being evicted yesterday morning as per a court order (not available to us at the time). Some of the residents claimed to have been living in the area for more than 10 years and had never faced an eviction attempt; instead they claimed they were promised by a former ward councillor, Peter Sutton, that they would never be removed without alternative accommodation. The belongings that they could rescue were pitched onto the pavement while their homes were engulfed in fire that destroyed most of the camp.…

A month into the conflict in Sudan, a war of attrition has escalated beyond Khartoum to other parts of the country, heightening the risk of a contagion that could destabilise the region. Media reports suggest that the protagonists agreed to a US-Saudi Arabia mediated seven-day humanitarian ceasefire. However, previous ceasefire agreements, including under the US-Saudi mediation, seem to have failed to silence the guns. The Sudan sits at a strategic crossroads between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and the volatile Sahel region, hence escalation of the conflict risks conflagration into fragile neighbours such as Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea and the rest of the East African sub-region. The AU and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development have called for an immediate ceasefire and dialogue between the conflict parties. African leaders have requested the…

Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs have been stopped in their tracks in their efforts to sign Cape Town City striker Khanyisa Mayo. Yesterday, City announced on social media: “We are thrilled to announce that Khanyisa Mayo has committed to a new long-term contract with the Citizens.” The news will be welcomed by Mayo's father, Chiefs legend Patrick Mayo, who warned his son against joining Sundowns. Patrick reasoned that his son was unlikely to enjoy regular game time at Sundowns because they have a very big squad. He said that if he joined Sundowns, he urged his son to include a clause that would offer a guarantee that he would play 90% of games. Since the end of last year, Mayo was on the radar of Sundowns and Chiefs, who made…

THE Stormers have boasted some dynamic centre pairings over the years. Andy Marinos and Robbie Fleck ruled the midfield for the original ‘Men in Black’ before Fleck and De Wet Barry partnered up. But that was before the world-class Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie formed a formidable partnership. De Villiers, though, believes the Class of 2023 featuring Dan du Plessis and Ruhan Nel are writing their own script through their classy performances in this season’s United Rugby Championship and can rubber stamp their names into Stormers folklore with another dominant outing against Munster in Saturday’s final at Cape Town Stadium. “I always say that when you talk about midfielders it’s a combination. You have to pick a combination, because sometimes you put two guys together, who are individually really…