Índex per 2024-01-24 a Star

HIGHER education is as critical to the global efforts to combat climate change as witnessed by universities’ globally increasingly recognising their responsibility to society and actively contributing to the mitigation of and adaptation response to the crisis. At the University of Mpumalanga and the Presidential Climate Commission, we are exploring a partnership of ensuring that our transition to a net zero is a just one. Importantly the university is committed to exploring practical steps in employing our academic discipline through research, teaching and learning to support South Africa’s climate change response measures and the just transition roadmap. However, like many other institutions in South Africa, the university is yet to fully articulate its contribution towards the efforts, through its curricula and research programmes that reflect the interdisciplinary nature of…

As the Tokyo DisneySea theme song goes, It'll Be Magical if South Africa can produce a repeat of their 1996 Africa Cup of Nations final performance tonight against Tunisia. South Africa’s 2-0 win in 1996 remains one of the iconic moments in African football. The team, inspired by Madiba Magic, won the continental showpiece in their first attempt shortly after the dawn of democracy. Bafana Bafana will conclude their Afcon group stage campaign against the Carthage Eagles at the 20 000-seater Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo, Ivory Coast, on tonight (kick-off 7pm). The two teams are yet to secure progression to the last 16 rounds, and the dynamics of the delicately poised Group E suggest that a draw for Bafana could be enough to progress to the knockout…

TSHWANE MMC for Health, Rina Marx has encouraged residents to take part in nominations of community members willing to serve on the clinic committees for three years. She echoed sentiments recently expressed by the Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, who called on Gauteng residents to seize “an opportunity to improve the quality of service and patient experience of care at their local clinics by nominating individuals to serve as clinic committee members in more than 370 public clinics in the province”. The process for nominations will be concluded at the end of January 2024. Marx said: “As the MMC responsible for Health in the City of Tshwane, I would like to support this call because clinic committees play an important role as the interface between communities and…

IT was a bad start to the year for a mother who has to serve 12 months in jail for contempt of court after ignoring two court orders granting her former husband access to their child. The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, ordered the mother to report within 24 hours of the latest order to the Pretoria Central Police Station, from where she would be taken to the Kgosi Mampuru Prison to start serving jail time. The mother must also deliver the child to the father and if she failed to do so, the sheriff, accompanied by the police, was authorised by the court to fetch the child. The father turned to the court for an order holding the mother in contempt as she ignored the two previous court orders in…

Ingredients 1 tbs oil 1 cup sliced mushrooms 1 cup broccoli, finely chopped 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded 2 spring onions, chopped, plus extra for garnish ¾ cup (94g) grated cheese ½ cup NESTLÉ Cremora Original 4 large eggs ½ tsp each salt and pepper Method Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 12-hole muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. In a pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and fry for a further 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the shredded rotisserie chicken and spring onions. Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin holes and sprinkle the cheese on top. In a jug, whisk the NESTLÉ Cremora Original…

GAUTENG Education MEC Matome Chiloane has been urged to put in place stringent measures to prevent political parties from ‘politicking’ in schools during school hours. The call came after a video showing EFF members in Johannesburg allegedly handing out food parcels to learners at La Rochelle Primary School in the south of the city, surfaced. In the video, a man can be heard telling the children that they had brought them fruit, and to tell their parents that the EFF was at school and that they loved them. “It’s nice to come to school every day, this is a nice surprise for La Rochelle kids. It’s for you guys not for me or the teachers, tell your fathers that the EFF loves us and brought us some nice fruits.” The…

A local newspaper recently ran the headline: “Teen pregnancy a pandemic”. Thousands of unwanted babies born to teenagers every year. Babies that have no future. Over and above the birthrate, 50 000 teenage pregnancies were terminated. The Comprehensive Sexuality Education Act was introduced in 2000 to be a preventive programme against HIV/Aids. It’s been a total failure. To this disaster, the Amendment Act no 32 of 2007 was added, where adolescents may have sex with 16 to 17 year olds, provided there is no more than a 2-year gap between them. These senseless and idiotic acts, plus the fact that young people are being bombarded with sex education from an early age, have exacerbated the horrendous teenage birth numbers – 400 000 between April 2020 and March 2023. Our “experts”…

The recent decision to drag Israel to the UN’s International Court of Justice (or World Court as it is known by many South Africans) has divided the country; some praise their government while others are dissatisfied with the move. There is no doubt that there will be a price to pay for our actions in the international arena and, sadly, the poor will pay that price. While politicians will use human rights, justice or equality as drivers of their country’s foreign policy direction, we know that the primary driver of such an important policy is often always self-interest of those in power. In the case of South Africa, it is the ANC, which is using political means to satisfy itself and its so-called historic allies. The nature of South Africa’s…

As the matric results frenzy dies down, those who have completed school are confronted with the mounting pressure of making critical decisions about their future. Whether one has made the cut or not, everything starts to revolve around the next move. This involves the additional stress of deciding on a university to attend or career path to follow. Numerous organisations have entered the field to help students navigate their lives and make better decisions. Non-governmental organisations such as Sadag (South African Depression and Anxiety Group) have offered mental health assistance. President Cyril Ramaphosa has encouraged companies to open windows of opportunity for young people. “As government we have made the call for businesses to invest in our nation’s future by employing more young people, and, where possible, to do away…

Belgrade: Serbian rights watchdogs yesterday urged authorities to allow chaperones to attend births in hospital, after a newborn died last week during an alleged case of violence by a doctor. The country has been rattled since reports surfaced last week of a Roma woman accusing her gynaecologist of “jumping on her stomach” and insulting her ethnicity while she was in labour. Her newborn later died. The doctor in the north-western town of Sremska Mitrovica has since been arrested on accusations of jeopardising a person’s health, police confirmed, and is in custody. | AFP…

Peshawar: A father killed his son after the pair disagreed about which political party flag to display in the lead-up to Pakistan’s general election. Police said the argument broke out when the son, who had returned from working in Qatar, hoisted the flag of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party at the family home on the outskirts of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Police are searching for the father, who is affiliated with the nationalist Awami National Party. Elections, scheduled for February 8 are often marred with violence in Pakistan, with candidates targeted by Islamist bombings and gun attacks. | AFP…

FIVE LARGE emerging markets (EMs) need to sustain significant medium-term primary fiscal surpluses to stabilise the debt-to-GDP ratio – Brazil, Egypt, South Africa, Colombia, and Mexico, Oxford Economics said in a note yesterday. Most had scope to tackle ongoing fiscal challenges, but policies need to be stiffened, the note said. “Our comprehensive survey of our country economists covering 21 large EMs reveals fiscal risks are partially mitigated because those with the most urgent need for fiscal cuts also tend to be the ones with greater scope and the ability to implement them. Of the five with sustainability issues, only Brazil and Mexico have major obstacles to consolidation in 2024, in the form of elections.” Oxford Economics said most EMs had budgeted fiscal consolidation in 2024; but of these consolidators, outcomes…

THE DRAFT South African Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) that was published on January 4, 2023, has evoked a diverse range of public reactions. Opinions from “energy experts” vary. From outright criticism by individuals who seemingly always criticise any coal, natural gas and nuclear power plant without reservations, to a more nuanced perspective from economists that the IRP might be a step back to realism. In my view it is lacking in major detail and the process is systemically flawed. Before delving into the technical details, I have questions about the procedure of the IRP and why it should be open to public consultation at all. Why is the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) responsible for the IRP rather than Eskom’s System Operator? Wouldn’t the individual closest to the…

AVI’s CONSUMER brands businesses faced ports and load shedding challenges, but would likely lift consolidated headline earnings per share by between 16% to 18% for the six months to December 31, 2023. The group, which has brands in hot beverages, sweet and savoury biscuits, frozen convenience foods, personal care products, cosmetics, footwear, accessories and fashion apparel, said yesterday in an update that headline earnings per share would be between 369.9 cents and 376.3c, compared with 318.9c in the interim period a year before. Food & Beverage Brands revenue increased 8.9% to R6.67 billion. Entyce Beverages increased revenue 16% to R2.42bn. Snackworks revenue was up 9.8% to R3.1bn. I&J’s revenue fell 5.1% to R1.15bn. Fashion brands revenue was up 0.5% to R1.70bn, while revenue in the Personal Care division…

Questions have been posed about President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy Paul Mashatile using the SA Air Force’s VIP Falcon F50 aircraft with their guests to attend a series of political meetings before the ANC’s 112th birthday celebrations in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, earlier this month. DA MP Kobus Marais said the ambiguity between the Ministerial Handbook and the Presidential Handbook was exploited by Ramaphosa and Mashatile who regularly commandeer South Africa Air Force (SAAF) aircraft to attend ANC party political events. “This is not prohibited in the Presidential Handbook but the Ministerial Handbook makes it clear that you cannot use SAAF aircraft to attend a political event unless there is official business immediately before or after the event. “This is open to abuse, it is not illegal but is unethical, immoral, and…

IN AN effort to encourage drug users to kick the habit, social media activist and founder of Clean Up Hub, Reikhutsitse Malala, recently celebrated his birthday by cutting three cakes for more than 100 service users at Mabopane Station. Malala annually celebrates his birthday with the intention of gaining access to users so that he can give them information about available options for rehab. He was joined by former world boxing champion, Ditau Molefyane and Kgatso Funerals on the day. His goal is to every year they go there to speak to the users and show them love and appreciation. He went on to say this years’s celebration had a high turn out from users compared to all other years. However, he said he was concerned about the increasing numbers…

Police in Seshego have opened two inquest dockets following a drowning incident on Monday at Makgodu village, outside Polokwane in the Capricorn District. Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said that two boys, aged 12 and 13-years-old, were swimming alongside three other boys, when they “suddenly” drowned in the river at Makgodu village. The drowning happened at around 3pm on Monday. “It is alleged that in the process of swimming, there was a lighting that struck, and the two boys drowned,” said Ledwaba. “The two deceased boys were later identified as Tebogo Mofumadi, 12, and Boitumelo Tshabalala, 13, and the other three survivors were taken to the nearest hospital for medical treatment. Police said the circumstances surrounding the drowning incident are being investigated, and the cause of the deaths will…

The International Day of Education on January 24 underlines the important role of education in the development and empowerment of individuals, and the advancement of our communities. Despite many efforts internationally towards universal education, inequality in educational participation and attainment persists. Education is a basic human right as crucial to the development of each individual’s potential. It is also necessity, if an individual is to enjoy the full range of human rights. Furthermore, education is a key to the empowerment and progress of our communities. According to the Universal House of Justice, the governing council of the Bahá’í international community: “The cause of universal education … deserves the utmost support that governments of the world can lend it. For ignorance is indisputably the principal reason for the decline and…

HAVING worked with Prof Peter Beale, what is happening to him now is a case where he has become a victim of his own success. With a good reputation and a successful track record, many parents entrusted him with the lives of their children. Being the meticulous paediatric surgeon that he was, few scrub sisters were comfortable scrubbing for him, but one knew he was only doing the right thing for his patients. A successful operation depends on many factors – everyone in the team; and the patient’s overall preoperative condition. Parents sign a consent form before surgery, specifically because any surgery can result in unintended outcomes and no doctor in their right mind would deliberately cause a patient’s death. It is sad that Dr Peter Beale is being criminalised…

The US and Britain launched a second round of joint military strikes on Yemen’s Houthis yesterday over their attacks on Red Sea shipping, as the Iran-backed rebels vowed to hit back. The latest raids, heard by residents of the rebel-held capital Sana’a at around midnight (local time), hit eight Houthi targets, a joint US-UK statement said, while the Houthis listed 18 strikes across their territory. US and British forces carried out a first wave of strikes against the rebel group earlier this month, and the US launched further air raids against missiles that Washington said posed imminent threats to both civilian and military vessels. But the Houthis have continued their attacks on shipping – just one part of a growing crisis in the Middle East linked to the Israel-Hamas war,…

GENEVA: Europe saw 30 000 measles cases last year, 30 times higher than for 2022, the World Health Organization said yesterday, calling for an “urgent” vaccination campaign. “We have seen … nearly 21 000 hospitalisations and five measles-related deaths,” it said. The WHO Europe region covers 53 countries, including Russia and Central Asia. Russia and Kazakhstan fared the worst, with 10 000 cases each. In Western Europe, Britain had the most cases with 183. About 1.8 million infants in Europe were not vaccinated against measles between 2020 and 2022. Vaccination rates against measles have dropped across the globe. | AFP…

MOROCCO, their place in the knockout stage secured, get a chance to confirm their status as Africa’s top football nation when they complete their round robin phase assignments of the Africa Cup of Nations with a Group F clash against Zambia tonight. The Atlas Lions, the first country from the continent to reach a World Cup semi-final, are ranked No 1 in Africa and expectations are that they will confirm their lofty status by winning the Afcon for only the second time. And when they opened their account with a 3-0 demolition of Tanzania, it appeared the 1976 champions were sending a statement to the rest of the contenders that they mean business. A fantastic start in their second match against the Democratic Republic of Congo – they scored with…

AFTER receiving €32 million (R667m) in dividends from British American Tobacco (BAT) for the quarter to the end of December, Reinet invested €6m into its businesses, leaving its net asset value (NAV) per share marginally lower at €31.5 compared with €31.8 a year earlier. The NAV measure determines an investment company’s total assets less its total liabilities and equates to a firm’s total equity. With Reinet recording its assets and liabilities in the euro, a weakening in the sterling pound, US dollar and South African rand against the euro during the quarter “resulted in an overall decrease in the value of certain assets and liabilities” in euro terms. NAV amounted to €5.7 billion as at the end of December, increasing 2.1% from €5.6bn calculated for the previous quarter…

KAROOOOO is targeting a good fourth quarter financial performance, even though that’s traditionally its toughest trading period, because of the December holidays in South Africa, and the Chinese New Year, which impacts business across Asia. This is according to CEO and founder Zak Calisto, who was interviewed yesterday at the release of robust financial results for the third quarter to November 30. He said the results were underpinned by an entrepreneurial, innovative, agile and customer-centric culture, with a prudent capital allocation strategy focused on growth. Total revenue increased 16% to R1.08 billion. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation increased 28% to R427.83 million. Despite provisions for Carzuka’s reduced operations, earnings a share grew 35% to R6.34 for the third quarter. Carzuka negatively impacted earnings a share by…

Transnet’s ports and logistical hurdles have forced Jubilee Metals Group to delay an upgrade project at its Zambian copper concentrator by nine weeks, with the Roan project expected to continue operating at half of its capacity owing to late delivery of components for the expansion project. So bad has been the Transnet ports and logistical bottlenecks that Jubilee, which raised production of chrome concentrates despite a fall in copper production, has been unable to ship and deliver electrical components for the upgrade project on time. “In Zambia the team were able to grow our copper output, despite the operational interruptions caused by the Roan front-end upgrade and associated import delays. “The team is working tirelessly to overcome the delay and will continue to operate Roan at a reduced capacity during…

An estimated R1.7 million has been paid by 11 Gauteng public hospitals for what the DA described as overpriced food. The party’s spokesperson on health, Jack Bloom, said the provincial government was procuring the services from a business training company in Limpopo. “This is revealed by Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature as to why a fishy Limpopo contract is being used that includes companies not registered to sell food.” Bloom said: “Other fishy companies on the list that have sold groceries to Gauteng hospitals include NM Motors and Workshop, Madics Security and Projects, and Musa Security Care.” Last year, the department said it had spent R23.6 million to buy food for Gauteng hospitals through the Limpopo contract.…

GROWN ups lose their objectivity and use the children as clubs to beat each other, and ultimately the children suffer the most trauma in the process. This is according to a judge who was confronted with an ongoing family feud in which two children took centre stage. Judge John Holland-Muter, sitting in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, remarked that it is clear that there will be no winners should the parties continue with this trend. The ultimate losers, he said, will be the children. “It is clear that all the parties need professional guidance through this myriad with the ultimate aim to act in the interest of the children.” This matter has a long and what the court termed sad history of two children orphaned after losing both their…

The Polokwane Magistrate’s Court has remanded 28-year-old Kgahlisho Ratsoma in custody after he was arrested for the murder of a 56-year-old woman and her 31-year-old son from Ivy Park, Limpopo police said. Ratsoma appeared in court on Monday and his case was adjourned to Tuesday, spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said. “Kgahlisho Ratsoma's case was adjourned to Tuesday, January 23, for further investigation, with the suspect being remanded in police custody,” Ledwaba said. “Additionally, his accomplice, 29-year-old Katlego Ratsoma, will also be brought before court on the same date, facing charges of house robbery, kidnapping, and murder.” The bodies of Magdeline Motlanthe and her son Nkgoropo Joseph Motlanthe were found in different locations, along the Roedtan-Zebediela road in Waterberg and Apel in Sekhukhune District earlier this month. Their dismembered bodies were…

THE inane and moribund idea that a two-state solution will resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is continuing to seriously afflict the world. This is illustrated by US President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent telephone conversation after which Biden asserted that, despite his public pronouncements, Netanyahu does not oppose “all” solutions to a Palestinian state. What nonsense is this? What Netanyahu and his supporters really have in mind, is that under this so-called two-state solution, “Israel will have security responsibility for all land west of the Jordan River”. This hogwash of an independent Palestinian is a mirage. What is being envisaged is a toy- telephone Palestinian state, whose security, and everything else, will be controlled by Israel. The argument of the various solutions to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was…

Since the dawn of democracy in South Africa, writers have always inappropriately used the label to characterise a South African black business hero. Too often, they tag it on to a young Icarus who later comes crushing down to Earth after some ephemeral success, or to a so-called Master of the Universe with the ability to descent from a corporate perch by way of a golden parachute. The tangled skeins of BEE are difficult to unravel; however, political economist Moeletsi Mbeki was determined to make sense of it in a nail-biting interview. Mbeki argued that the BEE concept was conceived by the big white corporations to dull the effects of political radicalism on South Africans. The corporates assimilated power- ful black leaders and bore them up in their corporate arms…

PARIS: One person died and two others were injured after a car collided with farmers’ barricades blocking highways in France’s south during a protest against government agricultural policies, the president of the National Federation of Agricultural Holders’ Unions said yesterday. Doctors said the injured activists were in critical condition. The three people who were in the car that rammed the barricades were detained. Since last week farmers in the Occitania region have been blocking highways with tractors, haystacks and manure. Farmers’ unions said they would continue the protests for as long as necessary. | Sputnik…

Tunis: Two teenagers from Tunisia died on a ship travelling to Europe, the country’s civil protection department said on Monday. “Two people aged 16 and 17 died after infiltrating a container transporting fruit and vegetables,” Mounir Riabi, the director of civil protection for the Tunis region, said. They were part of a group of four young people trying to migrate irregularly, spending about eight hours in the cold container “before the crew became aware of their presence and returned to the port of Tunis”, Riabi said. | AFP…

In 2018, Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse played in the Glenwood High first XV as a scrumhalf-flyhalf combination. They gelled so well for the Green Machine that some predicted that the brothers would one day be in the green of another team, the Springboks. That may yet come to pass but first there is the certainty that they will be in the black and white of the Sharks in the second half of this year when Jordan returns to Durban. The brothers split up after school – Jaden went straight into the junior ranks of the Sharks and Jordan joined the Lions after a short period in Stellenbosch. Jordan, who is one year younger than the 23-year-old Jaden, has had mixed fortunes at the Lions. He exploded out of the blocks…