Star -julkaisun 2022-09-02 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

Hello Spring. With the events industry on full blast again, we can’t help but feel the early festive cheer fill the air. Hot off the back of Women’s Month, Cape Town events planner Laverne Mentoor is hosting an all-female-headed event. Party people from all over South Africa, be sure to check out Mentoor’s annual event #YearOfTheWomen. Now in its sixth year, the event celebrates the past and current queens of hip hop. Mentoor told IOL Entertainment: “I started #YearOfTheWomenSA because I didn’t see a lot of women or queer bodies on the line-ups in the hip hop rap community. “I felt something was missing in the space and I took the opportunity to create what I wanted to see in the local hip hop fraternity which was a more safe…

It was a tragic end to Women’s Month for the Mabaso family of Soweto, following the murder of their sister and her 6-year-old son. Sandra Mabaso, 41, and her little boy Oratile were burnt to death in their Protea Glen home last Friday night, allegedly carried out by Lerato Sefekedi, her boyfriend and father of the child. Police confirmed that Sefekedi, a local scholar transport operator, is wanted for the double murder. He is also believed to be married and has a family home in Protea Glen. A source close to the family said Mabaso, a bank employee, was stabbed several times before being doused with petrol and set alight in her bedroom. She died on the scene. She was with Oratile when the incident happened. Shocked neighbours who responded…

MORE than 80 speakers and authors will take part in discussions and debates at the Open Book Festival this weekend. Cape Town will host the three-day event at The Homecoming Centre (the old Fugard Theatre building) in District Six from today until Sunday. The main attraction of the event is that guests and visitors can interact directly with the speakers afterwards. There will be several discussions including Sean Davison, Joy Watson and Matthew Wilhelm-Solomon speaking to Bronwyn Pithey about using the courts as tools for transforming society; Vanya Gastrow, Pie-Pacifique Kabalira-Uwase and Fred Khumalo speaking to Karina Szczurek about the ongoing vulnerability of foreign nationals in South Africa; and Dianne du Toit Albertze, Fred Khumalo and Joy Watson speaking to Bettina Wyngaard about migrating to survive. Event organiser Frankie Murrey…

Old Country Matthew Query, Harrison Query Loot.co.za (R240) Hodder & Stoughton BASED on the Reddit sensation, a horror thriller of a young couple who buy the perfect, secluded house – only to discover the terror within. Former marine Harry and his wife, Sasha, have packed up their life and their golden retriever, Dash, and fled the corporate rat race to live off the land in rural Idaho. Their breathtaking new home sits on more than 40 acres of meadow, aspen trees, and pine forest in the Teton Valley. Even if their friends and family think it’s a strange choice for an up-and-coming pair of urban professionals, Harry and Sasha couldn’t be happier about the future they’re building, all by their lonesome. That is, until their nearest neighbours, Dan and Lucy…

The Syrian civil war was conducive to Russia establishing permanent military bases in Syria, thereby consolidating its power in the Middle East. Russia expanded its naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus and operates Khmeimim Air Base, located south-east of the city of Latakia. As a result, Vladimir Putin’s Russia controls much of Syria’s airspace and has deployed more than 60 000 troops to Syria. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s persistent hostility toward Syrian President Bashar al-Assad paved the way for Putin’s entry into Syria, and the Russian president needs to keep Erdogan close to ensure the security of the Russian presence in Syria. Türkiye has been backing the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and jihadist groups in Syria since the civil war began in 2011. The US had supported…

THE death of the last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, will always be contested. Was he, as his detractors maintain, a traitor to Communism or did he, as the West views it, bring freedom to the world? What is odd about Gorbachev is that he oversaw the collapse of Eastern European Communist states but failed to keep his own country as the Soviet Union imploded in his face. Parallels can be drawn between him and the last apartheid president, FW de Klerk. They both set changes in motion that overwhelmed them. They had to concede defeat. Another interesting element of Gorbachev’s legacy is the lie, perpetrated by the West, that the US, through Ronald Reagan, “won” the Cold War for Capitalism. Some, like political scientist Francis Fukuyama, got…

In mid-August, Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza responded to outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in South Africa with a nationwide ban on the movement of cattle for 21 days. By late August, 127 cases of the disease had been recorded in six of the country’s nine provinces. The Conversation Africa spoke with Rebone Moerane and Melvyn Quan about the disease, its effects, and the government’s mitigation strategies. What is foot-and-mouth disease? It’s a viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, as well as wild animals such as buffalos. The disease is caused by the foot-and-mouth disease virus. The virus is extremely contagious – it can travel in air currents and infect animals many kilometres away from the source. Animals can…

Tripoli: Libyan authorities have announced the recovery of 15 unidentified bodies from two mass graves in the city of Sirte, some 450km east of the capital, Tripoli. One mass grave contained seven bodies, the other contained eight, it said, adding their DNA samples would be compared with relatives of the registered missing. As of August, teams from the Authority have extracted 286 bodies from about 100 secret grave sites. The teams have identified 154 victims through DNA matching. Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with two governments vying for power. | IANS…

THE cost of living crisis in England has passed Premier League clubs by with the all-time record for an entire season, £1.86-billion from 2017/18, under threat of being broken yesterday. Cristiano Ronaldo’s 37-year-old legs and sky-high wages have deterred Europe’s aristocracy from signing him from Manchester United and granting his wish for Champions League football. However, in contrast, United and their domestic rivals have found no outlandish fee or wage demands beyond them. As of last Thursday, gross spending by the 20 Premier League teams stood at £1.5bn, surpassing the 2017 record of £1.43bn spent by English clubs in the close-season window. It was also more than the £1.44bn spent in the whole of last season. United helped reduce the gap further early on Thursday as Erik ten Hag was…

Award-winning musician and music producer Zakes Bantwini may have had a successful night at the South African Music Awards (SAMAs) but it seems he’s not pleased with the awards show. In a lengthy statement posted on his official Facebook page, the two-time SAMA winner laid out his grievances with the awards. Bantwini’s sentiments come after DJ Maphorisa, Makhadzi and Lady Du had gone public with their dissatisfaction with this year’s awards. In his post, the music producer began by acknowledging the position the SAMAs hold in terms of prestigious music awards in the country and went on to reflect on how the standards for the SAMAs have dropped. “Regrettably the SAMAs have broken our trust, they have devalued the honour and prestige, which the awards once stood for, there is…

THE NATIONAL Shelter Movement of South Africa (NSMSA) has written an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa calling for Police Minister Bheki Cele to be sacked. To symbolise the end of “another depressing” Women’s Month, the NSMSA delivered an open letter to the president on Wednesday calling for Cele’s removal. In the letter, the gender justice organisation said the government had failed dismally to implement the necessary decisive action to stem the country’s spiralling gender-base violence and femicide (GBVF) pandemic, and it wanted to shine a light on South Africa’s increasingly “inadequate” police service. NSMSA executive head Dr Zubeda Dangor said Cele was ineffective as he simply did not seem to understand the problem. “His recent, appalling statements further expose his lack of empathy for the pain and suffering endured…

My Land Obsession - A memoir Bulelwa Mabasa Loot.co.za (R230) Picador BULELWA Mabasa was born in a “matchbox“ family home in Meadowlands, Soweto, at the height of apartheid. In My Land Obsession, she shares her colourful Christian upbringing, framed by the lived experiences of her grandparents, who endured land dispossession in the form of the Group Areas Act and the migrant labour system. Bulelwa’s world was irrevocably altered when she encountered the disparities of life in a white-dominated school. Her ongoing interest in land justice informed her choice to study law at Wits, with the land question central in her postgraduate studies. When Bulelwa joined the practice of law in the early 2000s as an attorney, she felt a strong need to build on her curiosity around land reform, moving…

The dating space has evolved tremendously in the past few years, making the prospects of finding a perfect match easier and a lot more intriguing. With a popular hashtag like “Umjolo with Azola” making waves online, that has also sparked interest in the idea of online dating, drawing scores of people to join in. The creative force behind the vibrant #UmjolowithAzola is Azola Mlota, who highlights that when he initiated the concept, it was to help people find love. Many call him a “love guru” as his dating platform enables people from all walks of life to connect in the hope of finding their potential significant others. His influence and engagements on social platforms have garnered him considerable followers. Sundays have become a Twitter tradition to anticipate #UmjolowithAzola and trend…

MEMBERS of the Tembisa Tactical Response Team arrested for the alleged torture and murder of a man in Ivory Park lost their bid to claim damages against the minister of police and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The 10 officers claimed damages before the High Court sitting in Johannesburg, for unlawful arrest and prosecution. Although they faced murder and torture charges, the court acquitted them due to a lack of evidence. They instituted civil proceedings against the police and the NPA in which they each claimed hundreds of thousands of rands in damages following their alleged ordeal. But Judge Edwin Molahlehi barred them from instituting these proceedings on technical grounds. He found that they did not comply with the law, which stated that plaintiffs who institute legal proceedings against organs…

I used to think the practice of polygamy was something reserved only for Africans who are black. And although I was aware of Islamic polygamy, I was recently shocked to learn that some white people in America are practising it. But the greatest justification for polygamy is the Bible itself and the history of human development. This justification becomes more convincing the churches see homosexuality as a way of righteousness, as well as a moral and social obligation, necessary for modern living, in light of many disputing texts in the Bible. No one can doubt that societies like the UK and the US have strong Christian principles in their foundation. And where the theological reflection of these principles transforms, so then will the social paradigm. But the social paradigm is…

The newly crowned Zulu king had to kill a lion as part of his tradition. Accompanied by a professional hunter and several game reserve officials, King Misuzulu Zwelethini travelled by vehicle in the Mkuze Falls Game Reserve and shot a magnificent, fully grown lion in the leg. The hunter had to finish it off and put it out of its misery. The carcass was then taken to the king’s kraal where it was skinned. The next day the king wore the skin for his traditional crowning ceremony. People versed in Zulu culture have justified the king’s lion kill as part of a tradition dating back to King Shaka’s days. But as legend goes, Shaka went on foot and killed the lion with his spear. While it’s important, in a diverse…

The vote of no confidence in the City of Joburg’s council speaker, Vasco da Gama, in the early hours of yesterday is yet another example of politicians taking voters for a ride. During election time, politicians promise voters all manner of things. In the case of Joburg, local politicians promised to restore glitter to the “city of gold”. They promised to work for the benefit of all Joburgers. They promised improved delivery. Above all, they promised different politics from the ones of the then governing ANC-led coalition. At the polling stations throughout the city, voters cast their ballots in support of the promises made. No sooner than the first few council meetings did the shenanigans begin. Instead of devoting their attention to resolving the myriad bread and butter issues confronting…

KAIZER Chiefs defender Sifiso Hlanti is beaming with joy after returning to action, having spent the better part of last season out injured. While on loan at Swallows FC, Hlanti finished last season on the sidelines after rupturing his Achilles tendon. During his absence, Chiefs endured another barren season as they finished fifth on the Premiership standings, leading to the departure of coach Stuart Baxter. Baxter has since been replaced by Arthur Zwane, who has guided the team to two wins and three losses in the league, and to the MTN8 semi-finals so far. Hlanti returned to the pitch for the first time as Chiefs beat Stellenbosch FC on penalties in the MTN8 quarter-finals. The 32-year-old left-back put in a great shift at left-back even though Amakhosi conceded in the…

SOUTH African stocks and currency markets remained on the back foot yesterday on the back of Moody’s cutting global economic growth forecasts as financial conditions tightened. The JSE All Share index fell by 1.3 percent to 66 366 index points by lunchtime as the increasingly negative outlook on the global economy pressured demand for South African resources. Platinum miners Impala, Northam and Anglo Platinum fell 8.3 percent, 4.8 percent and 4.7 percent, respectively, amid lower prices for bullion and base metals. The rand also weakened to its lowest in six weeks, touching R17.17 to the US dollar as the greenback held strong after the US Federal Reserve suggested it would keep raising interest rates to tame inflation. The markets are pricing in a 75 basis-point…

Bidders Online, a division of Bidders Choice, will be hosting the online auction of motor coach and plain trailer equipment from Wictra Holding (PTY) Ltd in a liquidation matter. Bids open today at 8am and close on September 14 from 11am. Items going under the hammer will include: a main light circuit breaker panel chamber; an HT resistor – switches; an HT starting contactor – EOM; an MG overload relay; an Omron relays 110 V; an LT resistance panel, including cover; a line switch (complete); an EMP surge divider; end door locks; new bulkhead lights; roof capacitors; an HT isolating link; an auxiliary isolating link; a traction meter overload; a drivers brake valve; a starting contactor ARC chute (EOM); various sized cables; a coach weigh bridge; knuckles; a lifting (spreader)…

Finding something good to read in September will be easy. It’s the perfect time to stock up on your collection of cosy mysteries for spring reads – books that feature a memorable investigator who must solve a crime that's more intriguing than gruesome. Here are four that fit the bill. The Locked Room Elly Griffiths When sorting through her deceased mother’s belongings, Ruth Galloway is puzzled to find an old photo dated five years before Ruth’s birth of the cottage in Norfolk, England, where she now lives with her daughter Kate. Ruth’s mother had never indicated any connection to the cottage, so Ruth vows to find out more, even as the world is suddenly turned upside down by the pandemic and subsequent lockdown. Meanwhile, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson, Kate’s…

The Rise Mike Sielski Loot.co.za (R551) MACMILLAN KOBE Bryant was widely regarded as one of the greatest professional basketball players of all time and played his 20-year career for the Los Angeles Lakers. He, together with his daughter Gianna and seven others, died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. Basketball fans globally speak with reverence about Bryant and are familiar with much about his NBA career and the tragedy that ended his life. In Mike Sielski’s new book Rise, he deals with Bryant’s early life, from his childhood to his draft into the NBA in 1996. Sielski has crafted Rise with finesse and manages to share the gradual rise of Bryant’s basketball star with building tension towards its ultimate NBA draft climax. Bryant was born with basketball in…

WHEN her name was announced as the winner of a Presidential Award, she was in awe. Rita Mapeshoane, the operations manager for digitisation in Arts, Culture and Heritage: Community Development, is a Golden Award richer. She won the award for Animator of the Year at the prestigious Public Relations Institute of SA (Prisa) Prism Awards. The awards ceremony was at Melrose Arch, Joburg. “I nervously walked on stage to accept my award. The first person I called afterwards was my mom, and we both jumped up and down with joy,” she said. Mapeshoane considers it an honour that the portfolio of work she submitted was nominated among other bright creatives like herself. She entered independent freelance work. Her portfolio included 2D and 3D animation work, design and compositing, typography,…

THE City of Joburg’s ombudsman is running an awareness campaign and investigation in city-run and managed old age homes. As a caring city, the ombudsman wants to listen to the grievances of the elderly and find ways to assist the elderly with their issues. “The office of the ombudsman is known as the office of last resort, but this time we are doing something special. We have taken it upon ourselves to investigate the conditions faced by the elderly at retirement villages,” advocate Siduduzo Gumede, the city’s ombudsman, said. Gumede recently visited the Eeufees Oord Old Age Home in Westdene in region B. During the visit, the home’s residents raised some of their grievances, which include the lack of adequate security on the premises, structural problems with the housing units,…

When she decided to take part in Miss SA 2021, she knew that she wanted to use her voice and platform for youth development and the empowerment of girls and women. As a result of her drive for her advocacy, former Miss SA 2021 runner-up Zimi Mabunzi was recently announced as a brand ambassador for Impact Drivers, a women- and youth-led non- governmental organisation. This comes after months of working in numerous campaigns that raise awareness of the injustices suffered by adolescent girls and young women in South Africa. The Star spoke to Mabunzi about what it means for to her join Impact Drivers. “It means I get to continue doing what I have always been passionate about, which is generally speaking the youth development and the empowerment of…

“My fellow South Africans!” This is President Cyril Ramaphosa’s opening gambit whenever he addresses the nation. Samora Machel’s opening gambit was “Aluta continua!”, which means “the struggle continues”. Machel used to challenge his audience by plying them with the following question: “The struggle must continue against what?” He would answer: “The struggle must continue against tribalism, nepotism, patronage, corruption, ignorance, greed and superstition.” Last Friday, The Star published a story about a Soweto family who fled their home because the community accused them of witchcraft. My fellow South Africans, accusing our fellow countrymen of witchcraft is a scourge that destroys the smooth running of our society. Communities and families have been pitted against one another because of allegations of witchcraft. A neighbour who used to greet you with a smile…

The whole world has much to thank Mikhail Gorbachev for. As many have pointed out since his death in Moscow earlier this week, Gorbachev – the last leader of the Soviet Union – did more than anyone to bring the Cold War to an end peacefully, reducing the threat that nuclear weapons might be used. He allowed the countries of Eastern Europe to move out of the Soviet orbit and towards democracy in 1989. And he tried to set Russia on the path to a more democratic society. His actions led to the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. Though Vladimir Putin views that break-up as a very negative development, most have welcomed it. Southern Africans have a special reason to thank Gorbachev. He helped bring apartheid to an…

Sri Lanka has reached a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a loan of about $2.9 billion (about R50bn), the global lender said yesterday, as the country seeks a way out its worst economic crisis in decades. The agreement is subject to approval by IMF management and its executive board, and is contingent on Sri Lankan authorities following through with previously agreed measures. “This staff-level agreement is only the beginning of a long road ahead for Sri Lanka to emerge from the crisis,” senior IMF official Peter Breuer said in Colombo. IMF conditions for the loan also include receiving financing assurances from Sri Lanka’s official creditors and efforts by the country to reach an agreement with private creditors. Its programme, spread over four years, will aim to…

SERENA Williams says she feels “like I’ve already won” the US Open after dramatically extending her iconic career with a never-say-die, three-set victory over world number two Anett Kontaveit on Wednesday. The 40-year-old 23-time Grand Slam title winner triumphed 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-2 in front of a raucous, partisan Arthur Ashe Stadium Court crowd to reach the third round of a tournament she has won six times. Having declared that she was already “evolving away from tennis” after a 27-year career, Williams’ force of will ensured that the retirement party was put on hold for a little longer. “I just feel like I have had a big red X on my back since I won the US Open in 1999. It’s been there my entire career, because I won my first…

TOMORROW, Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber will take charge of the men’s senior national team for the 20th time, and one would argue that this one will be the first when there is real pressure on him and his team to perform. This Springbok team – so beloved and respected – have mostly been given plenty of leeway when it comes to results. They have won the right matches at the right time and spun themselves out of the vexed disappointment of pundits and supporters with wizened words. Millions of South Africans can associate with their everyday-man take on rugby, representing SA and all the hardships associated with it. It is a wonderful narrative, especially when one can look up to their sporting heroes, and there is common understanding to be…