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UNPRECEDENTED load shedding and rapidly deteriorating water infrastructure have made it difficult for business to operate in South Africa, says Astral chairperson Theuns Eloff, accusing the government of failing to provide basic services to meet the needs of its people. “It is difficult to remain positive and it is widely acknowledged that drastic political change is needed,” the CEO of South Africa’s biggest integrated poultry producer, Chris Schutte, said in the latest annual report. Astral processes some 5.8 million broilers a week, has eight feed mills, does poultry production at 178 sites and employs 12 417 people. Eloff said the outlook for the coming financial year “is less positive with the financial health of the consumer set to deteriorate further, and raw material costs and other variable costs such as…

THE TOTAL number of Zimbabweans – both in and outside the country – remitting money to friends and relatives has dropped although remittance values from expats is on the increase. This comes at a time local, regional and international economies are facing turbulence amid fears of a global economic recession. Zimbabwe has a total population of 15 million, according to a 2022 census by Zimstats. New data from the Finscope study by Finmark and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe shows that the total number Zimbabweans not remitting money to friends and relatives has widened, from 42% in 2014 to 62% this year. “Remittances have dropped over the years from 58% of adults remitting in 2014 to 38% in 2022,” said the 2022 Finscope Consumer Survey Report Zimbabwe launched by the…

ANGLO American, the global diversified mining company, on Friday forecast production to be down by 3% in overall output in 2022. This as the Quellaveco mine in Peru copper ramps up, and strong diamond production has been offset by ore grades in Chile and lower production from Kumba and platinum group metals (PGMs) miners. It lowered its copper production outlook for next year due to lower grades at its Chilean mines. In its update on its performance during 2022, the group said it now expected its copper mines to produce between 840 000 and 930 000 tons in 2023, compared with a prior estimate of 910 000 tons to 1.02 million tons. However, it expected production to grow by 5% in 2023 from 2022 levels, led by copper, iron ore…

The critically-acclaimed thriller Lioness returns for a second season on M-Net. Much like the first season, the suspense will have viewers on the edge of their seats. Shannon Esra reprises her role as the complicated and captivating Sam. The second season of Lioness will be screened from January 26, when the Ochre Moving Pictures production follows the story of a woman out of jail for fraud, who returns to a life even more fractured than when she left. After the cliffhanger finale of season one, season two picks up with Adrian Hugo’s second wife desperately searching for her missing husband. A fiercely protective mother, Sam must shield her son Liam, no matter the cost. But when Sam discovers that Adrian’s death was not all it seemed, the lioness goes in…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa faces potentially the toughest week of his political career as MPs roll into town to physically converge on Parliament tomorrow with the expectation to vote on his future. This as the ANC’s Integrity Commission will submit a much-anticipated report on whether he brought the party into disrepute over the Phala Phala affair. The commission deferred its report – which it was supposed to release on Friday – to the elective conference, which sits from Thursday. National executive committee (NEC) member Dr Zweli Mkhize has mounted a challenge against Ramaphosa for the presidency and spent last week addressing the media. The Phala Phala scandal hangs like an albatross around Ramaphosa’s neck after the Parliament-appointed independent panel found that there was a prima facie case he may have to…

After more than 750 days in lockdown in an effort to stave off the Covid-19 pandemic, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the end of the National State of Disaster on April 4, 2022. After the “hard lockdown” of March 2020 in which everyone except essential workers were confined to their homes, the lifting of the lockdown brought a huge sigh of relief. South Africans had faced some of the world’s most stringent lockdown regulations in the early part of the pandemic, such as the ban on tobacco and alcohol and other goods in stores. But as the world came to terms with living and managing the pandemic, South Africa implemented four stages of lockdown enforcement which regulated anything from curfew times and the number of people permitted in buildings. So when…

POPULAR amapiano duo TxC raised the bar high and created iconic cultural moments on the world’s biggest stage when they delivered a series of electrifying amapiano sets at the Qatar World Cup and the Fifa Fan Festival in Dubai at the weekend. As an official partner of the World Cup, Budweiser provided the opportunity for TxC to shine on a global stage with a series of career-defining performances as the duo brought the “Amapiano Experience” to the Bud World Club in Doha on December 3. Tarryn Reid and Clairise Hefke, who make up the dynamic global DJ duo sensation TxC, jetted off to Qatar last week for their two performances. In transcending borders and cultures, TxC were an integral part of a star-studded line-up that included American rapper Lil…

THE MZANSI National Philharmonic Orchestra will embark on its first national tour this week. Commencing on Thursday, the orchestra, conducted by Marin Alsop, will tour diverse South African communities, performing Beethoven’s Symphony No 9, with a powerhouse line-up of musicians of accomplished soloists and local choirs. These include classical music superstar Alsop, one of the most distinguished conductors of her generation and the Orchestra’s Concert Master, South African violinist Pieter Schoeman, the Concert Master of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The soloists will be renowned South African mezzo soprano, Michelle Breedt, who has performed in prestigious concert halls across the world; talented bass-baritone, Msimelelo Mbali, who is making a mark in Europe’s operatic world, and will appear at the English National Opera in the 2022/23 season; acclaimed soprano Zandile Mzazi…

Defending World Cup champions France will go into their semi-final clash against Morocco as the favourites. Les Bleus have more experience playing in the deep stages of major tournaments and also a better squad on paper, which gives them the edge in the last four over their north African opponents. However, as we have seen a few times in this World Cup, the best team on paper does not always win. Morocco will be tough opponents for Didier Deschamps’ side and have proven that they do not fear anybody. Not many gave the Atlas Lions any chance of progressing beyond the group stages of the tournament before it started. They responded by winning Group H, which contained No 2-ranked team Belgium, 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia and one of North…

Argentina, led by superstar Lionel Messi, came into the World Cup as one of the favourites but they face a big roadblock in the semi-final tomorrow against 2018 runners-up Croatia, who proved too much for the other title contenders Brazil. The Croats stunned the tournament favourites in the quarter-finals with a vintage performance, going a goal down in extra-time but digging deep to bounce back and force a penalty shoot-out that they ended up winning. While their elimination of the five-time world champions was largely unexpected given Brazil’s form, it was still a classic Croatian achievement. With a never-say-die attitude, even when the odds were stacked heavily against them, disciplined Croatia are now deservedly in their second straight World Cup semi-final, and underestimating them would come at Argentina’s risk. Playmaker…

Crisis crippling economic growth a major source of investor concern STRUGGLING South African consumers have been warned to brace for even more intense load shedding next year as Eskom moves ahead with its six-months outage at Koeberg nuclear power station while scrambling for money to buy diesel. This will cripple economic growth and is a major source of investor concern. This comes as Eskom last week ramped up load shedding to stage 6 for the first time in three months due to a plethora of unplanned breakdowns at its ageing coal-fired power stations. By the weekend, the power utility eased load shedding to stage 4 and stage 2 as it had 5 901MW on planned maintenance while another 15 394MW of capacity was unavailable due to breakdowns. Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi…

ANGLO American Platinum (Amplats), a platinum group metals miner, adjusted its production expectation for next year to reflect new operating conditions amid a high inflation environment. Amplats metal-in-concentrate (M&C) production guidance has been revised downward to between 3.6 million and 4m ounces, previously it was between 4.1m and 4.5m ounces. The production guidance for 2024 has also been revised downward to the same levels as 2023. The group said it expected M&C production in 2025 to be between 3.5m and 3.9m ounces and refined platinum group metals (PGM) production of between 3.3m and 3.7m ounces. Amplats said it expected to end the year with M&C production of around 4m PGM ounces, within guidance. Amplats CEO Natascha Viljoen said: “Despite navigating through several headwinds, we maintained a stable operating environment and…

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix documentary is reportedly at the centre of a row over whether the Royal Family were given the chance to respond to its claims. A “senior source” insisted Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace and members of the family were not approached for comment on Harry and Meghan, according to Mail Online. The outlet reported on November 8, hours after the first three episodes of the six-part docuseries were released on Netflix – that a source from the streamer said communications offices for King Charles and the Prince of Wales were contacted before it aired, giving them the chance to react to the Sussexes’ “claims within the series”. Mail Online also said Kensington Palace responded by admitting it had received an email from a third-party production…

Deputy Minister of Justice and Correctional Services John Jeffrey says with the impending decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa, existing laws including residence for foreign nationals and municipal by-laws would still need to be respected in the trade. “Existing law such as municipal by-laws on loitering, which I think will affect people on the streets being able to sell and advertise sex, would still apply and those are the responsibility of the municipality. The municipalities have to ensure that those laws are applied,” the deputy minister told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika. “So existing laws would effectively apply. When it comes to the issue of foreign migrants selling sex, they will not be able to sell sex unless they have a work permit, or if they have the ability and…

DANCERS from across the world battled it out at Montecasino in Joburg for the prestigious Red Bull Dance Your Style 2022 world champion title, which was won by The D Soraki from Japan. He won the world’s most prestigious all-styles solo street dance title. The D Soraki, who faced King DaVinci from Nigeria in the final, said his win still felt surreal. “I’m still in shock. It hasn’t sunk in yet that I have won. I think I still need to process everything that has happened, but it was a phenomenal experience for me, and I can't wait to get back to my country and tell everyone about the unity of street dance culture that came through this amazing competition,” he said. Red Bull Dance Your Style world finalist King…

“I AM pleased the world is recognising South African whistle-blowers; it’s tragic that the South African government and the business community is not doing the same.” These were the words of whistle-blower and author of the book, Deep Collusion: Bain and the Capture of South Africa, Athol Williams, after he won two international awards for blowing the whistle on state capture and corruption in 2019. Williams’s disclosures about US-based consultancy Bain & Co formed a central plank of the Zondo Commission’s investigations which found Bain’s involvement with the SA Revenue Service unlawful. Bain has been banned from competing for government contracts in both the UK and South Africa, and Williams was involved in both campaigns. He was awarded the 2022 Blueprint for Free Speech Special Recognition Award from…

France’s World Cup run is turning into a triumph for coach Didier Deschamps, who has won over those who felt he had stayed in charge too long and is within touching distance of another final. Victory over England on Saturday means France now face Morocco in the last four on Wednesday, and whatever happens there, Deschamps will be free to decide if he wants to extend his 10-year spell in charge. “The ball is in my court and I will decide. I will be here for the semi-final and then we’ll see. One thing at a time,” said Deschamps after fulfilling the objective set out for him by French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet. “The president is happy. Lots of people are happy. But I want to savour being…

MINING giant Kumba Iron Ore said on Friday that while the iron ore export channel had reopened, ongoing operational challenges had resulted in lower throughput than expected. In its full-year guidance update, Kumba, majority-owned by Anglo American, lowered its production guidance for 2022, 2023, and 2024, citing poor freight rail performance. Parastatal Transnet has been plagued by poor performance due to a lack of trains, cable theft, and poor maintenance, which has made it unable to meet demand. According to Kumba, it now expects to produce 37 million tons of iron ore this year, which has decreased from previous guidance of between 38 million and 40 million tons. Kumba CEO Mpumi Zikalala said: “Following a tough first half operationally, production and sales were disrupted in October 2022 by the two-week…

On Tuesday this week, an application from Ilitha was heard in the Western Cape High Court, in which Ilitha applied to place the Sunrise Energy Group into business rescue. BOTH the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) have invested in the Sunrise Energy LPG project, located in Saldanha Bay. This project was executed on the back of receiving a concession from the Transnet National Ports Authority. The project’s aim was to build the infrastructure needed by liquefied petroleum gas importers to supply LPG to the market. The shareholding of Sunrise Energy is made up as follows: – 1. Ilitha Group Holdings Proprietary (Ilitha): 9%. – 2. IDC: 31%. – 3. Mining, Oil and Gas Services (MOGS): 60%. The Mogs shareholding is made up as follows: a.…

n Mabuza still eyes top job but critics say the big man’s days are numbered SUPPORTERS of Deputy President David “DD” Mabuza are adamant that their presidential candidate will emerge from the floor at the 55th national conference of the ANC at Nasrec, Joburg, this coming weekend. Although the main campaigners have been cautioned against “airing” their strategy in public, some within the camp believe it is “too little too late” to stop Mabuza from being elected the party’s president. The urge for some to speak to The Star’s sister paper, the Pretoria News, followed a viral political poster, bearing ANC Mpumalanga chairperson Mandla Ndlovu’s face, in which he was quoted insinuating that Mabuza’s days as the “big man” were over. “A fish can be big in a small pond,…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa’s adviser, close ally and ANC treasurer-general hopeful Bejani Chauke’s name has again crept up with EFF president Julius Malema accusing him of having moderated the move of millions of dollars from Joburg to the president’s Phala Phala farm. Malema also accused Ramaphosa of lying and raised concerns over reports of two of the alleged participants in the Phala Phala heist having been killed. Malema was addressing the media last week after the Section 89 panel chaired by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo found that Ramaphosa may have committed serious violations of the Constitution by “acting in a manner inconsistent with his office”. Malema said the president had lied when he allegedly said most of the workers on the farm knew the combination to the safe which…

Ingredients 2 cups (250g) cake flour ½ cup (125ml) cocoa powder ½ cup (125ml) castor sugar 1 tbs (15ml) baking powder Pinch salt 3 large eggs 1 cup (250ml) milk 5 tbs (80ml) vegetable oil (or melted butter) 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla essence (optional) 2-3 tbs (30-45ml) cooking oil 1-2 tbs (15-20ml) butter ½ slab (50g) milk or dark chocolate, chopped (optional) For serving: 2 slabs (80g each) dark chocolate, melted Handful berries Handful mint Method Sift flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Whisk together eggs, milk, vegetable oil or melted butter, and vanilla essence. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add egg mixture. Stir well to combine. Set mixture aside for 15 minutes. Heat up to 1 tsp (5ml) cooking oil…

FORMER football star Brian Baloyi has broken his silence on his mother’s abuse at the hands of his father, saying that gender-based violence (GBV) negatively affected him while growing up as a teenager. Baloyi, who was Kaizer Chief’s goalkeeper, was speaking at an event hosted by Gauteng provincial government on Saturday at the Saulsville Arena in Atteridgeville to mark the closing of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign. People came in droves from across the province to join the campaign aimed at mobilising men to take collective responsibility for the prevention of violence against women and children in their communities. Baloyi added his voice to the campaign by discouraging men from abusing women and making them aware of the psychological trauma their victims have to suffer because of their actions.…

South Africa is such a wonderful land of opportunity. If you live by your wits, there are easy pickings at every turn. If you are public speaker, you can become a politician and live a carefree life of abundance in Sandton. If you are an ANC member, you can become a public servant and have the time of your life. Rounding off this triumvirate of opportunists are the men of the cloth, who are often wolves in sheep’s clothing living on the gullible. In fact, religion has become big business all over the world. There is a proliferation of churches, pastors, evangelists and fly-by-night bogus prophets operating with reckless abandon and impunity in our country. The pickings are so plentiful and rich that places of worship have sprung up like…

The reconfiguration of the political landscape in South Africa has placed African leaders at the centre of our politics. While this is a commendable development in terms of giving Africans agency to determine their fate, it has come with certain demands and responsibilities which Africans struggle to meet. One of them is ethical leadership. Noticeably, with each leader who ascends to power, ethics tend to slip away. Consequently, the cry for ethical leaders has become louder while ethical leadership itself has become a rare commodity. This has become a general trend across Africa. South Africa too has had its fair share of this evidently dwindling ethical leadership. In a nutshell, ethical leadership combines two concepts: ethics and leadership. The word ethics means moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour. It…

The Lions did not heed the warnings that they self-prophesied last week ahead of their 31-31 draw with the Dragons on Saturday at Emirates Airline Park. Before their debut in the EPCR Challenge Cup, the Joburgers knew full well that they would be disrupted at the breakdowns, that the Welsh team would run at them, keep ball-in-hand at all costs, and target their defensive lines with quick plays. The visitors did that and more with scrumhalf Rhodri Williams a particular menace around the fringes as he took advantage of some sloppy defending. In hindsight, the Dragons should have won the match, but suffered from their own foggy decision-making – especially when they had the Lions on the ropes in the last 15 minutes of the match – by opting for…

England crashed out of the World Cup against an all too familiar backdrop of heroic failure and agonising over yet another crucial missed penalty in a major championship. But as the Three Lions packed their bags yesterday, there was much about the circumstances of their exit that felt like a break from the past. No anguished wailing about tactical failings or technical ineptitude. No demands for a root-and-branch review of English football, and no calls for a change of manager. Instead, a growing consensus that Gareth Southgate should – if he wants to – be allowed to continue for at least one more tournament. The 52-year-old manager was roundly lambasted after his team’s two previous tournaments, blamed for an inability to tweak his game plan mid-course during the 2018 World…