Table of contents for 2023-07-10 in Mercury

This comes as the US Federal Reserve signalled intention to resume interest rate increases DEBT-LADEN consumers in South Africa will be facing yet more hardship as the cost of borrowing looks likely to increase later this month and remain elevated for at least another 2 months on the back of stubborn consumer inflation. This comes as the US Federal Reserve signalled its intention to resume interest rate increases amid a growing consensus that more tightening was needed to stamp out high inflation in the world’s largest economy, in spite of leaving rates unchanged for now, at 5% to 5.25%. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) this week gave the strongest indication yet that it would probably tighten its monetary policy further and implement another rate hike, though most experts predict…

THE FINANCIALS submitted to the JSE-listed and debt-laden Nampak by its Zimbabwean unit, which has forecast persistent economic and monetary challenges ahead of elections next month, are different from those that it reported to the Zimbabwean Stock Exchange as a result of monetary and exchange rate distortions. Shares in Nampak on the JSE have been 16.6% firmer during the past seven days and 10.5% stronger during the past month after the regional packaging manufacturer’s shareholders approved a R1 billion rights offer. The share price of Nampak, which is saddled with debt of R5.2bn closed Friday’s trade session on the JSE 1.1% weaker. For Nampak Zimbabwe, the rapid changes in currency regulations in Zimbabwe resulted “in the differences between the reported financial information and the numbers submitted to the parent”…

WOMEN can’t earn the same salaries as men because men will provide for them. Isn’t this the attitude behind the gender pay-gap epidemic? Gender remuneration disparities or pay-gap is a global problem that is more nuanced in South Africa because of all other layering social ills. According to information from the Borgen Project, a non-profit organisation addressing poverty and hunger, the median gender pay-gap in South Africa is between 23% and 35%, which is larger than the global average of 20%. In the US for instance, the average annual salary of a woman is 83% that of a man, which translates to 83 cents on the dollar. While in the EU women earned 13% less on average per working hour than men. These differences are driven by nothing other…

SINCE taking office in 2017, President João Lourenço has maintained a positive bearing on strengthening and enhancing Angola’s oil and gas sector and focusing on enriching its population. From exploration to production and export, the Angolan oil and natural gas industry is bustling with new initiatives. This past year alone, international oil companies and the Angolan government partnered to award numerous regional operators with service contracts worth billions of dollars in combined value. The Right Approach This success story, just one among many in Angola, wouldn’t be possible without the welcoming and investment-friendly environment that Angolan leadership has worked to cultivate in recent years. Despite its status as sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest oil producer, boasting an approximate output of 1.55 million barrels of oil per day (bpd), Angola rejects complacency and…

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has ruled that the eThekwini Municipality cannot impose an 18.49% tariff increase for electricity and instead must stick to the 15.1% increase that the body had recommended. Nersa spokesperson Charles Hlebela said it could confirm that it had approved a 15.1% electricity tariff increase for eThekwini Municipality. “The 15.1% is in line with the municipal tariff guideline increase and tariff benchmarks for the 2023/24 financial year.” This comes after the City had been allowed to make a submission to Nersa last month on its proposed 18.49% increase. Ratepayers have cried foul over the City’s tariff increases for electricity, water and property rates, and some ratepayer groups have lodged a dispute. EThekwini Municipality’s head of communications, Lindiwe Khuzwayo, said the City had accepted…

THE increase in the number of flooding disasters over the past few years has been a stark reminder for the City of the urgent need to plan for and adapt to the impact of climate change. As I was penning this piece, the City was still counting the costs, after yet another episode of severe rain, accompanied by heavy winds left a trail of destruction. The 2022 floods left 9 407 people displaced, prompting the City to identify 56 shelters or care centres to house the residents. A total of 8 255 dwellings were reported as damaged and 21 880 people were affected and more than 400 fatalities were confirmed. In this latest disaster, 719 households have been assessed and 2 973 people were affected. Our Disaster Management call centre…

Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola has revealed that there are 774 inmates who are over the age of 60 who are serving life sentences in prison. Lamola said the inmates were spread across the country. Most of the prisoners were in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape. In KwaZulu-Natal, there were 171 prisoners who are over the age of 60 serving life sentences. Lamola, who was replying to a written parliamentary question from EFF MP Vusi Khoza, said in Gauteng there were 158 prisoners in their correctional centres. In the Eastern Cape they have 138 inmates and in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West they have a total of 128 prisoners serving life sentences. However, in the Western Cape there were 93 prisoners while in the Free State and…

THE fact that a magistrate, who granted bail to alleged cybercrime kingpin James Junior Aliyu, used Google for legal knowledge on some aspects of the case, had an acting judge frowning. “The learned magistrate … acted as a witness in the case, by searching, by his own admission during his judgment, on Google for evidence of an extradition treaty between the US and Nigeria,” the acting judge said. The remarks were made after the National Prosecuting Authority had appealed against Aliyu having been granted bail in the magistrate’s court. In the bail appeal, Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg acting Judge Peet Johnson raised concerns about the actions of the magistrate. “It is irregular for a court to search for evidence on Google, which had not been proved to be a reliable…

KwaZulu-Natal has a large number of unidentified bodies in its mortuaries. This was recently revealed by Health Minister Joe Phaahla, who said there were 1 777 unidentified bodies in state mortuaries with KZN having 1 362 unidentified bodies. Phaahla said there were continuous discussions with the forensic pathology service, local municipalities and the SAPS to have the bodies identified. “The SAPS mandate is to manage all unidentified cases from public hospitals and forensic pathology service facilities. The SAPS has the competency of identification and tracing families. “The department collaborates with the police, the Department of Home Affairs for fingerprints, and the Department of Social Development to trace families and local municipalities for pauper’s burials where families are not successfully traced,” he said. Community development health workers also trace the last…

THE chairperson of the eThekwini Municipality’s Human Settlement and Infrastructure Services Committee (HSI) has called for the streamlining of procurement processes, pointing out that finalising a single process could take up to a year. Committee chairperson and EFF councillor Themba Mvubu said while he was not advocating for the procurement process to be circumvented, the current process was too long and cumbersome. Mvubu was speaking on the City’s video platform on social media, eThekwini Matters. His committee has oversight over 70% of the City’s budget and infrastructure-related services including water, electricity and sanitation. Recently, the City faced a stand-off with some of its suppliers who complained that the online procurement process the municipality had implemented was difficult to use and they did not have access to the internet. The City…

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said 10 hours of meetings with senior Chinese officials in recent days were “direct” and “productive”, helping stabilise the superpowers’ often rocky relationship as her four-day Beijing trip ended. Before departing from China yesterday, Yellen said the US and China remained at odds on a number of issues but expressed confidence that her visit had advanced efforts to put the relationship on a “surer footing”. “The US and China have significant disagreements,” Yellen said at the US embassy in Beijing, citing Washington’s concerns about what she called “unfair economic practices” and recent punitive actions against US firms. “But President (Joe) Biden and I do not see the relationship between the US and China through the frame of great power conflict. We believe the world is…

Pope Francis announced yesterday that he would elevate 21 churchmen to the high rank of cardinal, again putting his mark on the group that will one day choose his successor after his death or resignation. The ceremony to install them, known as a consistory, will be held on September 30, the 86-year-old pope announced during his noon prayer in St Peter’s Square. The new cardinals come from countries including the US, Italy, Argentina, Switzerland, South Africa, Spain, Colombia, South Sudan, Hong Kong, Poland, Malaysia, Tanzania and Portugal. Eighteen of the 21 are under 80 and will be able to enter a secret conclave to choose the next pope. They are known as cardinal electors. After the September consistory, there will be 137 cardinal electors, about 73% of them chosen by…

Paris: Paloma Ruiz-Picasso, the last of Pablo Picasso’s four children, has been appointed administrator of the estate managing rights linked to the artist and his work, replacing her brother Claude, their lawyer said. A businesswoman, fashionista, and perfume, accessories and jewellery designer, Paloma Picasso, 74, is the daughter of the Spanish painter and French artist Francoise Gilot, who died in June. The Picasso estate is owned by Claude and Paloma Picasso and the five grandchildren of the painter. The organisation holds a monopoly on the copyright and reproduction rights of Picasso’s works, as well as trademark rights. It issues authentication certificates and fights forgeries. Claude Ruiz-Picasso, 76, who had been the director since 1989, wanted to step aside in favour of his sister, the lawyer Jean-Jacques Neuer, said. Fifty years…

MINISTER of Electricity Dr Kgosien- tsho Ramokgopa has warned that the delays being experienced in returning the 920MW Unit 1 of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station to the national grid posed a significant risk that could undermine the progress being made in implementing the Energy Action Plan. In December 2022, Eskom belatedly took Unit 1 Koeberg off line for at least six months to replace three steam generators in a bid to extend the life of the power station for an additional 20 years at an estimated cost of R20 billion. However, the power utility has pushed the deadline for returning Unit 1 to the grid twice, moving it by 45 days from the scheduled July 23, due to numerous reasons, including resource utilisation, safety incidents, physical…

THE TELKOM board has decided to walk away from talks of an unsolici- ted non-binding indicative bid with a consortium proposing to acquire its controlling stake, as the offer was “not in the best interest of shareholders”. This came after the group received an unsolicited non-binding indicative letter from the consortium which is led by its former CEO, Sipho Maseko, Afrifund Investments, comprising Axian Telecom, and the Government Employees Pension Fund, managed by the Public Investment Corporation. “The Telkom board of directors, having considered the indicative proposal, decided not to continue discussions with the consortium as the board was of the view that the indicative proposal was not in the best interest of shareholders and that the current Telkom strategy would yield better value for shareholders. “Accordingly, caution is no…

The South African Weather Service (Saws) has issued a warning for cold conditions in parts of KwaZulu-Natal today. This is due to the passage of an intense cold front across the eastern parts of the country. “The public and small stock farmers are advised that very cold conditions can be expected over the south-western and western parts as well as the Midlands.” It added that disruptive snowfalls could lead to icy roads, resulting in traffic disruptions and the isolated loss of vulnerable livestock and crops over the south-western parts of KZN today. In addition, a yellow Level 2 warning has been issued for strong, damaging winds. “This may lead to small vessels capsizing, difficulty in navigating for small vessels, and localised disruption of small harbours/ports for a short period of…

NO MORE grumpy newsletters. I’m saddened to learn of the death of Dr James Greener, whose wit in his financial newsletters, as he excoriated the performance of various figures in our national life, made him a favourite with readers. James had a PhD in the sciences yet practised as a financial analyst. He was also a keen birdwatcher and a committed – and very well-informed – conservationist. However grumpy he got about the way things were being managed, he couched it in such a way that you simply had to laugh. He contributed greatly to the content of this column and will be sadly missed, not least by a lunch club in La Lucia where he was a regular and popular figure. Russia riddle JUST weeks ago, Yevgeny Prigozhin was…

IN her informative article on the NHI Bill, Professor Larisse Prinsen (The Mercury, July 6) lays out the intended operation of the ANC’s socialist Leviathan. But totally absent from it is the premise which the William “Beveridge Report” of 1942 identified as essential for Britain’s NHI. “The state in organising security should not stifle incentive, opportunity, responsibility. “In establishing a national minimum, it should leave room and encouragement for voluntary action by each individual to provide more than that minimum for himself and his family” (quoted in Charles Moore’s Margaret Thatcher – the authorised biography, Vol 1, p164). The deliberate marginalisation, simultaneously, of the individual’s right to choose health care beyond the minimum provided by the state and the right of medical professionals to practice independently, spells doom for health…

SAPS VIP Protection Unit officers caught on camera assaulting three SANDF members have been pulled from Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s protection detail. Initially police said six officers had been served with notice to suspend letters, now that number has been moved up to eight. It is understood that the officers are now office-based pending the outcome of the investigation. Speaking at a media briefing, SAPS commissioner General Fannie Masemola, explained in detail the process the police were undertaking in their investigation. “In the past, we undertook processes where members were suspended for eight hours or 12 hours but the courts found us at fault for doing that, so immediate suspension becomes problematic. We are sticking to what’s there in the disciplinary regulations and will follow processes properly,” he said. The…

Former Bosasa chief operations officer Angelo Agrizzi looks set to stand trial in the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, despite his ill-health, for allegedly bribing former ANC MP Vincent Smith. In a ruling earlier this year the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria had ruled that Agrizzi could attend his cases virtually due to his ill health. His court appearance was provisionally postponed to October 4. Agrizzi took ill in October 2020, while he was appearing in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on fraud and corruption charges along with Smith. Due to his ill health, the State was forced to separate their trials. The State alleges that on or about October 2014, Bosasa employees, acting on the instructions of Agrizzi or the late Gavin Watson – the former Bosasa…

Suspended Pretoria chief magistrate and corruption-accused Desmond Nair has had his case provisionally postponed to November 30. The National Prosecuting Authority Investigating Directorate spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka said the postponement was to allow for the defence to make representations to the State as to why Nair should not be prosecuted. “Nair faces charges of corruption for having allegedly received gratification to the value of R200 000 in security upgrades from African Global Operations and Global Technology Systems (formerly known as Bosasa) in September 2016. The upgrades involve an electric fence, an alarm system and a CCTV system at Nair’s Pretoria home in Silverton. The State alleges that Nair was granted the upgrades for his influence to act in a dishonest, improper, or unlawful manner,” said Seboka. Nair has been suspended as…

‘Aspiration to create an equitable health system is part of the Struggle’ JULY 5 and June 14 2023 are iconic dates that literally could determine the future health prospects if not the fate of two countries – the UK and South Africa – over the next decade or so. In terms of health system dynamics, the two are far more interlinked than their promoters and detractors would deign to admit. Last Wednesday the UK marked the 75th anniversary of its globally-admired National Health Service (NHS). It was more an acknowledgement of the fact that in the ruins of World War II, a universal health service free at the point of need to all citizens and permanent residents regardless of wealth and status, was launched by Clement Attlee’s post-war Labour government…

Israel and Saudi Arabia are a long way from a normalisation agreement that would involve a defence treaty and a civilian nuclear programme from the US, President Joe Biden said in a CNN interview broadcast yesterday. US officials have been negotiating to reach an elusive normalisation deal between the two countries. “We’re a long way from there. We have a lot to talk about,” Biden said. Israel’s energy minister voiced opposition last month to the idea of Saudi Arabia developing a civilian nuclear programme as part of any US-mediated forging of relations between the countries. Biden pointed to Saudi Arabia’s decision to open its airspace to all air carriers, paving the way for more overflights to and from Israel. “I don’t think they have much of a problem with Israel.…

Democratic US Senator Tim Kaine and Representative Barbara Lee raised concerns yesterday over the decision by President Joe Biden’s administration to send cluster bombs to Ukraine to combat the Russian invasion. The US said on Friday it would supply Kyiv with the widely banned bombs as part of a new $800 million security package that brings total US military aid to more than $40 billion since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Rights groups and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have questioned Washington’s decision on the munitions. Kaine said he had “some real qualms” about the US decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine because it could inspire other countries to sidestep an international convention barring the munitions. “It could give a green light to other nations to…

Banyana Banyana left-back Bongeka Gamede is eager to play in her second World Cup, saying she’ll use the opportunity to market herself to international scouts. Gamede was an unused substitute during Banyana's debut appearance at the global showpiece four years ago in France but since then she’s been a regular in coach Desiree Ellis’ team. The 24-year-old Ixopo-born footballer was part of the Banyana team that rewrote the history books by winning the first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco last year. With that triumph Banyana sealed their qualification for the World Cup finals for the second time - this time in Australia and New Zealand. Gamede is looking forward to the event saying she’ll use the opportunity to show her talents to the world, having been plying her…

Bafana Bafana head coach for the Cosafa Cup Morena Ramoreboli has waved away any concerns about the team's wastefulness in front of goal after their narrow win over Botswana. The national men's football team was required to come back from a goal down for the second game running as they scraped past the Zebras 2-1 in their second group match of the tournament. Before Thatayaone Kgamanye gave the visitors the lead in the 63rd minute, Bafana were guilty of spurning plenty of chances, including an empty net in the first half. The hosts were able to hit back by scoring two goals in two minutes after Botswana had gone a man down and they would go on to create several more chances with the extra space their were afforded. Victor…

A MAJOR corporate stand-off is brewing between one of South Africa’s largest fishing groups, I&J Ltd, and its empowerment partners over lucrative fishing rights. AVI, parent company of I&J, has abruptly terminated a long-standing BBBEE partnership with a consortium led by prominent entrepreneur and former anti-apartheid activist Khusta Jack. Jack, chairperson of Main Street 198 Ltd, was asked to resign voluntarily or face removal from the board as I&J starts a new partnership with a different group of BEE partners. Jack has slammed AVI for adopting what he says is a revolving door approach to dealing with its BEE partners. “I told them I will not resign under duress. This is a vile perversion of the spirit and principles that underpin the policy of broad-based black economic empowerment and endeavours…

THE FOSCHINI Group board has appointed Jan Potgieter and Nkululeko Sowazi as independent non-executive directors with effect from July 10, 2023, and January 1, 2024, respectively. In a statement, the group said Potgieter will also serve as a member of the Audit and Risk Committees. “Potgieter is a Chartered Accountant (SA) and has extensive senior-level experience in the manufacturing, retail, and supply chain sectors, having most recently served as CEO of Italtile and formerly CEO of Massdiscounters, a division of Massmart. “He also served as a business manager at Clover and spent eight years at SABMiller in senior financial roles. Jan currently serves as a non-executive director on the boards of Italtile Limited and Fortress Real Estate Investments Limited. He is also chairperson of Janette Media Consulting,” it said. Sowazi…

WHILE Virgin Active’s main shareholder is preparing the multinational gym group for a listing, a small South Africa gym owner’s complaint at the Competition Commission may impact the overall market’s valuation of South Africa’s biggest gym. Body Action Gym’s complaint of anti-competitive behaviour against Discovery Vitality and the two biggest gym groups Virgin Active and Planet Fitness, on behalf of independent and smaller fitness facilities, had been referred to the Competition Tribunal, although an outcome might only be in eight months, Body Action CEO Antonio Iozzo said on Friday. He said in a telephone interview their action was initiated in September 2021 after Body Action Gym lodged a complaint with the Competition Commission. “Discovery Vitality subsidises up to 75% of their members’ gym membership fees when they sign up with…

THE PUBLISHING of the US Federal Reserve’s minutes of their previous meeting in June echoed the hawkish stance of the US Fed on interest rates as was announced by its chairperson, Jeremy Powell, during a press conference on June 14, 2023. He emphasised that in determining the extent of additional policy firming that may be appropriate to return inflation to 2% over time, the committee will take into account the cumulative tightening of monetary policy. The release of the minutes of the meeting last Wednesday afternoon showed that all the members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) indicated that further interest rate hikes could lie ahead. The minutes led to share prices contracting on Wall Street since last Wednesday. The release of the US non-farm payrolls for June…

THE Msunduzi Association of Residents, Ratepayers and Civics (MARRC) has threatened legal action against the Msunduzi Municipality should it proceed with its plans to sponsor another Premier Soccer League (PSL) football club following the termination of the City’s agreement with Maritzburg United. The MARRC has written to the City leadership following revelations that it is looking to engage another PSL team to play in Pietermaritzburg after Maritzburg United was relegated from the league. The municipality has insisted that having a club in the PSL playing in the City is essential to local economic development. A resolution tabled before the full council last month details the termination of the contract between the City and Maritzburg United. The City had been paying about R15 million to the club each season. But the…

POLICE have confirmed that they are investigating a case of malicious damage to property after six drivers were forced out of their trucks by a group of armed men who then proceeded to set the vehicles alight. The incident took place at Van Reenen’s Pass on the N3 highway on Saturday night. The N3 toll concession confirmed yesterday that the route was closed for part of yesterday, due to recovery of the torched vehicles and removal of debris. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said at about 10pm on Saturday night, a gang of armed men forced six truck drivers to stop their trucks on Van Reenen’s Pass. “They then set all six trucks alight, causing the roadway to be closed to traffic. “No injuries were reported. At this stage,…

THE repeated calls for the unacceptable act of desecrating the Holy Qur’an on the pretext of “secular, democratic or Western values” is an immoral and futile exercise. The Qur’an is unchangeable and protected by the Almighty Himself. In the Qur’an, the Almighty has promised to protect the Qur’an from change and alteration and mentions “Indeed, it is we who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, we will be its guardian.” (Qur’an). In addition, another miracle of the Qur’an is that the Almighty has given Muslims the power and strength to memorise the entire Qur’an cover-to-cover, page-to-page, letter-for-letter, word-for-word to even the subtle vowels and diacritics marks that are on top and bottom of each and every single letter of the Qur’an. Millions upon millions of Arab and non-Arab Muslims, both…

With the effects of climate change mounting, Amazon basin countries met in Colombia for a summit Saturday to strategise on how to save the world’s biggest rainforest. “To sustain the Amazon, according to science, we need to keep 80% of its forests standing and not manage to go beyond 20% deforestation, and unfortunately we are already at 17,” said Colombian Environment Minister Susana Muhamad. “Losing the Amazon, reaching the point of no return, has irreversible consequences for global climate change,” she warned at the meeting attended by representatives from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. Rainforests are often called the “lungs of the Earth”, soaking up planet-warming carbon dioxide and expelling life-giving oxygen. Their protection is crucial in the battle to combat climate change. In a bit…

The Chiure family is still coming to terms with reality after a gas leak killed several family members and close friends at Angelo Informal Settlement, Boksburg. The tragic incident last Wednesday left 17 people, including children, dead and 11 others in hospital. Illegal miners are suspected to be responsible for the incident. The family is pleading with the government to assist them in transporting their loved ones to their home in Mozambique to be buried there. On Friday, affected residents received food parcels from the Department of Social Development; unfortunately, Ernest Chiure said he did not receive any as he was on his way to the Germiston mortuary to look for his relative, January Chiure, 18, who died at Tambo Memorial Hospital on Thursday. January was one of those who…

A total of R7.1 billion has been allocated in an equitable share grant to municipalities for the maintenance of infrastructure and to cover the cost of free basic services to indigent households in 2023/24. This was revealed by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana when he was responding to EFF MP Khaya Ceza, who asked about fiscal proactive measures he had taken to tackle ageing infrastructure, particularly in rural municipalities. Godongwana said the minister of finance was not directly responsible for managing any major infrastructure budgets, as such budgets resided within the appropriate national and provincial departmental budgets, municipal budgets or a public entity or state-owned entities. “Each organ of state is responsible for maintaining appropriate and effective infrastructure budgets. From a national budget perspective, it is recognised that the issue of…

THE trust gap between the government and communities has become so widened that this breakdown can be attributed to preventable loss of lives. The tragedy that befell the community of Angelo Informal Settlement in Ekurhuleni where 17 people died from a suspected gas leak could have been averted had the community had faith in the police and government in general. Among them were two minors who died after inhaling nitrate oxide gas stored in cylinders in a shack apparently used by illegal miners. That no one knew about these activities in that shack is highly improbable. In fact, the testimony of Judith Manyisa, whose 19-year-old son, 20-year-old daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren were among the 17 victims who died, indicates that as early as last year, residents became aware that…

Suspected jihadists killed 22 civilians in two attacks in the north and west of Burkina Faso, security and local sources have said. Sixteen civilians from volunteer auxiliaries backing up the army were killed on Friday, in the north, a security source said, adding that some of the attackers had also suffered “losses”. A resident said two other civilians were also killed in the attack in a village near Boulsa, the main town in the Namentenga province, adding that the attackers also torched homes, motorcycles and the local market. A second security source said four civilians from another volunteer auxiliary group were killed, on Friday, in an attack in the town of Fo in the west. Fo has been repeatedly targeted by jihadists in the past weeks and most of the…

BANGKOK: Hundreds of supporters of Thailand’s leading prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat rallied in the capital yesterday before a parliamentary vote for a new prime minister next week. Pita, the leader of the progressive Move Forward Party, faces an uncertain path to the premiership despite a victory in May’s election in which Thais rejected nearly nine years of military-backed government. He needs support from an unelected Senate to become the premier to replace incumbent Prayuth Chan-ocha in the vote set for July 13. | Reuters…

South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis set the world alight at UFC 290 when he stopped former Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the second round of their main bout in Las Vegas yesterday morning (SA time). Despite landing one or two well-selected and clean shots, the Australian battled to find his rhythm and failed to figure out Du Plessis’ unorthodox style. In the first round, the South African delivered good combinations on attack and defence, cutting Whittaker with an elbow. Close to the end of the first five minutes, Du Plessis secured a headlock and a takedown, where he went to work and finished the round strong, as he rained down punches to the head and body just before the buzzer. During the break, Whittaker’s corner warned him not to grapple…

Jonas Vingegaard held on to the Tour de France overall lead on the Puy de Dome volcano yesterday as Canada's Michael Woods took a prestigious stage win for his Israel Premier-Tech team. France's Pierre Latour crossed in second place with Slovenian Matej Mohoric rounding out the podium as the attention switched to the key fight between the favourites several minutes down the steep slopes. "I didn't think I could make it, it was so silent up there," said the 36-year-old Woods who overtook American Matteo Jorgenson in the home straight with the Movistar rider wilting. Two-time Tour champion Tadej Pogacar launched an attack from 600m on the baking slopes but defending champion Vingegaard followed him over the summit finish line just seconds adrift. Dane Vingegaard still leads ahead of today's…

Paris Saint-Germain signed Bayern Munich defender Lucas Hernandez yesterday, the club's fifth signing this week. The French 2018 World Cup winner joins Manuel Ugarte, Milan Skriniar, Marco Asensio and Lee Kang-in as Parc des Princes newcomers since Luis Enrique's appointment as coach on Wednesday. Hernandez has signed a deal until 2028 at the Qatari-backed side which approaches the upcoming season with Enrique now in the dug out after the sacking of Christophe Galtier. "I'm feeling so happy, I've been waiting to join PSG for some time now and at last it's happened," said Hernandez, who will be experiencing Ligue 1 for the first time in his career. The 27-year-old's transfer was estimated at around €40-million (about R825-million) by a source close to the deal, way below the €80m originally…