Table of contents for SW-2021-04-01 in Star

Siphelele dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE WORLD Bank yesterday revised South Africa’s 2021 growth outlook to 3 percent from 2.6 percent earlier, charging that the recovery would be driven by a rebound in global activity from the continued vaccination drive. The bank said in an Africa’s Pulse report that the recovery would also be driven by higher demand for local commodity exports but warned that the country still faced serious impediments to sustained growth. The bank said restrictions imposed to curb a second wave of Covid-19, fiscal tightening, high unemployment, along with power cuts, would prevent a stronger recovery in gross domestic product (GDP). “South Africa’s real GDP is expected to rebound from an estimated 7 percent contraction in 2020 to growth of 3 percent in 2021, slightly up from…

THE LAND and Agriculture Development Bank of South Africa said yesterday that a R7 billion equity appropriation announced in the February 24, 2021 Budget would be applied to bring the bank out of a default situation. “Land Bank continues to work with all of its lenders towards a Liability Solution that meets any conditions attached to this R7bn equity appropriation, and to bring Land Bank out of its event of default situation,” a statement said. The proposed Liability Solution would not require the Land Bank to have a credit rating and the credit rating service conducted through Moody’s was terminated. The bank’s listed notes remained suspended. | Edward West…

THE Golden Harvest Park is an important green space in Northwold, and is regarded one of Joburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) as the flagship parks. Ward 101 councillor Dalu Cele DA City of Joburg ward 101 councillor Dalu Cele said the project has hit all its targets, including a new outside gym, an upgraded children's play area, a soccer field, ablution facilities, paving at the Joburg Parks and Zoo depot, the rehabilitation of the bridge, and the removal of the old dilapidated mayoral lapa. “The park has seen many improvements from a major reduction in crime incidents, to the launch of a Park Run that has seen more than 1 000 participants,” he said. “These achievements have been made possible through the contribution of the community and many stakeholders…

THE much-vaunted R15.4 million Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) app, Find and Fix, through which residents were supposed to slog road issues such as potholes and stormwater problems, has ground to a halt. The app is no longer being used and the software does not belong to the city, which is now advertising a new tender. Said DA councillor Mike Wood: “The app has not been in use for a number of months now. On enquiring as to the status and reasons for the delay in getting the app operational, very vague answers were given. “We were told that a certificate was needed for the app to be brought back into service. The DA is not satisfied and asked questions in the section 79 transport committee and posed written questions in…

HERMAN GIBBS FORMER Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund says it is imperative that the SA Football Association (Safa) surround the new Bafana coach with strong supporting structures following the sacking of Molefi Ntseki yesterday. Some of the early candidates to replace Ntseki would be Pitso Mosimane, Benni McCarthy and Gavin Hunt. Igesund’s name has also been mentioned. Yesterday, Safa chief executive Tebogo Motlanthe announced that his body had decided to part ways with Ntseki who, surprisingly, was awarded a five-year contract in August 2019 after Stuart Baxter resigned. By the time the conference was under way, Ntseki had not been informed about his dismissal. According to Motlanthe, Ntseki was mandated to attend the press conference, but failed to arrive. Safa was represented by Motlanthe and Jack Maluleka, the National…

1. Tech savvy In the past year, South Africans have become more tech savvy as work from home, virtual meetings, online learning and online shopping became part of daily life: Virtual meetings/events Zoom or Google Meets virtual meetings are the new way of holding meetings. With internet connectivity and a laptop the only resources needed, virtual meetings have become an important tool. Benefits include travel and catering costs are cut, and meetings usually start, end on time. Online shopping According to data released by Mobicred, the largest digital credit facility in this country, South African consumers turned to online shopping in large numbers in 2020. Mobicred said there had been growth in terms of adoption rates and product selection. Online learning The benefits include that pupils and students can learn…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za ARMED suspects blew up a cash van on the uMhlathuze Bridge between Melmoth and Nkandla on Monday. Witnesses captured the robbery on video. SAPS spokesperson Colonel Brenda Muridili said the incident occurred at about 9.30am. Murudili said the cash van was ambushed by an unknown number of suspects who appeared from the bushes. The van was forced to stop after shots were fired. “The suspects robbed the security guards of an undisclosed amount of money and fled in a white vehicle,” said Murudili, adding no injuries were reported. In the video, believed to have been recorded by staff at a nearby business, a man is seen standing on the driver’s side of the van while another suspect is inside the van attempting to get the guard out.…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has once again put the alcohol industry on edge in his latest address to the nation in which he confirmed that the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption would be prohibited from April 2-5, coinciding with the Easter holidays. The livelihoods of more than 1 million people – which the Beer Association of SA (Basa) has reiterated are jeopardised by the lockdown restrictions – are thrust into the spotlight once again. Basa has said that more than 85% of craft breweries remain at risk of shutting their doors because of previous government lockdown restrictions. In making their case, they have also stated that there has been no increase in Covid-19 cases despite the alcohol industry being open. The first two alcohol bans were directly responsible for 165…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za Aiden Markram admitted yesterday that despite his incredible run of form in first class cricket this season, he was still surprised to get called up to the South African one-day squad for the home series against Pakistan. Markram has made six centuries this season, five for the Titans in the domestic CSA Four-Day Franchise Series tournament, and one for the Proteas in a gutsy fourth innings showing in the second Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in February. “I’m glad that from the selectors and coaches’ point of view that they see me in the white ball plans,” said Markram. It’s been just under two years since Markram last played an ODI. That match was South Africa’s last in what was a bitterly disappointing World Cup campaign in…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za CEMENT and building materials group PPC’s shares shot up 18.23 percent on the JSE yesterday to R2.40 after it announced that it had made good progress in de-risking its balance sheet and improving its investment prospects. The group said that the removal of a potential $175 million (R2.61 billion)liability in PPC Barnett in Democratic Republic of Congo, and improved cement sales, cost reductions, better working capital management and cash preservation over 11 months to end-February 2021, meant that lenders had agreed to postpone by six months a R750m capital raise planned for yesterday. It said the need for the capital raise would also be reviewed should the South African business continue to de-gear as it had already done, the group said in an operational update.…

A WELL-CONSTRUCTED induction programme will equip directors to add value more quickly and improve their overall contribution. South African boards are under pressure to improve their diversity in order to improve their decision-making in a complex and demanding economic and social environment. The unintended consequence of this drive to identify and recruit directors from beyond the traditional club is that new directors may find themselves with a lot of ground to cover before they can genuinely begin to contribute. At the same time, even apparently experienced directors are likely to find the challenges of taking up a new board appointment more difficult to overcome than they might originally have thought. One initiative by the Institute of Directors in South Africa has been to create two professional designations for directors, namely…

GRINDROD Shipping Holdings, which provides dry bulk and product tanker shipping services, has sold three tankers, Leopard Moon, Leopard Sun and Breede, a statement said yesterday. The company contracted to sell the 2013-built medium-range tankers Leopard Moon and Leopard Sun for $21.4 million (about R319m) each on March 11, and the vessels were expected to be delivered to their new owners by April 30. The 2009-built small tanker Breede was being sold for $6.8m in a separate deal, and it was expected to be delivered to new owners by April 30. The proceeds, after settling debt associated with the vessels, together with cash on hand, would be used to repay the $25.8m remaining outstanding amount on the Senior Secured Credit Facility with Sankaty maturing in June 2021. Upon completion, the…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za WORKFORCE Holdings said yesterday that it shrugged off the impact of Covid-19 in the second half of its financial year, although overall earnings were still down by 45.5 percent. Its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) increased by 77.7 percent in the second half, boosted by the healthcare, staffing and outsourcing and training investment clusters. But overall Ebitda was down by 45.5 percent to R76.9 million in the year to end December. Workforce is a human capital services company that operates across four focused investment clusters in South Africa and other parts of Africa. Chief executive Ronny Katz said one of the reasons for the good second half recovery was that the staffing and outsourcing investment cluster was able to pivot…

GIFT TLOU gift.tlou@inl.co.za THE City of Joburg’s long-standing relationship with Netcare Milpark Hospital has reportedly turned sour. This comes after allegations surfaced that the city owes the hospital over R15 million. The city is said to have incurred the multimillion-rand medical bill after its public safety officers and City Power employees injured on duty received treatment at the facility. Marc van Heerden, general manager of Netcare Milpark Hospital, would neither confirm nor deny the city’s debt. “For many years, Netcare Milpark Hospital, a level 1 Trauma Society of SA accredited trauma centre, and the independent medical professionals and providers practising at our health-care facility, have cared for City of Joburg employees when they sustain injuries on duty,” he said. Van Heerden told The Star that the hospital was in…

FOLLOWING many complaints about potholes in every suburb of the city, the Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) has announced a two-phase plan to carry out repairs. The JRA had admitted that its asphalt plant has run out of tar to repair the holes. Spokesperson Mosa Makhalima said the agency had recorded a total of 19 534 service requests for potholes, 4 223 for patches and 909 for reinstatements. These defects are categorised as “high priority” maintenance issues as they are potential threats to the safety of road users. The road defects are caused by various factors, including ageing infrastructure and inclement weather conditions. The first phase entailed a rotational “blitz” approach in regions D, G, and C which was carried out between February 22 and March 21. The scope…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za ANOTHER major football tournament failure, another qualification humiliation – this time to Sudan. Bafana Bafana can be our greatest joy, but more often than not they are our greatest sorrow. Five times now, the senior national men’s team has failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, and for a country with so many resources at hand, that should never be acceptable. For some time there have been murmurs that we, as a nation, must accept that although we love the beautiful game, we are not very good at it. After another failure against the 127th ranked team in the world, this might well be true. If only Banyana Banyana hadn’t proved that with the proper development, staff and committed players, much can be accomplished. The…

Mpiletso Motumi mpiletso.motumi@inl.co.za SINCE cementing her place in the world of business through different ventures, DJ Zinhle’s acquisition in Boulevard has been one of her highlights. The Indlovu hitmaker was appointed the chief executive of the brand last year. Boulevard recently launched the BLVD Signature edition Nectar rosé MCC. TS (The Star): How has it been being the chief executive of this brand? DZ (DJ Zinhle): It’s been so great getting stuck in and overall learning a new industry. I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve over the last few months. Why did you want to introduce this new varietal? It's always nice to grow, but in this instance, it’s been about expanding and really listening to what consumers want. People have different preferences for sparkling wine…

SCROLLING down my Facebook timeline, I often come across stories that are meant to convince you of something. Diets, products, events, pandemics, cures, bitcoin and politics are all topics you can come across in a day’s scroll on social media. For example, we have been inundated with tales and narratives during these days of Covid-19 and the introduction of fifth generation technology, often trying to convince one of some sort of theory or conspiracy. My grandparents’ generation used to call this propaganda. Yet today it is a bit more subtle. This promotion of certain information does not come through government spin doctors, as propaganda would have traditionally, but through media, and especially social media. At the same time, it would not be wrong to suggest that 21st century wars, in…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za STEINHOFF International rose nearly 6 percent on the JSE yesterday morning after the troubled retailer received support from four large active claimant groups (ACGs) for the implementation of its proposal to resolve multi-jurisdictional legacy litigation against it. The group said that the four active claimants represented market purchases based in South Africa and abroad. It said the four, Burford Capital LLC, Deminor Recovery Services, SA/DRS Belgium SC and DRRT/Therium had promised to recommend that their respective constituents accept the group’s July 2020 global settlement proposal which was further revised early this year. The claims against Steinhoff stem from a December 2017 accounting scandal which led to a 95 percent collapse in its share price and shed more than R200 billion in market capitalisation, leading…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za ACCELERATE Property Fund, which has Fourways Mall as a flagship asset, will not pay a distribution for the periods ending September 30, 2020, and March 31, 2021, the group said in a pre-close update yesterday. Real Estate Investment Trusts (Reits) are required to pay at least 75 percent of distributable earnings to shareholders, but the group said it believed its Reit status would not be affected by the non-payment of distributions due to the lack of distributable earnings arising from Covid-19 relief granted to tenants, offshore profits not yet distri- buted to it, additional bad debt write-offs and other tax deductible items. Accelerate’s board had also decided to retain up to 25 percent of distributable income in the future, once the Fund returned to paying…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi has admitted that her department was still searching for the whereabouts of eight mental health patients who were reported missing at Life Esidimeni, almost five years ago. Mokgethi made the shocking revelations in her written reply in the Gauteng provincial legislature to questions by the DA’s spokesperson on health Jack Bloom. Bloom had asked the MEC to provide details on the number of mental health patients who have not been located or accounted for and what efforts have been made to find them. In her reply, Mokgethi placed the number at eight despite scepticism from the Life Esidimeni family committee that more patients were still unaccounted for. But Mokgethi maintained that her department had conducted home visits for those whose addresses…

Anna Cox anna.cox@inl.co.za JOBURG residents who are on prepaid electricity meters face a R200 a month fee before they even start purchasing power. The City of Joburg has released its proposed tariffs for 2021/22 for comment. Other proposed increases include 2% for property rates, 6.8% for water, 6.8% for sewerage, 9 to 18% for electricity, a R200 charge for a pre-paid residential meter and R400 for pre-paid business, 4.3% for refuse collection and a R50 charge for recycling in “affluent areas”. All of these amounts exclude VAT. Said DA Joburg leader Leah Knott: “We see that the city is sneaking in the R200 charge which we oppose. We should be encouraging everyone to move to pre-paid, not penalising them. This targets the poorest-of-the-poor who turn to pre-paid meters to save…

Nyaniso Qwesha | Joburg Oops, is it time for another Tea Party? It has become a common phenomenon that after every big decision follows a tea meeting. I am saying the above as I am reminded by the ANC president when he initially made a public statement about the stand-aside rule. This rule was specifically for any ANC member facing serious crimes. It was a jubilation that a decision to root out fraud and corruption is adopted, finally abating fraud and corruption, and no more ways to outmanoeuvre the system. Untoward to us was another stumbling block because there were no supporting guidelines to make this announcement effective. After a long wait, a decision to support the step-down rule was adopted, especially for those caught in the act.…

The festival of Easter is observed in many diverse ways in South Africa. The most obvious feature is that politicians attempt to become priests, while priests introduce political rhetoric into their sermons. The image of former president Jacob Zuma doing a celebratory lap of victory at Ellis Park stadium on Good Friday some years ago seemed pure politics, but the occasion was a church rally. In his brief address to the congregation, he said: “Pray for us. Pray for the leaders. Pray for jobs and pray for crime to go away.” It was hardly spiritual as a wish-list, although “the love of God” was briefly mentioned. But some might have preferred “pray for the leader to go away”. Some are still praying. “Pray for crime to go away.” In what…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za A BENONI-based swimmer has committed herself to completing a gruelling swim from Robben Island to Big Bay in Cape Town in April to raise funds for the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR). Christine Roos, 29, a swimmer and philanthropist, will brave the cold Atlantic ocean from April 5 to 9 in a 7.4km swim from Robben Island to Big Bay to raise R50 000 for SABMR. The five-day period was allocated to allow for the swim to be done in safe weather. The swimmer will be accompanied by her long-time friend Chalana Skinner. The historic Robben Island crossing, which has been dubbed the “Island Escape”, has been labelled gruelling by elite open-water swimmers, but this has not deterred Roos, a novice swimmer. She said on Tuesday…

Willem van de Putte willem.vdputte@inl.co.za ALMOST everyone in South Africa has a Kombi story and given that it’s such an icon within our folklore it’s good to see that the Kombi is still very much part of Volswagen’s line-up. Apparently I’m old… I know this because millennials say so, so I still have memories of my father being part of a work lift-club in an air-cooled engine configuration with bench seats bolted to the floor and then in the early 80s a friend buying a squarer T3 and fitting it out as a camper van with the “danger pay” he had received while doing his military service. A lot has happened in the ensuing years but the Kombi has always been in the background while its more glamorous VW stablemates…

Jason Woosey Mercedes-AMG has confirmed something that has been strongly rumoured for a long time – that the next-generation C-Class flagship will “downsize” to just four cylinders. That doesn’t mean the end of the V8, however, as this format will continue to serve in some of the performance division’s bigger models. AMG announced its future tech strategy on Wednesday, and this essentially means an electrified future wherein petrol engines with either four or eight cylinders will combine with rear-mounted electric motors to improve both efficiency and performance. But let’s start with the exciting stuff. Mercedes-AMG has not disclosed exactly how powerful its future models will be, but the division has stated that its new AMG Performance Hybrid drivetrain could theoretically produce system outputs of up to 600kW and 1 000Nm,…

IT IS astounding how many proverbs there are which prove the point that use of force is hardly the best option the majority of the time. “Force is no argument”, “a forced kindness deserves no thanks”, “reason succeeds where force fails”, “you cannot force water up a hill”– these are American proverbs on the issue. It appears that the people’s wisdom has been unknown to the US leadership for decades. The reason we decided to bring up this matter is the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s speech entitled “A Foreign Policy for the American People”, which he delivered in Washington on March 3. Among other things, he said: “We will incentivise democratic behaviour. But we will not promote democracy through costly military interventions or by attempting to overthrow authoritarian…

MIHLALI BALEKA MAMELODI Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs have experienced contrasting fortunes in the Champions League this season, but they are both aware of how invaluable three points could be in the penultimate round of group stage matches. Sundowns have already qualified for the quarter-finals of the Pan-African competition after a perfect record in Group B. They’ve beaten Al Hilal of Sudan, CR Belouizdad of Algeria and TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their 12-point tally came after back-to-back wins against TP Mazembe. However, after the two-week international break, which broke the hearts of the South Africans after Bafana Bafana failed to qualify for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, Sundowns are hoping to avenge the country's defeat. Tomorrow afternoon, the Brazilians face Al Hilal, a team that hails…

It is my firm view that if the local soccer bodies and leaders worked to their full potential, the South African top-flight could have similar status worldwide as the Scottish Premiership. The Scottish Premier League is not among Europe’s top five leagues but it is a respected league globally with strong passion and traditions. Most football fans around the world know about Rangers and Celtic, Scotland’s two main clubs, because of their traditions and passionate fans. Do the majority of football fanatics in the world know about the existence of Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates? In Africa, probably yes, but outside Africa, probably no. However, it is certainly possible to change that. Here are my suggestions to improve the DStv Premiership: Honour clubs for social media excellence Amid…