Table of contents for SW-2021-04-12 in Star

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za RMB HOLDINGS (RMH) share price rose by more than 23 percent on the JSE on Friday morning after the investment holding company declared a special dividend of R1.13 billion out of income reserves. The special dividend of 80 cents a share comes after the group said the development of a new hub for business, entertainment, retail and residential living in Bucharest (Bucharest development) were not met by the long stop date of March 31. “As such, the RMB board will be returning the capital committed to Atterbury Europe and the Iulius Group, earmarked for the Bucharest development to shareholders as a special dividend,” the group said. However, it added the special divi- dend would be subject to dividend withholding tax at a rate of…

Gift Tlou gift.tlou@inl.co.za ALL what Nomsa Hlulani, 44, of Lenasia, wants is her late husband’s service payout. The mother of two resides on a farm next to the Patsing informal settlement south of Joburg. According to Hlulani, her late husband Zolani Hlulani, worked on the same farm for more than 30 years as a general worker before he committed suicide in 2018. A block of houses in the vicinity have been occupied by residents who claim that they pay rent of R300 to the farm owner. At this stage, the farm ownership remains a mystery with the City of Joburg, farm owners and leaders of the nearby informal settlement battling it out in court. On the opposite side of the block is Hlulani’s isolated two-roomed house. She vehemently stated that…

Gift Tlou gift.tlou@inl.co.za THE Gauteng Department of Health Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) has reportedly caused tension between labour unions. The Independent Liberation and Allied Workers’ Union (Ilawu) has reiterated its stance on the matter, stating that the department should absorb workers from this programme on a permanent basis. Despite several memorandums submitted to its district offices, the department has yet to provide an update on the EPWP or to respond to the publication’s media enquiry. An internal email sent to officials on March 30 within the department read: “Kindly note the signing of EPWP contracts has been postponed until further notice.” However, it has since emerged that the signing of contract extensions has allegedly continued, despite the department calling for a postponement. According to Ilawu, the National Education, Health…

Athandile Siyo athandile.siyo@inl.co.za POLICE and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) members were shocked to learn of videos doing the rounds on social media that showed a person dressed as a warder being assaulted by men in orange prison overalls. In one of the videos, three people dressed as inmates are seen assaulting and attempting to pin to the wall the man dressed as a warder. In a second video, one of the “inmates” is holding a gun. Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said: “We learnt from the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) that these acts were orchestrated, and in fact not genuine. We are, however, disappointed that such acts could be portrayed, especially at a time of many altercations wherein many of our correctional officials have been assaulted, even losing their…

Anelisa Kubheka anelisa.kubheka@inl.co.za WHILE some of her peers are getting ready to attend university, 19-year-old Siyamthanda Jele from KwaHlabisa in northern KwaZulu-Natal is already her own boss. Before completing her matric last year at Brettonwood High School, she had already begun researching going into an agricultural business. At the beginning of April, Jele officially opened her vegetable seedling nursery Okwemvelo Nursery with money that her grandmother Florence Jele had saved for her to attend university. “I looked at the current situation where young people are unemployed and sitting at home with their qualifications. Even when you are employed there are always chances that you might lose that job. I saw this more when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. And it was during this time people began focusing on growing their own…

THE Ellis Park Stadium Disaster on April 11, 2001, will forever leave an indelible mark on the South African football landscape after 43 fans lost their lives that day while the Soweto Derby between arch-rivals Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates was in progress. Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary, and many families will remember loved ones who perished in the stampede that broke out when thousands of fans outside Ellis Park tried to gain entry. At the time, the existing entry points at the 60 000-seater could not cope with the sudden surge of fans arriving late. Just after spectators inside roared with delight after a goal was scored, the panic heightened, and people were crushed to death as fans steamrolled their way into the stadium. The depth and magnitude of…

Africa could be testing ground for tech-enabled social engineering WITHIN a year, much of the world has adopted the norm of wearing masks to protect against the Covid-19 pandemic. Notwithstanding the political jostling that such face coverings have come to represent, it has become a social norm driven by circumstance. Scholars have undertaken extensive work on the life cycle of norms to demonstrate how they cascade into society and eventually become internalised. But to what extent does technology have a normative function – the power to shape human behaviour and deliver real-world consequences? In the absence of robust safeguards and in states with fragile democracies, could Africa become a testing ground for tech-enabled social engineering? Shaping norms or beliefs, governing how we vote, who we love and stirring up existing…

Poor rain forecasts for the next few months threaten thousands of Somalis being displaced from their homes and villages due to “extreme” water shortages since last November, the UN humanitarian office has said. Jens Laerke of the UN Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said pre-drought conditions have already been reported after the poor seasonal rains late last year. “The loss of rain-fed pasture is threatening the survival of livestock, the foundation of many Somalis’ livelihoods. Displaced people are moving in search of water and pasture for their animals.” An estimated 2.7 million people in Somalia, including about 840 000 children under 5, are at risk “crisis level” of food insecurity “or worse”, between April and June – the main rainy season. “That is an increase of more than…

LONDON: The life of Prince Philip was celebrated at church services across Britain yesterday, with the Archbishop of Canterbury praying for those who found that the death of Queen Elizabeth’s husband had left a “very great gap” in their lives. Marking the third of eight days of national morning, people gathered at royal palaces to leave flowers. Religious and political leaders expressed support for the 94-year-old queen, the world’s oldest and longest-reigning monarch. At Canterbury Cathedral, Edward Elgar’s stirring Nimrod was played, the piece of music that accompanies many British funerals and memorial services and is played annually at the Cenotaph in London to mark the National Service of Remembrance.…

OMMAN: King Abdullah II and his half-brother Prince Hamzah have made their first public appearance since the palace feud, Jordanian state TV reported. Yesterday, the Jordanian royal family jointly marked the centenary of the establishment of the Emirate of Transjordan, a British protectorate that gave rise to the kingdom. Earlier, Hamzah bin Al-Hussein, 41, Jordan’s former crown prince, swore loyalty to King Abdullah II. The estranged prince said he was under house arrest, but determined to put the nation’s interests first amid claims he plotted to destabilise the kingdom – 18 other people were detained over it. The royal rift dates back to 2004, when the king stripped his half-brother of his crown prince title to endow his son Hussein with it five years later.…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za PHUMELELA Gaming and Leisure is set to lose one of its prized assets, the Arlington racecourse in Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, when it is put up for auction on April 23. It will be the country’s first horse racing track to go under the auctioneer’s hammer. The 62-hectare property in Walmer has been described by Broll Auctions as the developer’s dream as it is the last large piece of land within the hub of the main city, less than 10 minutes from the airport, and making it ideal for residential estate development or an industrial park. The expected auction of the Arlington racecourse comes after South Africa’s largest horse racing and tote betting operator was placed under business rescue on May 8 last year…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za DISINVESTMENT in coal assets by two major firms this week was not a threat to power generation in South Africa and coal would be in the mix for the foreseeable future, analysts said last week. They said the the move away from thermal coal was simply a climate change-forced decision and a gradual transition which recognised the country’s decarbonisation commitments as per Paris Accord. The country was crafting a pathway to a transition to renewable energy by 2030. Last week, two major developments occurred in the space of coal mining in South Africa. Anglo American plc announced plans to spin off its thermal coal opera- tions to Thungela Resources following years of pursuing a responsible transition away from fossil fuels. Anglo said that the demerger…

John Kemp THE GLOBAL energy system has become greener over the last decade, but most countries are nowhere near on track to achieve net zero emissions by the middle of this century. Net zero has become symbolically and diplomatically important for po- licymakers, but the goal will remain far out of reach without much faster change. In recent years, energy consumption has become less carbon-intensive, but not fast enough to offset the rapid increase in energy use as a result of rising populations, incomes, and demand for energy services in developing countries. Worldwide energy consumption rose at a compound annual rate of 1.9 percent in the 10 years before the Covid-19 pandemic while energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rose at an average rate of 1.4 percent. Replacing coal-fired…

Sam Smith was honoured with their first GLAAD award on Thursday night at the virtual GLAAD Media Awards. The Love Goes hitmaker accepted the Outstanding Music Artist award virtually from pop sensation Katy Perry at the annual GLAAD Media Awards, which celebrates LGBTQ+ representation across the world. Thanking them for the accolade, Smith appeared via video link and said: “I watch these award shows every year, and it really means a lot to me to be getting this, so thank you very much. “Music has remained this constant force of unity throughout the world... And looking at this category tonight, of all of these albums, these are the albums that got me and got all of us through... ” Introducing the Too Good at Goodbyes hitmaker, Perry spoke of the…

Cape judge president advised not to take the matter ‘lying down’ Piet Mahasha Rampedi piet.rampedi@inl.co.za CAPE Judge President John Hlophe has been urged to appeal against the findings of the tribunal’s ruling against him because they smack of “political posturing” and the drive to finalise a long-standing matter at the expense of due process and individual rights. According to political and legal commentator Professor Sipho Seepe, Hlophe should not take the matter “lying down” because of the history of the case brought against him by the Constitutional Court justices, the length it took to finalise it and the current state of the judiciary where members make “political pronouncements” on the Bench. Speaking last night, Seepe also warned that the Hlophe case might trigger a constitutional crisis because most of…

BONGANI NKOSI bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za A SET of labour guidelines viewed by some as the government’s attempt to curtail workers’ right to embark on strikes have been set aside by the North Gauteng High Court. Passed by then labour minister Mildred Oliphant in December 2018, the guidelines made it illegal for unions to embark on strikes and lockouts before conducting secret voting among members. The guidelines came into effect on January 1, 2019, giving unions 180 days to amend their constitutions to include secret balloting to test whether members favoured a strike. At the time, the Labour Department wasted no time in telling unions that they faced deregistration or being placed under administration if they failed to comply. Most unions took turns bashing the government for what they viewed as an…

Staff Reporter Unilever Lux is not the only corporate supporting Caster Semenya. Corporate South Africa have joined her team. Blue Label Telecoms, Cell C, Discovery Health, Richmark Holdings and DNI have joined Team Caster. Her fight for dignity, equality and the human rights of women in sport took a crucial step forward yesterday with the filing of an application to the European Court of Human Rights. Semenya asks the court to find that the Swiss court has failed in its obligations to protect her against the violation of her rights under the European Convention on Human Rights as a result of World Athletics’ continuing discriminatory attempts to restrict the ability of certain women to participate in female athletics competitions. A challenge like this is costly and even though Semenya…

Zainul Dawood Miss Universe South Africa, Natasha Joubert, 23, has revealed some of the outfits she will be wearing at the 69th Miss Universe pageant in Florida in the US on May 16, when our own Zozibini Tunzi crowns her successor at the event. Joubert, a BCom graduate, felt she was fully prepared for competition. Her preparations started after being crowned Miss Universe SA last year. Joubert’s national costume – which she showed off at her Miss Universe farewell as part of her #DestinyDesigned virtual fashion show – has been designed by award-winning fashion designer to the stars Gert-Johan Coetzee, while Jolandie Fouche, of Jolache Couture, was responsible for a number of evening gowns for the pageant. Joubert would be carrying the children of South Africa with her when she…

SINENHLAHNHLA ZUNGU, NOMALANGA TSHUMA, SILINDILE NYATHIKAZI THE daughter of well-known Durban businessman Moses Tembe was confirmed dead in Cape Town yesterday morning. Tembe is director of the International Conference Centre, co-chairperson of the KZN Growth Coalition, and director of the Mazibuye Foundation. Anele “Nellie” Tembe, 22, fiancée of popular rapper AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, died after she allegedly jumped from the 10th floor of the Pepperclub Hotel, in Cape Town’s city centre. The rapper had been scheduled to perform at the Ayepyep Lifestyle Lounge on Saturday night. The hotel’s general manager Efi Ella told media police were investigating “an incident” involving a 22-year-old woman that was reported at around 7.30am yesterday to the hotel, and police were called to the scene. Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC van…

Kudzai Chikowore | Defender of human rights It is tearful that the police, local councils, vehicle inspection department that issues driving licences and the Education Department were among the most corrupt institutions. The resulting institutionalisation and systematisation of corruption in Zimbabwean political and economic spheres has been extensive. Critics and the opposition accuse President Emmerson Mnangagwa of failing to tackle high-level graft and say endemic corruption is one reason foreign companies are hesitant to invest in the country. Mnangagwa has at times admitted to corruption among his cabinet ministers, but says he lacks the evidence to prosecute. It is true corruption is overwhelming in Zimbabwe but we don’t have people who are prepared to give evidence. Those who are engaging in corruption are those who are supposed to…

THE Covid-19 pandemic has led to widespread disinformation circulating on social media globally. This includes false information about the virus, its origins and possible cures for the disease it causes. Much of the inaccurate information was related to China, the country where the first cases of an atypical pneumonia were reported in December 2019. Previous research has shown that media users in Kenya and South Africa believe they are often exposed to disinformation. Research has also shown that Kenyan and South African social media users are very likely to share such information, even if they suspect or know it to be false. This occurs against the background of a steep increase in disinformation in Africa in recent years, often linked to a lack of trust in the news media. In…

The calls keep coming. A farmworker from Oaxaca dead in Florida. A construction worker from Zacatecas in Los Angeles. A housekeeper from Puebla in New York. For more than a year, Mexican consulates across the US have catalogued the toll the coronavirus has taken on America’s migrant workforce, one desperate phone conversation at a time. Thousands of Mexicans in the US, most of them undocumented immigrants deemed “essential workers” by state labour departments, have died of Covid-19. By one measure, the community’s death rate soared nearly 70%. Even in death, their immigration status haunted them. That’s where the Mexican diplomats came in: it was their job to repatriate the bodies of the pandemic dead. It was a task that ended up consuming vast parts of the government. At one point,…

LONDON: Sir Anthony Hopkins’ character in The Father was given his name so the actor didn’t feel “protected”. The 83-year-old actor stars as the dementia-stricken titular patriarch in Florian Zeller’s cinematic adaptation of his own stage play and he admitted changing the character’s name from Andre was a deliberate move to help the screen legend feel more “connected”. Florian said: “It was important to give the character the same name as him. I didn’t want him to feel protected by the character, by fiction.” | Band ShowBiz…

Seoul: South Korean and US intelligence suspect that North Korea has completed the assembly of a 3 000-ton submarine and is ready to launch it when the time is right, media reported yesterday. “Both South Korea and US intelligence authorities made the assessment that North Korea has already finished building the submarine,” sources told the state Yonhap News Agency. According to the agency, North Korea has moved a submersible missile test barge to a new position, hinting at an upcoming submarine-launched ballistic missile test. “The authorities assess that North Korea is reviewing the right timing to roll out the submarine for a strategic effect, including maximising pressure on the US,” said a source…

HERMAN GIBBS Swallows FC snapped a winless nine-match streak in the Premiership competition with a 1-0 victory over basement dwellers Black Leopards at the Dobsonville Stadium yesterday. Swallows’ run included eight draws and a defeat, their only one for the season. The win saw Swallows move up two places to fourth, while Leopards stayed bottom. In the opening 20 minutes, Leopards hardly looked like a side holding up the Premiership table and looked comfortable on the ball. They won the midfield battles and managed to thwart several Swallows attacks down the middle of the park. With their midfield supremacy, Leopards’ attacking thrust was mainly down the central channels, but often they failed to find their front-runners. Occasionally, Leopards’ attacks down the flanks proved penetrative as their defenders did well…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za Mamelodi Sundowns head into their Premiership clash with Chippa United in East London today in a rather unfamiliar position. The league champions suffered their first defeat in 28 competitive matches last Friday when they endured a 2-0 reversal to CR Belouizdad in their last game of the CAF Champions League group stages. The loss did not hinder Sundowns' progression to the quarter-finals, but it still left a bitter taste in the mouth of the Brazilians. “We face Chippa United on the back of a defeat and the mood is extremely sombre,” said assistant coach Rhulani Mokwena. “We haven't felt like this in a very long time. There is of course a feeling of unhappiness in and around the workspace.” But often a lion is at its most…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za PURPLE Group’s profit soared to R15.2 million in the six months to February 28 compared with R900 000 in the same period last year after a near tripling of the EasyEquities online share trading business. Group revenue increased by 79.5 percent to R100.6m. Attributable profit increased 884.1 percent to R8.3m compared to a profit of R0.8m in the comparative period, the results released Friday showed. Basic and headline earnings per share increased to 0.85 cents a share compared to 0.09c per share in the prior comparative period. EasyEquities revenue increased by 197.6 percent to R85m and its taxed profit increased to R22.3m compared to R0.08m in the comparative period. Platform assets increased by 70.3 percent to R26.9bn and funded retail investment accounts…

Kim Kardashian West has teased she “won’t be gone long” after the end of Keeping Up With The Kardashians as one fan lamented the final season of the family’s E! reality show. The 40-year-old reality star sent fans into meltdown when she revealed their show would be ending this year, but she has given them hope again – insisting they'll be back on screens very soon. Taking to Twitter, she wrote: “We won’t be gone long!! Our new show on @hulu will be coming after the final season.” Back in September last year, Kim revealed the show was ending. She wrote in a statement at the time: “It is with heavy hearts that we’ve made the difficult decision as a family to say goodbye to Keeping Up with the Kardashians.…

SONRI NAIDOO DESPITE rumours of a Covid-19 third wave abounding, the South African aviation industry is reigniting the industry for beyond the pandemic. In a virtual conference hosted by the SA Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa), Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said this was the “longest suffering” the aviation industry had faced, and many jobs were in jeopardy. He said it was the government’s responsibility to make sure that the industry survived, suggesting that it focus more on intra-Africa trading. “There’s nothing more costly than an aircraft which is parked in a hangar. Millions of jobs and livelihoods have been lost and affected. The effect of the pandemic has been felt far and wide. “Since the ease of the restrictions on travel, we have witnessed a decrease in the number of…

Mpiletso Motumi mpiletso.motumi@inl.co.za EVERYONE has a Dr Sindi story. EVEN people who had never met the doctor have a story to tell about how she touched them through her medical advice and kind-hearted nature. When news of the doctor’s death after a two-month fight with Covid-19 was made public at the weekend, friends and fans of the 45-year-old relayed their own stories about how they met her. Dr Sindi van Zyl was not only an accessible doctor to anyone who needed her time and help, but she also shared her life with her many followers across her social media platforms. Just last week, the nation rallied around the doctor to help pay her medical bills that were running into millions of rand. Through the help of individuals and companies like…

Captain Ravi Naicker On March 24, 1989, the serenity of Alaska’s Prince William Sound was shattered when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker, spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil. Oil spills are complex and dealing with them often requires multinational co-operation, as well as industry, civic, and inter-governmental co-operation across all spheres. It can take weeks or months to stop the spill and initiate a clean-up. The effects can last for years. South Africa has almost 3 000km of coastline and our oceans’ economy drives tourism, provides jobs and ensures a massive boost to the economy. Operation Phakisa, which was introduced in 2014, is focused on unlocking the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans, which could contribute up to R177 billion to our GDP by 2033 and between…

Fierce fighting for Yemen’s strategic Marib city had killed 70 pro-government and Houthi rebel fighters in 24 hours yesterday, with battles raging on three fronts, military officials said. The Houthis have been trying to seize Marib, the capital of an oil-rich region and the government’s last significant pocket of territory in the north, since February. Two officials from pro-government forces said the rebels were mounting a concerted push that had left 26 loyalist soldiers dead as well as 44 from Houthi ranks. The rebels rarely disclose their losses. The new toll adds to 53 killed on both sides in the previous 24 hours, military officials said. One said yesterday the rebels “are launching simultaneous attacks” in the areas of Kassara and Al-Mashjah, northwest of the city, and Jabal Murad in…

Tehran: The Iranian parliament has filed charges against President Hassan Rouhani, in an intensifying power struggle between hardliners and moderates in the country. The deputies accuse him of having disregarded laws passed by parliament. Citing the Fars news agency, DPA reported yesterday that 190 of the 235 lawmakers present voted in favour, without providing any further background or detail. Observers see a connection between the vote and the nuclear negotiations in Vienna, which may require a compromise with the hardliners’ arch-enemy, the US.…

Montreal: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday promised a green recovery and lambasted his Conservative rivals in a speech with a strong electoral flavor, as he closed out a virtual convention for his Liberal party. “Together, we have accomplished a lot of things... but the work is far from being finished,” Trudeau told the meeting, amid speculation of an electoral campaign in the coming months. The Liberals were returned to office with a minority government in October 2019, a situation that fuels early election rumors, even though Trudeau has rejected going to the polls during the pandemic. “While we are fighting to end the pandemic... we must prepare for what comes after,” Trudeau said.…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za South African rugby woke up yesterday to the bad news that the Rainbow Cup that was to take place in April and June is almost certainly cancelled. The Rainbow Cup, featuring the European teams that have just completed the PRO14, was to be a one-off “bridge” competition for the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls and Lions to enter European rugby, but reported objections from the England government have jeopardised the competition, which was due to kick off April 24 and run through to a June 19 final. The four South African former Super Rugby teams are later this year set to join the Welsh, Irish, Scottish and Italian PRO14 teams in an expanded PRO18. It was reported in the United Kingdom over the weekend that the government of England…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has lauded her players’ teamwork after the senior women’s national team claimed a comfortable 3-1 win over neighbours Zambia in an international friendly at Bidvest Stadium on Saturday afternoon. After being inactive for over a year since winning the Cosafa Championship title in Gqeberha late in 2019, Banyana returned to action this past weekend, hosting Zambia, who’ll be playing in the Tokyo Olympic Games from July. The Copper Queens drew first blood with captain and striker Barbra Banda putting her side in the lead with a screamer. Banyana, though, responded as Spanish-based defender Noko Matlou scored a brace before half-time. The South Africans wrapped up the match in the second half with golden girl Thembi Kgatlana getting on the scoresheet with her…