Table of contents for 2021-04-29 in Star

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za MANGO will today resume flying, albeit for only a couple of days, after hundreds of passengers were left stranded yesterday after the airline’s flights were abruptly grounded. Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) yesterday suspended the low-cost carrier from using its airports countrywide due to outstanding debt. Acsa spokesperson Gopolang Peme said Mango’s suspension had since been lifted with immediate effect following the negotiations between the two entities. Peme did not disclose how much Mango owed to the airports operator, saying the details of the terms and conditions “remain confidential” as per their contracts. “The airline has made part payment today (yesterday) towards the amount owed to Acsa for landing fees, parking fees and passenger service charges,” Peme said. “The airline has made further undertakings to settle the…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za VIVO Energy maintained the positive momentum achieved in the second half of 2020 by reporting a strong first quarter to end March, with gross cash profit up by 9 percent in the first quarter of the 2021 financial year. The first quar- ter gross cash profit rose to $195 million (R2.79 billion), up from $179m com- pared with the first quarter of 2020. The group’s unit margins increased by 14 percent during the first quarter of 2021 compared with the first quarter of 2020, which was knocked by Covid-19 inventory impacts. Vivo Energy, a Pan-African retailer and distributor of Shell and Engen-branded fuels and lubricants, said its performance was aided by the positive supply and pricing environment from the second half of 2020 continuing…

THE Greater Alberton Taxi Association (GATA) pulled out all the stops to commemorate its 60th anniversary. Members of the association, Ekurhuleni local government, artists and the Department of Transport and Roads Infrastructure gathered at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg to celebrate the anniversary. This milestone was supposed to have been celebrated in April last year but had to be postponed after the country went into Covid-19 level 5 lockdown, following the outbreak of the virus in the country. GATA made up for last year’s misfortunes as they brought the hotel to a standstill with live performances. The association has grown in leaps and bounds since its inception as it managed to identify business growth opportunities beyond the taxi industry. It survived two break-ups in its 60 years of existence, the first…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE LATEST data from Statistics SA (Stats SA) has laid bare the trend of liquidations during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown after more than 200 companies were liquidated in March. Stats SA released the report Statistics of Liquidations and insolvencies which depicts the total number of liquidations recorded in March this year compared with March last year. The report, released on Monday, revealed that the total number of liquidations recorded increased by 49% in March compared with March 2020. The total number of liquidations that were recorded in March was 216, an increase of 71 from March 2020. According to the report, voluntary liquidations increased by 61 cases in March from 137 voluntary liquidations in March 2020 to 198 in March 2021. Compulsory liquidations also followed and…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE return of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction at Unisa would mean privileging the language in ways that include retrenching lecturers not proficient in teaching and assessing it to make way for others. Unisa will make this argument and others at the Constitutional Court next month, as it fights to appeal against a ruling that declared its new language policy to be unconstitutional and unlawful. Unisa reviewed its language policy in 2016, doing away with Afrikaans as a language of instruction. Only English was retained. Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) Judge President Mandisa Maya set Unisa’s language policy aside to the extent that it removed Afrikaans. Ruling in favour of lobby group AfriForum last year, Judge Maya said she was not convinced Unisa had proved…

I have struggled desperately to resist the temptation to comment on the recruitment of Cubans to this country to come and solve water and sanitation problems, but I have failed. I therefore request I be forgiven for asking the questions bothering me. What happened to all the people who were trained to do an excellent job in water treatment and sanitation? In the course of our nursing training, there would be a day when we would be taken as a group to visit the water treatment plant. There, we would be taken through the whole process by an expert trained in water treatment and sanitation. Preservation of water would always be emphasised. In those days free-flowing sewage was unthinkable; communities were always assured of an uninterrupted supply of clean water.…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za DON’T get me wrong – I love rugby, and rather stereotypically, I admit that it is my preferred sport, ranking it higher on my priority list of sporting codes to watch than all others. I’m miffed that we won’t be seeing our South African franchises play against their ProRugby League counterparts. Instead, we will be subjected to another round of SA Derbies in a tournament dubbed the Rainbow Cup South – a name the rugby powers want us to associate with a trans-European competition, but lacking the intrigue. A few weeks ago, I argued that SuperRugby, with the New Zealand, and, dare I admit it, Australian teams involved had spoilt my perspective of the South African game – and that I required such an international fix to…

Kedibone Modise kedibone.modise@inl.co.za The son of veteran television host and actress Vinolia Mashego paid a moving tribute to his mother, one year after her death. The multi-talented personality, who was popularly known as V-Mash, died in her sleep at her home in Mamelodi, Pretoria, on April 6 last year, according to the family statement. Actor and social media sensation Oratile Masedi took to Instagram this week to celebrate and honour the life of his mother, also expressing the pain of losing a parent. “A bad dream I’m never ever gonna wake up from,” said Masedi. “No one loved me like you did, no one cared for me like you did, no one sacrificed for me like you did, no one prayed for me like you did, no one protected me…

IN THE midst of a pandemic and many comments about the youth being a sad generation, it’s also important to note that it is not only “Ama 2000” that are going through the most as Twitter users like to express it. Kedibone Mokwena, 64, a mother and senior lecturer at Unisa, shared her lifelong struggles with depression. She also shared the ups and downs of adult learning as a black women where facilities are often too far from residents as well as other socio-economic issues. Mokwena, who started as a primary school teacher in 1982, struggled to find ways to progress with her academic endeavours because of barriers that made learning difficult. However, her resilience and determination helped her win through. Today she has a doctorate in…

Willem van de Putte YOU can’t always account for people’s taste and even less for their buying decisions, but it’s been somewhat puzzling that Ford’s Everest hasn’t been more competitive when it comes to monthly SUV sales. I’ve never understood why it hasn’t run the Toyota Fortuner a lot closer because it’s a fine vehicle with rugged looks, nifty tech and safety features and decent offroad ability. That may change though in the next few months with the introduction of the Everest Sport. In the past year Ford has launched a number of different variations of their popular Ranger double cab with the Thunder, XL Sport and FX4 all based on standard Rangers with a variety of attractive add-ons that give it a fresh and funky appearance. The Sport is…

Passively allowing pandemic to run its course without accelerating roll-out is unacceptable South Africa has the highest number of Covid-19 cases on the African continent. It has more than 50 000 reported deaths. This may be an underestimate, looking at excess death statistics. The economic cost of the pandemic is evident on the streets and health-care facilities have been under considerable strain during the waves of the pandemic. It was with much relief, elation and a renewed sense of hope that many healthcare workers enrolled in the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) vaccination trial in mid-February and received their much-anticipated jabs. But the relief and elation has given way to frustration and disillusionment. The country’s roll-out is proceeding at a pace much slower than expected. So far just over 293…

Ethnic Karen rebels, now training nearly 300 Burmese for urban insurgency, have unleashed a fresh offensive in eastern Myanmar near the Thailand border, capturing a military base and withstanding air strikes. A rebel spokesperson said fighters of the Karen National Union (KNU) stormed the Tatmadaw (Burmese army) camp west of the Salween River, which demarcates part of the Thai-Myanmar border, after four hours of fierce fighting on Tuesday. “Our troops captured the Burmese military camp at about 5am after a midnight attack,” KNU head of foreign affairs Padoh Saw Taw Nee told IANS. He said Karen fighters chased down stragglers from the Burmese army camp into the Salween river, and shot many of them. “The Tatmadaw was routed. It was a great victory,” Nee said. Later, Myanmar’s military staged air…

BEIJING: China and Japan accused each other of inappropriate behaviour after a Chinese government official posted a tweet of an iconic Japanese woodblock print manipulated to show nuclear waste being poured into the sea, launching a new diplomatic spat. Earlier this month, Japan said it would release into the sea contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, angering its neighbours. China said the plan was “extremely irresponsible”. On Monday, Zhao Lijian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, tweeted an image of “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa” made in the 19th century by artist Hokusai, altered to show green nuclear waste being poured into the sea by two people in orange Hazmat suits from a boat.…

MIHLALI BALEKA @Mihlalibaleka KAIZER Chiefs were brought down to earth by strugglers Chippa United who beat them 1-0 in a DStv Premiership tussle at the FNB Stadium yesterday afternoon as they failed to build on their winning momentum over the weekend. After ending leaders Mamelodi Sundowns’ 21-game unbeaten run on Sunday, Chiefs came into this match high on confidence. They dominated proceedings for the better part of the game, but Chippa grabbed three points away from home. A mix-up at the back five minutes before stoppage time saw Eric Mathoho flick the ball towards his own goal. But the ball was intercepted by substitute Bienvenu Eva Nga who beat goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune with a high-flying lobbed effort. Despite their turmoil in domestic football this season, Chiefs have had no troubles…

The Indian Premier League (IPL) will continue as scheduled, a senior Indian cricket board official confirmed yesterday, despite fierce criticism of the popular Twenty20 competition being played in the midst of a national health crisis. India’s death toll surged past 200 000 yesterday, and at least 300 000 people a day have tested positive for the virus over the last week as a resurgent Covid-19 pandemic has gripped the world’s second most populous nation. In a fevered social media debate over whether the IPL show should go on, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been accused of being “tone-deaf” for its stance. The senior BCCI official, however, said the cricket was providing important solace and entertainment to many during hard times, even though fans are not…

Ashfak Mohamed Comment THE British and Irish Lions tour is regarded as the big carrot for South African rugby, considering the knocks taken during the Covid-19 pandemic over the last year. About R1.2-billion was shaved off local rugby’s expenses last year, with salary cuts and competitions abandoned, while contracts were also affected. So, the fact that the Lions tour will take place is a huge relief to SA Rugby. Now the nitty-gritty of that trip is being worked out, with the latest report from the Daily Mail newspaper in the UK stating that, to maximise profit, two of the three Tests could be played at FNB Stadium, which is the biggest arena in South Africa at 95 000 capacity. The report said that this plan of action comes as Lions…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za ALLIED Electronics Corporation (Altron) yesterday warned that its full-year earnings were likely to fall as much as 29 percent, partly because of poor economic activity and the trading restrictions put in place to limit the impact of Covid-19. As a result, Altron said in a trading update, it expected its headline earnings per share (Heps) for the year to the end of February to decline by between 21 percent and 29 percent, to between 124 cents and 137c a share, down from the restated figure of 174c reported a year earlier. However, its basic earnings per share (Eps) were likely to reflect an increase of more than 100 percent, to between 3 256c and 3 270c, compared with the restated Eps…

SOUTH African wine grape producers, cellars and other wine-related businesses representative body Vinpro said yesterday that it was disappointed by the postponement of a case set to be heard in the Western Cape High Court yesterday and today. The legal challenge was brought by Vinpro against South Africa’s national government, where it said it was accordingly contesting specific aspects of decision-making in respect of liquor bans. It was postponed to August. Vinpro managing director Rico Basson said they were extremely disappointed by the postponement of this court case, forced by the late filing and incorporation of additional affidavits that it said were not related to the main thrust of Vinpro’s challenge, effectively a forced the postponement. “Because the case was to be postponed, new available dates for the legal teams…

BAGHDAD CENTRAL M-NET, DSTV CHANNEL 101, 10.30PM A pulsating drama set in 2003 Iraq. Following the fall of Saddam Hussein, a former police inspector who has lost everything searches for his missing estranged elder daughter. DARK WATERS SHOWMAX In order to stop a chemical manufacturing corporation, DuPont, from contaminating his town, defense attorney Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo of Avengers fame) is forced to jeopardise his own life to expose them. Will he be able to give up everything he worked for to save the lives of many? Also starring Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada), Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption), Bill Camp (The Queen’s Gambit), Victor Garber (Annie) and Bill Pullman (Independence Day). THE HANDMAID’S TALE S4 SHOWMAX The fourth season sees June strike back against Gilead as…

ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za A BUTCHER at processed meat manufacturer Eskort, who went to work after testing positive for Covid-19 and even hugged a colleague who suffered from comorbidities, was dismissed fairly. This is according to the Labour Court following a dismissal dispute between Stuurman Mogotsi and Eskort, where he was employed as an assistant butchery manager. The case raised the topical issue surrounding the fairness of the dismissal of an employee on account of gross misconduct and related negligence, related to his failure to observe Covid-19-related health and safety protocols put in place at the workplace. Judge Edwin Tlhotlhalemaje, in the opening to his judgment, remarked: “The facts of this case are indeed extraordinary. They are indicative of the need for more to be done at both the workplace and…

BONGANI NKOSI bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) wants the Constituional Court to pronounce that solidarity strikes are legally protected in the country. Formally referred to as secondary strikes, these are a form of industrial action by workers in support of a strike initiated by fellow union members in a separate company. In Amcu’s case, protected secondary strikes would enable the union to bring the gold, platinum and coal mines to their knees if one employer failed to meet workers’ demands. Amcu’s resolve to push for protection of solidarity emanated from a failed bid to achieve this in 2019. As its protected strike at Sibanye-Stillwater that year entered a fourth month, Amcu issued secondary strike notices against a number of mining groups. These included AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony,…

THE DEPARTMENT of Tourism’s R1.2 billion equity fund meant for businesses in the sector has reportedly hit a snag. This comes after Solidarity and AfriForum approached the North Gauteng High Court over policies in the fund. On Monday, the high court interdicted the government from distributing the fund to successful applicants. “The respondents and/or any members or officials of the respondents are interdicted and restrained from processing any application and or making any payments pursuant to any application for funding from the Tourism Equity Fund (TEF) pending the determination and finalisation of Part B of this application,” the court order read. The two organisations are challenging the fact that only businesses with at least 51% black ownership qualify for loans or subsidies from the fund. The…

WHAT freedom? What democracy? What Rainbow Nation? It’s gone in the blink of an eye. What is freedom when life is a struggle every day? Everywhere, on the street corners, you see people with placards, saying “no jobs, no money and no food”. Who is free but the political elite, corrupt government officials and criminals? We all have to barricade ourselves in our homes while the criminals roam free, prowling the streets, murdering, raping and plundering. Even places of worship, mortuaries and graveyards are not safe from criminals. So what is the point of freedom when the masses are no better than before? Do you replace one abhorrent system of government with another evil one, give the people the vote and call it freedom? Ask anyone who has the vote…

“Octopus wins Oscar!” might by a headline in Hollywood, or even tabloid Britain, celebrating the superb documentary set in the seaforest off the southern tip of Africa. James Reed and Pippa Ehrlick brandished the statuettes, but the real heroes were Craig Foster who told the amazing story of his relationship with the anonymous but ultimately friendly “alien”. The film deglamorises the locale, stressing the freezing cold, with astonishing camera work revealing a bizarre hostile environment. As the story unfolds we see the beauty of creatures as well as the shark’s savagery in attack, but also re-growth and reproduction in the ruthless predatory ecosystem. Although “heart-warming” seems to be a favoured adjective, is it entirely appropriate? How will the astonishing story end? Like The Life of Pi? Unlike Jaws with its…

STAFF REPORTER TODAY marks the 39th annual celebration of dance around the world – International Dance Day. As part of the day of festivities Red Bull will be promoting, encouraging and supporting dancers to showcase their art on a global platform through a 24-hour multi-genre dance experience that will see top dancers in Mzansi on the Red Bull social media platforms. The categories of dance include spantsula and sbhujwa by SB and Tebza, Sne Mbatha, SAND1, 250Machine, Rudi Smit, Verb as well as the winners of the national Red Bull BC One. This day marks the anniversary of the birth of Jean-Georges Noverre, the creator of modern ballet. It was created by the Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), the main partner for the performing arts of UN…

Zainul Dawood zainul.dawood@inl.co.za FITNESS activist Gwen Sookool organised a Flower Power fun day at the Teak Place Park in Wentworth, south of Durban, to coincide with the Freedom Day Celebrations on Tuesday. Lorraine Richards, a resident and employee of Kairos Community news, said flower power was a slogan used during the late 1960s and early 1970s, as a symbol of passive resistance and non-violence. Richards explained that hippies embraced the symbolism by dressing in clothing with embroidered flowers and vibrant colours, wearing flowers in their hair, and distributing flowers to the public, becoming known as flower children. The term later became generalised as a modern reference to the hippie movement, in music, art, and poetry. “The end of the 1960s did not mark the death of the hippie dream. “As…

IT IS just after sunset as we walk up a narrow, dark pathway to the home of two sisters and a father in Lebanon’s capital city, Beirut. Seven months ago, they lived in another home with their mother, an older sister Dilma, and the youngest, Jude. But life changed for thousands of people in this city on August 4, when approximately 2 750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate ignited and set off a massive blast, killing 250 people. The strength of the blast makes it the second largest non-nuclear explosion recorded in modern history. Now a family of three, 18-year-old Diaana, 16-year-old Dima and their dad welcome us into their new home, as the first women’s volunteer group from the South African humanitarian organisation, Africa Muslims Agency (AMA), to see…

DURING his first appearance at the state capture commission yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa invoked the spirit of the 1996 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and likened the current commission to the hearings that took place 25 years ago. Indeed, the TRC offered South Africa a chance to come clean and break away from its dark past of apartheid. The state capture commission presents a similar opportunity – to some degree – to break away from the corruption of the “state capture years” or, as Ramaphosa once described them, the “nine wasted years”. But will he and his leadership in the governing party truly and fully grab this opportunity? Is the party’s leadership even capable of doing so? Ramaphosa made an adequately convincing start at the commission. Testifying as president of…

Mozambique’s economy faces multiple challenges, including a growing insurgency against the government and recurring extreme weather events, ratings agency S&P Global said in a research report. S&P said militant attacks in Mozambique’s north-eastern province of Cabo Delgado posed a “significant threat” to production facilities there, touted as among the biggest natural gas discoveries in the world. Dozens of civilians were killed last month in Islamic State-linked attacks in the coastal town of Palma, near gas projects that are worth billions of rand and are aimed at transforming the country’s economy. S&P, which ranks Mozambique’s foreign debt at CCC+, seven rungs below investment grade, said it expected economic growth in the country to recover in 2021 on higher mining output, especially linked to liquefied natural gas (LNG) production. But that rebound…

MEXICO CITY: Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said yesterday he plans to send initiatives to Congress aimed at carrying out administrative reforms of autonomous bodies, which he has criticised as unnecessary or lacking impartiality. “We’re going to continue transforming so that the government serves everyone, that it’s a government of the people, for the people, with the people ... not a factional government only at the service of a minority,” Lopez Obrador told a news conference as he set out his reform plan. He did not say exactly when he would submit the plan. Lopez Obrador argues government watchdogs and regulators created under his predecessors are biased.…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za Mamelodi Sundowns increased the pressure on themselves in a 0-0 Premiership stalemate with high-flyers Golden Arrows at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria yesterday. The champions entered the game after losing three games on the trot in all competitions, something unusual by their standards and which must be a cause for concern to them. Downs’ lack of finesse in front of goal was again on display in the first half, particularly as they were without star men Peter Shalulile and Gaston Sirino. Sundowns did not have a single shot on target in the first half while Arrows had just one – a tame effort from Knox Mutizwa in the 42nd minute after Seth Parusnath produced a turnover which was easily collected by Sundowns goalkeeper Dennis Onyango. Neither side could…

More than 4 000 people are expected to protest at the offices of the major South African banks in Joburg today, the SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) says. Several banks have come under fire recently fowr lack of transformation, political meddling and poor policy as well as structural financial racism. This has prompted Sanco and other parties to stage a march to the Absa and FNB offices in Sandton. Absa has also come under fire for its decision to part ways with its black chief executive, Daniel Mminele. Reports have suggested that FNB may have been involved in corrupt activities. The protest will take place on the corner of Friedman Drive and Rivonia Road in Sandton from 9am. “One of the major concerns is that where our people have taken…

MASHUDU SADIKE MORE than 80% of train stations in Gauteng have been left in ruins and stripped of anything of value, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded. The infrastructure was ravaged after President Cyril Ramaphosa placed the country under lockdown last year following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. This left train stations unguarded, paving the way for thieves to plunder anything from cables, handrails and windows to doors and bricks. It has resulted in hundreds of commuters bearing the brunt, with some losing their jobs because of their inability to afford taxis, which are much more expensive, after the trains were grounded. Thabang Sekwela, 41, a security officer from Tlamatlama in Tembisa, said he used to walk about 20km to catch a train at Oakmoor Station to get to…

THERE is an ongoing debate about the government spending a lot of money on wages. But no one is talking about nepotism, where unqualified comrades, family members, and friends are employed (sometimes without being interviewed) and given top positions in the public sector. This is one area the government is wasting money on. May 1 is recognised as Workers’ Day, and is celebrated internationally. However, the day has lost its meaning and significance. Many people, especially the youth, including workers, don't recognise it. It has become an ordinary day. Sad. In today’s world, workers are used as tools, not as a resource. They are overworked and under paid. When they ask for an increase, they are told there is no money. Yet senior managers earn fat salaries and get big…

PUBLIC sector unions are losing membership like unions throughout the world, and are fighting for relevance. Workers are increasingly working remotely, and belonging to unions for mass action is not necessary any longer. Cosatu unions are also reviewing their alliance with the ruling party and its relevance. Public sector unions were silent and, hence, complicit while looting occurred. The looting has impacted the economic state of affairs and unions must be realistic. If there is no money, there is nothing they can do. We understand this as public servants, and were not consulted with the unrealistic demands unions are making. Unions must not waste our time, as I resigned from my useless union and would rather pay the agency fees. I belong to legal aid and there’s no need for…

Mpiletso Motumi mpiletso.motumi@inl.co.za GLOBAL digital campaign Stay True Cities is putting the spotlight on Soweto-born Amapiano DJ Stokie and DBN Gogo. The stories of these two music creators is being told as authentically as possible through the cities which they call home. Stay True Cities is the work of Ballatine’s, a brand that is known for its focus and support of artists through defining music sessions. The campaign will see the two showing off the uniqueness of their cities through their music. DJ Stokie, real name Setoki Mbatha, hails from Mzimhlophe, Soweto, and released his debut album just two years ago, even though he has been doing this music thing for years. His support base started in Soweto, a place he gets his inspiration from through the people and the…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za MORE THAN 1 700 were convicted of sexual offences in the past year with 266 receiving life sentences. Police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe said on Monday the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Investigations (FCS) detectives’ dedication and commitment in preventing, combating and investigating sexual offence-related crimes has been successful. “The successful prosecution and 356 life imprisonment sentences handed down to 266 sexual offences perpetrators in the past year bears testament to this,” Mathe said. The spokesperson said that about 1 733 accused persons were convicted, about 5 008 20-year sentences were handed down to 189 accused, 487 accused were handed 8 166 sentences ranging from 10 to 19 years’ imprisonment and 791 accused were handed 3 717 sentences ranging from 1 to 9 years’ imprisonment.…

Willem van de Putte IF you’ve been in the industry for a while, it’s not often that you walk away suitably impressed by a new model or, in the case of the Hyundai Santa Fe, a facelift of the current rendition. It’s more than just a facelift though, with a substantial change to the exterior and interior and more importantly the engine and drivetrain. When you’re competing against seven-seaters like the bakkie-based Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport as well as the Land Rover Discovery Sport you know the competition is tough, so you have to come up with the right stuff. And, to a large degree, the Santa Fe has done that, and they’re hoping buyers in that segment will look beyond the familiar. The previous…

Maurice Smithers We have just celebrated 27 years of democracy in South Africa. But how do we assess the past 27 years in terms of what they have delivered to post-apartheid South Africa? For the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in SA (SAAPA SA), there are two particular areas that need to be interrogated in what progress has there been with economic transformation and have we realised the goal of creating a participatory democracy? As SAAPA SA, we are not looking at these questions generally, but from the perspective of alcohol-related harm and its impact on the lives of people. The Liquor Act of 1927 is notorious not only because it had clauses excluding blacks from participating in the liquor industry in any way. This particular law also consolidated…

The heirs to South Korea’s Samsung group announced their plans yesterday to pay more than $10 billion (R142bn) in death duties – one of the world’s biggest-ever inheritance tax settlements – including donating Picasso and Monet artworks. Lee Kun-hee, the late Samsung Electronics chairperson, was the country’s richest man when he died in October last year at the age of 78 after being hospitalised for years, leaving an estimated $19.6 billion in assets. South Korea has stringent inheritance tax laws and high rates, resulting in a hefty bill for the family, including Samsung Electronics vice-chairperson Lee Jae-yong, who is in jail for bribery, embezzlement and other offences. Lee’s family “expects to pay more than $10,7bn in taxes related to inheritance, which is more than half of the value of the…

DAMASCUS: The Syrian People’s Council has approved the presence of international observers from “friendly countries” during the upcoming presidential election, official news agency SANA reported yesterday. Earlier in the month, Parliament Speaker Hammouda Sabbagh said that Syrian President Bashar Assad had put forward his candidacy for the presidential election scheduled for May 26. The parliament approved the invitation of foreign observers by a majority vote, the agency said. Among those observers, will be lawmakers from Russia, Iran, Armenia, China, South Africa, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Belarus, Venezuela, Cuba and Ecuador, according to the legislature.…

PARIS: Seven Italians, on the run since they had been convicted in Italy of terrorism charges linked to the far-left Red Brigades, have been arrested in France, the French presidency said on Wednesday. A search was under way for three other Italians, the presidency added in a statement. It did not give details of those arrested. Italy had urged French president Emmanuel Macron to extradite extreme-left guerrillas who have been hiding in France for decades to avoid prison sentences in Italy. Hundreds of people were murdered in bombings, assassinations and street warfare by rival far-right and far-left militant factions during a period of social and political turmoil from the late 1960s to early 1980s, known as the Years of Lead.…

HERMAN GIBBS TITLE chasing AmaZulu, emphatic 5-1 winners, roared a championship challenge as they rubbed Cape Town City’s noses in the lush Cape Town Stadium turf last night. AmaZulu led 2-0 at the break and City’s first-half capitulation set the seal for a defeat which loomed large at just four minutes into second-half play. The win secured AmaZulu’s second place and took them to just one point behind champions Mamelodi Sundowns, who are on 48 points after 23 games. AmaZulu have played 25 games. City remained seventh. After a tedious start, the game came to life in the ninth minute when AmaZulu capitalised through a goal by Zambian Augustine Mulenga. Twice in the build-up AmaZulu lost the ball, but each time recovered possession as City tried to mount attacks from…

Football fans around the world were relieved and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez frustrated after it emerged that the European Super League would not go ahead. After receiving overwhelmingly negative feedback from fans worldwide, the “founding members” started withdrawing from the original arrangement left, right and centre. Interestingly, the cricket world experienced something similar in 2007. Following India’s disastrous showing at the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, which saw them fall in the group stage, the Zee Sports Group launched the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) which thankfully is the forgotten precursor of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The ICL did not get approval from the ICC nor the Indian Cricket Board, and players who participated in it were initially banned from international cricket, though that was eventually…