Table of contents for 2021-06-24 in Star

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za DE BEERS, the world’s biggest diamond producer by volume, has reported a strong demand for its rough diamonds during its fifth sales cycle as India recovered from the fatal second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. De Beers, a unit of Anglo American plc which holds 10 sales cycles a year for its rough diamonds during sight holder sales and auctions, yesterday recorded a provisional fifth sales cycle value of $470 million (R6.71 billion). The company said that owing to the restrictions on the movement of people and products in various jurisdictions around the globe, it had continued to implement a more flexible approach to rough diamond sales during the fifth sales cycle of 2021, with the Sight event extended beyond its normal week-long duration. It said…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za ATTACQ would consider more residential developments at Waterfall City in partnership with Cape Town-based developer DTE Properties, depending on the sales uptake of the 400-unit The Mix, Attacq’s chief development officer Giles Pendleton said. Attacq and DTE yesterday, in a 50/50 joint venture, launched the R500 million The Mix, which will extend about 13 storeys, just adjacent, but linked to Attacq’s Mall of Africa in Waterfall City. Attacq’s chief development officer Giles Pendleton said in a presentation yesterday that 70 percent of the studio, one and two-bedroomed units, to be priced from R1m to R2m, would need to be sold before construction began, but they expected that all the units would be sold in four to six months. DTE director Robin Magid said the development…

SIU has frozen R22 million found in banking and investment accounts Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za THE Special Investigative Unit (SIU) has now set its sight on recovering the entire R150 million which was irregularly and unlawfully paid to Digital Vibes following their preliminary victory to freeze more than R22 million found in the banking and investment accounts. Now, the law enforcement agency has vowed to approach the Special Tribunal in the next 30 days with the aim of recovering the remainder of the R150m through the attachment of properties belonging to the owners of Digital Vibes and those who benefited from the “irregular and unlawful” tender. Last night, SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said their next application will seek an order against Digital Vibes and other relevant entities/individuals to…

BONGANI NKOSI bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za A JUDGE has read the EFF the riot act over involving itself in labour disputes, telling it to register as a trade union if it insists on organising strikes against employers. Johannesburg Labour Court Acting Judge Reghana Tulk presided in a final interdict application by the owners of a Spar franchise brought against the EFF. Brightstone Trading dragged the party to the Labour Court over unrest that hit its Roodepoort Spar supermarket. Members of the EFF’s Sofasonke Mpanza Region descended on the Spar after the owners refused to engage on issues involving employees. In an action declared unlawful by the Labour Court, the EFF members staged protests with a handful of Spar employees on May 16 and again from May 28 to June 1.…

ITUMELENG MAFISA WAGE talks between the SA Local Government Association (Salga), which represents municipalities, and the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu), have hit a dead-end once more with threats of industrial action floating around. This comes after the union rejected a facilitators proposal following consultation with members and the unions national executive meeting. In a statement yesterday, the union’s deputy general-secretary, Dumisani Magagula, said the facilitator’s proposal was an insult to workers. He said workers were asked to compromise on a number of issues like their benefits and pensions. “Her bias proposal was a repetition of what the employer had been arguing through the negotiations,” Magagula said. The facilitator proposed that parties consider the following: A three-year salary and wage agreement; 4% salary increase in the first year of…

| STAFF REPORTER WOMEN entrepreneurs are not only creating jobs but are doing so in the very early stages of their company’s life cycle, a new survey has found. The first South African Women Entrepreneurs Job Creators Survey report was released this month, providing key insights into the crucial role women entrepreneurs play as job creators. The survey was conducted by Lionesses of Africa together with New York University and Absa, where 913 women entrepreneurs were interviewed between November 23 last year and April 28 this year. Lionesses of Africa said in a statement that the survey was an opportunity for South Africa’s women entrepreneurs to share their experiences with job creation and how Covid-19 affected it and revenue generation. According to the findings, 90% of the entrepreneurs reported that…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za THE scenes that unravelled at Chatsworth Stadium on Tuesday were an embarrassment for the country, the PSL and the beautiful game. After a contentious build-up to the play-off/relegation that involved court cases, appeals and two judges deciding different verdicts, the match between Royal AM and Chippa United was set to be played after a U-turn from Shauwn Mkhize. Moments before the game was to start, the Royal AM owner again did an about-turn, abandoning the encounter and conceding a 3-0 victory to the Chilli Boys. The decision by the club not to play cost broadcasters R800 000. It put the entire process and the league into disrepute. I understand that every person and entity in the country is permitted to challenge the decision of our courts –…

HOW MUCH more must our people lose? When the second and third waves of Covid-19 broke, President Cyril Ramaphosa, on live television, blamed everyone except himself and his government for the mess in which the country found itself. At the last “family meeting” he blatantly shifted the blame of the government’s glaring failures (vaccinations being a case in point) and resorted to all but pinning the third wave on ordinary South Africans. The president and his pack of government wolves are mulling tighter restrictions. Some inner circles are calling for a total lockdown of South Africa. But no one is answering the question of what happened to the resources allocated to create enough alternative venues to accommodate those affected as hospital beds fill to capacity. What happened to the government’s…

Iran has warned that the US seizure of dozens of Iranian websites is “not constructive” for the ongoing talks on the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal. The US Justice Department seized a range of Iran-affiliated news website domains, accusing the outlets of “spreading disinformation” and violating sanctions. The takedowns came as world powers scramble to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, which Washington unilaterally abandoned under the Donald Trump administration. “We are using all international and legal means to … condemn … this mistaken policy of the US. It appears not constructive when talks for a deal on the nuclear issue are under way,” the director of the president’s office, Mahmoud Vaezi, told reporters. On Tuesday, US authorities blocked over…

Climate change will fundamentally reshape life on Earth in the coming decades, even if humans can tame planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, according to a landmark draft report from the UN’s climate science advisors obtained by AFP. Species extinction, more widespread disease, unliveable heat, ecosystem collapse, cities menaced by rising seas – these and other devastating climate impacts are accelerating and bound to become painfully obvious before a child born today turns 30. The choices societies make now will determine whether our species thrives or simply survives as the 21st century unfolds, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says in a draft report. But dangerous thresholds are closer than once thought, and dire consequences stemming from decades of unbridled carbon pollution are unavoidable in the short term. “The worst is…

BERLIN: International powers met in Berlin yesterday to push for the removal of foreign fighters from Libya and prepare for December elections, months after brokering a ceasefire aimed at ending a decade of conflict in the North African oil exporter. The event, co-hosted by Germany and the UN, gathered officials from Libya’s new transitional government as well as foreign ministers from the US, Europe and regional powers including Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, which were militarily involved on opposite sides of an ultimately futile battle for the capital. A UN-mediated truce agreed in October ended fighting that began in April 2019 and descended into a proxy war involving the UAE, Russia and Turkey.…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za WHEN Kwagga Smith was at Technical High School in Middelburg in 2009, his rugby hero was Heinrich Brussow, the pocket rocket flank who exploded into life against the British & Irish Lions that year. Brussow came from nowhere to play an influential role in the Boks winning that series. He was a little known player until he had a stunning match for the Cheetahs against the Lions in a midweek fixture and then Bok coach Peter de Villiers had the gumption to elevate him straight into the Boks. Smith is of similar physical proportions to Brussow, and they play the same position. In fact, Smith can play all three positions in the loose trio, but it is difficult to see him playing quite the same role as…

THE Junior Springboks overcame heavily inclement conditions and a spirited Argentina yesterday afternoon to maintain their unbeaten record in the four-nation competition under way in Stellenbosch with a 33-26 win. The South Africans were underdogs going into the match after they had struggled to beat Uruguay in their first match while the Pumitas had put 80 points past Georgia, who are the Boks’ opponents in the next round of matches on Monday. Rain lashed down on the players as they lined up for the national anthems and while it lessened when the game got under way, a muddy surface and a ball as slippery as soap had been ensured. Right wing Canan Moodie repeated his brace scored against Uruguay while Jordan Hendrikse, who is the current Lions flyhalf, nailed four…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za JUST as Simphiwe Matanzima was working his way back from a shoulder injury last year, disaster struck as he sustained an Achilles tendon tear. It was during a conditioning session that it happened, and it meant that the loosehead prop would spend a total of 15 months out of the sport. That is why last week’s return to the Bulls side for the Currie Cup opener against Western Province was so satisfying, despite the 48-24 defeat at Loftus Versfeld. “It was more a mental challenge than a physical challenge. There were a lot of things you can’t do, and you were alone most of the time,” the 23-year-old recalled during an online press conference from Loftus yesterday. “So, I felt like the one thing that helped me…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za CRICKET South Africa’s new board of directors will make the appointment of senior management, including a chief executive, one of its primary tasks as it sets out to restore trust in the organisation. At a meeting on Tuesday, Lawson Naidoo, one of the newly-appointed independent directors, was chosen as chairman of the board, with senior counsel Steven Budlender named as lead director. Naidoo said yesterday that in addition to filling management vacancies, which besides the CEO also includes a new chief commercial officer, the board would look into the organisation’s finances, which have suffered as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also the incompetence of the previous administration. “We need to start working on stabilising the finance, and we must investigate new revenue models,” said Naidoo,…

Alyssia Birjalal alyssia.birjalal@inl.co.za Actress Swankie Mafoko is the latest talent to join BET Africa’s original daily drama Isono, where she will take up the role as Mercy, Gombwa’s new trophy wife. The beauty took to Instagram to announce the news. In the caption she wrote: “The cats officially out of the bag! I’m excited to announce that I will be joining the @bet_africa team. “I had so much fun with this character and I got to play alongside the greats in this Industry. God keeps showing up for me, and I’m BEYOND grateful!” Mafoko’s role on the show will leave viewers at the edge of their seats as she is thrown in the deep end having to move from a trophy wife in need a personal trainer to a disgruntled…

THE SA Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) has said it was pleased with the outcome of the 2021 blanket sector wage negotiations that had managed to secure workers’ increases above inflation. The blanket industry is a seasonal industry with over 100 000 workers registered. It is one of the worst affected industries by wage disparities with an average worker earning about R26 an hour in the metro and R25 an hour in non-metro areas. The industry has managed to keep jobs during the pandemic and unions had lauded employers for their co-operation. A spokesperson for the union, Oupa Hadebe, said the settlement provided for a 4.77% wage increase for metro areas, and 6.66% for non-metro areas. The weighted average increase for both areas is 5.2%. “These wage increases will…

SONRI NAIDOO A SOWETO mother of six says she is happy for the support she received from the Olivedale residents after two Joburg metro police officers tried to force her into the back of the police vehicle. Her crime, apparently, was to sell pet beds on the side road of the affluent residential area. Lebogang Pule says the officers, a male and female, approached her on Sunday and ordered her to leave the area or give them “cooldrink money”. Pule said the officers became violent towards her after she refused to pay the bribe. “The officers asked to see my ID which I do not carry with me because I am South African. They told me I was not co-operating after I refused to give them the bribe. The…

FAROUK ARAIE | Benoni GAUTENG is in the grip of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, in all its fury. Within the next four weeks, it will probably overwhelm the province and spread across the country. We need to go into into a higher lockdown, as the nation and its strained and drained dedicated medical teams fight an uphill struggle to contain the rampaging third wave. In a life and death struggle, a deadly war of of attrition is in full progress between man and microbe, as the Covid-19 tsunami wave turns our major cities into islands of death and desolation. A biological intruder has penetrated the entire landmass, paralysing the entire country, as it unleashes its venom on the unwary and the ignorant. The only safe strategy is…

Ten years ago, the news that the pope has relaxed previous Vatican rulings against the use of condoms has been all over the front pages. This development has been seen as a significant shift by a generally conservative pope in the whole Catholic policy of hostility towards birth control, even though the pontiff made the reservation of “certain cases” to prevent infection. Indeed, it has been the context of the Aids pandemic which first brought the word into general currency about 20 years ago. However, about a century ago the word “condom” was so taboo that it was originally excluded from the Oxford English Dictionary, one adviser writing that it was “too utterly obscene” for inclusion. The first reference dates from 1706, which is surprisingly late and even at that…

Poverty and socio-economic disparity are among the greatest obstacles facing South Africans. About 63% of children younger than 6 live in poverty. Harsh socio-environmental factors, especially when they happen in the early years of a child’s life, can establish a developmental “biology of misfortune”. This involves neurobiological and epigenetic processes that can steer a person towards poor health, unrealised potential and a shorter life. That’s why child and adolescent health is an urgent priority and should be placed at the centre of the healthcare system. In our recent paper, my colleagues and I described how adverse socio-environmental factors in early life can programme the outcome of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and mental health disorders in adulthood. South Africa is one of the most unequal societies in the world. Children who…

An air strike killed at least 43 people in the town of Togoga in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, a medical official told Reuters, after residents said new fighting had flared in recent days north of the regional capital Mekelle. Ethiopian military spokesman Colonel Getnet Adane did not confirm or deny the incident. He said air strikes were a common military tactic and that government forces do not target civilians. The bomb hit a market at around 1:00 p.m., according to a woman who said her husband and two-year-old daughter had been injured. “We didn’t see the plane, but we heard it,” she told Reuters yesterday. “When the explosion happened, everyone ran out. After a time we came back and were trying to pick up the injured.” The woman said the…

BARCELONA: The Spanish High Court has green-lighted the extradition of the American software creator John McAfee to the US, where he will face tax evasion charges. This month, McAfee testified in court to fight being extradited to the US. He tried to persuade the courtroom that he would spend the remainder of his life behind bars if he was sent back to the States. In October 2020, the US Department of Justice released an indictment saying that McAfee’s criminal offenses took place in the interim of 2014 and 2018.…

MEXICO CITY: Federal authorities have seized at US airports unauthorised versions of the Covid-19 treatment remdesivir destined for distribution in Mexico, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. Versions of antiviral remdesivir, without licenses from the drug’s manufacturer Gilead Sciences, were arriving in the US by plane from Bangladesh and India, the paper said. They were being smuggled by individuals to Mexico for patients willing to pay top dollar for the drugs, the report added, citing people familiar with the investigation. In recent months, US Customs and Border Protection officers have captured more than 100 shipments that they referred to Department of Homeland Security special agents for further investigation, according to the report.…

Eshlin Vedan Comment KAIZER Chiefs fans will do well to keep that champagne on ice ahead of this weekend’s second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Wydad Casablanca. Undoubtedly, the Glamour Boys did fantastically well to beat Wydad away from home and they deserve praise for that. But the shock victory was also made possible by goalkeeper Bruce Bvuma, who delivered the greatest performance of his career in the game. There is no doubt that the away team will once again be looking to test the Chiefs shot-stopper at FNB Stadium on Saturday and it would be unrealistic for the club to expect heroics from him in every game. Should Chiefs win the Champions League despite their poor league form, it will not be the first time such a…

Alyssia Birjalal alyssia.birjalal@inl.co.za District Six Rising from the Dust, a documentary set in Cape Town, adds to its many accolades by bagging the Best Documentary honours, at the Beyond the Curve International Film Festival in France. The documentary, a deeply personal story, examines the microcosm within the macrocosm and the legacy of intergenerational pain of the people forcibly removed from District Six. It unpacks the art, history and social landscape of Cape Town’s most remembered district, and takes a personal look at dispossession and restitution, and the legacy of intergenerational loss within the context of South Africa’s current restitution process. Filmmakers Weaam Williams and Nafia Kocks completed District Six Rising from the Dust towards the end of 2019. “I decided to submit the final film to international film festivals during…

ITUMELENG MAFISA THE SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) says despite most provinces entering the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the industry would continue loading full capacity in its taxis. The organisation’s president, Phillip Taaibosch, said despite the threat of the Covid-19 third wave, the industry would not consider downscaling passengers in a taxi. He said the industry had come up with proposals to Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula on how it can respond to the third wave crisis. “We have made some proposals to the minister and we have agreed that we would bring in some gadgets into our vehicles. “It would be unfair that we should lose our belongings because of Covid-19. I am thinking about the rest of the country but should I sacrifice my family…

STAFF REPORTER THE inaugural Provincial Arts and Culture Recognition Awards (PACRAs) delivered a high-energy, engaging and entertaining show. Hosted by musician, rapper and TV personality Stoan Seate, of Bongo Maffin fame, the show was a proud and authentic North West affair, as KB Motsilanyane delivered a sassy and sophisticated performance, while Khuli Chana raised the roof with a rendition of his uniquely flavoured Motswako, a music genre that originates in the province. North West talent was on full display, as Soweto TV broadcast the awards ceremony – from tap dancers Tony Bee Production, contemporary dancers Foot Expressions, traditional dancers Tsoga o Itirele and pantsula dancers Dallas Oupas, to gospel band Teboho Gooi, jazz group Hats Off Band and poet Thapelo Matikane and Moji Band. Revered actress Katlego Danke, a…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za A BUDDING young businessman from Harare, Western Cape, is making waves in his community after successfully launching an interactive gaming café from his family home using his National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) stipend and equipment he already had. The 24-year-old Lolwetu Maliwa says he is excited about the future and looking forward to expanding his gaming café, Hakumo, into neighbouring communities, after successfully launching the business, using a bit of his NSFAS stipend he had saved up over time while learning from home. Maliwa, who’s not new to business, having launched his first business, a shisanyama in partnership with his brother last year, makes nearly R130 a day from the steady stream of curious children who visit his café to play games, charging them R1.50 a…

Under its guidance, the China of 2021 is an emerging superpower THE Chinese Communist Party (CPC) was founded on July 1, 1921 in Shanghai. On July 31, 1921, the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) was founded in Cape Town. Both parties were “vanguard” parties in terms of Marxism/Leninism, that is they saw themselves as being the leaders of the working class and would strive to raise their living standards. That is why the CPC and CPSA, now called the South African Communist Party (SACP), both aim to improve the lot of the mass of the proletariat by providing free education, free health care, food security and low-cost housing. Unlike the few thousand members of the SACP, the CPC membership is just short of 92 million or 6.5% of the…

Bada Pharasi ON AVERAGE, a 10-year-old is six times more likely to die before the age of 24 in sub-Saharan Africa than in northern America and Europe. The World Health Organization (WHO) statistic makes me shudder. We are marking both Youth Month and Men’s Health Month. We must recommit ourselves to helping our youth develop a better future. The victims of road traffic accidents, drowning and violence are overwhelmingly our boys and young men. More than three-quarters of the teens who drown globally are boys. As the WHO points out, the solution is as straightforward as teaching our youth to swim. Teens are also fighting the temptation trio – drink, drugs and unprotected sexual activity. The WHO reminds us: “Prevalence of heavy episodic drinking among adolescents aged 15 to…

NOUAKCHOTT: Mauritanian authorities have arrested former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, one of his lawyers said yesterday, amid an investigation into alleged high- level corruption during his time in office. Abdel Aziz, who stepped down in 2019 after serving two five-year terms, was indicted in March and placed under house arrest in May, following a parliamentary investigation into suspected graft during his administration. Abdel Aziz, 64, was taken into custody late on Tuesday for failing to appear before a judge last week, as he is required to do regularly under the terms of his judicial supervision, said the lawyer. He said Abdel Aziz had stopped going to see the judge because each time he went he was followed by police and civilians along the road who hassled and threatened him.…

LOS ANGELES: The families of Kobe Bryant and others who died in a 2020 helicopter crash reached a settlement in a lawsuit targeting the late pilot’s estate and the company that owned and operated the helicopter. Kobe’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, was among those suing the estate of pilot Ara Zobayan as well as Island Express Helicopters filed a notice in court that read, “Plaintiffs and Defendants jointly report that they have agreed to settle their claims in the above-entitled action,” multiple media outlets reported. No details of the settlement were revealed. Nine people died in the crash in California, on January 26, 2020. The company has also filed a countersuit against two air traffic controllers.…

MAPUTO: Southern African nations yesterday approved deployment of troops to Mozambique to help combat an escalating, Islamic State-linked insurgency that threatens stability in the relatively peaceful region, the bloc’s executive secretary said. The 16-member Southern African Development Community has been grappling with how to respond to the conflict, which began in October 2017 and has since killed thousands. Almost 800 000 people have been displaced and the fighting has bought a $20-billion gas project led by oil giant Total to a halt. SADC has approved the deployment of its standby force, following a meeting of the bloc’s leaders in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo. The standby force is part of a regional defence pact.…

WHILE South Africa battles its third wave of Covid-19 infections, the SA Football Association says everything will be done to ensure the bio-secure environment of the Cosafa Cup next month. The Cosafa Cup runs from 6-18 July in Nelson Mandela Bay, and as this week SA was recording in excess of 11 000 new Covid-19 cases per day on a seven-day average. “We are in the third wave, so it means our protocols must be strictly adhered to. Everyone that will be coming into the bio-secure environment will have to produce a negative Covid-19 certificate. That includes players, team officials, Cosafa staff and all volunteers,” Safa’s chief medical officer Thulani Ngwenya said. Ngwenya added that at the end of the group stage, everyone that remains will have to have a…