Table of contents for 2022-01-25 in Star

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za CIVIC society’s call for the social relief of distress (SRD) R350 grant to be turned into a basic income grant (BIG) along the Food Poverty Line of R624 is a Catch-22 for South Africa’s economy, knocked by two years of Covid-19 state of emergency restrictions, which struggles to grow, or create jobs. In a meeting last week with Presi- dent Cyril Ramaphosa and some members of Cabinet, the Institute for Economic Justice, Black Sash, Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute, Amandla.mobi and #PayTheGrants proposed extending and improving the R350 SRD and creation of policy pathways for implementing a BIG. They hold the SRD's existence as reliant upon regulatory powers provided under the State of Disaster, which faces the growing possibility of cancellation. “Therefore, if the SRD lifeline…

Liam Karabo Joyce liam.joyce@inl.co.za The seventh studio album of Arno Carstens, Out of the Light into the Night, has emerged gradually through staggered single releases, before coming together as a finished project. The album connects his love of energised alt-pop production on one side of the spectrum, with his ability to craft anthemic acoustic-driven ballads on the other. Out of the Light into the Night will be his first English solo album since 2014’s Lightning Prevails and includes the singles Go Easy Love, Empire of the Night, Out of the Blue and new single Reason. We caught up with him. Tell us about your album, Out of the Light into the Night, and when did you start working on it? I started working on it about three years ago. We…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE CONTINUED attacks on mobile vaccination teams are putting the lives of health-care workers in danger, said the Gauteng Department of Health after another incident. This past weekend, Gauteng Health MEC Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi joined the Gauteng Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers who took part in a 3km walk in Reiger Park to raise awareness of attacks on paramedics and health-care workers. Not long after the march, a Tshwane Health District vaccination mobile vaccination team was robbed. The department condemned the robbery with the “utmost contempt”. “The continued attacks on mobile vaccination teams, who are taking the vaccine programme to the community, are not only putting the lives of health-care workers in danger, but they have a negative impact on the vaccination programme,” Gauteng Department of…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za A FULL Bench (three judges) has once again made it clear that Correctional Service’s policy that prisoners studying while in jail may not use their personal laptops – minus a modem – in their cells constituted unfair discrimination. The groundbreaking judgment for the rights of prisoners studying was sparked by three of the so-called Boeremag members, Dr Lets Pretorius and two of his sons, Drs Johan and Wilhelm Pretorius. A judge earlier overturned the department’s policy that inmates may not use their laptops in their cells. According to the department, there were study halls in prison, where inmates could use their laptops. Unhappy with the earlier ruling allowing inmates the use of their laptops in their cells, the department appealed the judgment before the Johannesburg High Court.…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za FORMER DA member and Midvaal mayor Bongani Baloyi has joined the highest ranks of ActionSA. The party, headed by Herman Mashaba, made the announcement in Joburg yesterday. Baloyi, who became South Africa’s youngest mayor for Midvaal in 2013, at the age of 26, resigned from the DA in December last year after 14 years. Addressing a media briefing, Baloyi said he was enthused by his latest political move. “From the outset, I want to state that my joining ActionSA is not out of anger or disappointment. It is actually because of the hope they (ActionSA) invoke in me,” he said. Baloyi said that this was a significant moment in South Africa, as he believed it was the start of a realignment of the country’s politics, and…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za IT LOOKS like people who love and follow Prince Kaybee’s music are in for a treat this year as the renowned DJ and producer promised to release a song every month for the rest of the year. Prince Kaybee – real name is Kabelo Motsamai – took to his social media timeline recently to share the news. “Tell your friends I will drop a new song every month until December,” he wrote. The Banomoya smash song maker hit the ground running by dropping a song called Tariya. A Twitter account named Sipho Mello thought the song good, particularly its spiritual aspect. “Idd Aziz would just give us a hymn and humming to make it so ancestral and spiritual. Like someone pleading or asking something very important. It…

Allan Wolman | Israel SOME interesting reports featured in a community newspaper last week. One touched on the Clover strike which attracted the BDS group to weigh in on an Israeli connection to this company. Regardless of the fact that this is purely a labour dispute, those looking to dig dirt will find any devious way to malign Israel, despite that the government sanctioned the deal. Some may remember Clover closed its Lichtenberg cheese plant due to poor service delivery, leaving management no choice but to relocate to Durban. As hard as they could, the BDS crowd could find no Israeli connection with that move. In BDS’s scrounging for anything they can conjure up to malign Israel and Jews, a ruling by the Judicial Conduct Appeals Committee (JCAC)…

Cometh Dube-Makholwa | Midrand A SHINING star is showing the way in the midst of the doom and gloom that has characterised health care since the advent of Covid-19. No one knows how many health professionals will survive the devastation of the pandemic. By September 3, 2020 South Africa had reportedly lost 700 health-care workers. We don’t know what the statistics look like now. It is encouraging to learn that the Health MEC for Limpopo is taking strides to capacitate the health system by making sure that more health professionals of different categories are trained and newly qualified doctors afforded internship opportunities to complete their training. That proves beyond any doubt the importance of appointing medically- trained people as Health MECs, because they have the requisite knowledge and…

nyameko royi South African space science had a big day on January 13, 2022. The Cape Peninsula University of Technology, based in Cape Town, launched its third satellite mission into space from the Cape Canaveral rocket launch site in Florida in the US. The nanosatellite constellation – consisting of three satellites – is called MDASat (Marine Domain Awareness). A nanosatellite is smaller than standard satellites, weighing between 1kg and 10kg; it’s an affordable, functional option. The mean mass of each of our satellites is 2.1kg. MDASat is designed to collect data that will enhance the security and protection of South African marine resources. The constellation will detect, monitor and identify foreign vessels within the country’s exclusive economic zone. This could help track illegal dumping and fishing. Our hope, as the…

A Lima zoo is racing to save dozens of seabirds, including protected penguins, after 6 000 barrels of crude oil spilled off Peru’s coast due to waves from a volcanic eruption in the South Pacific. More than 40 birds, including Humboldt penguins – listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature – were brought to the Parque de Las Leyendas zoo after being rescued from polluted beaches and nature reserves. More than 150 bird species in Peru depend on the sea for nutrition and reproduction. | AFP…

Former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor disclosed yesterday in a tweet that e took cocaine, a $15 000 (about R227 000) bribe from an Indian businessman to fix matches, and that he faces a multi-year ban from international cricket. “The International Cricket Council (ICC) are taking the decision to impose a multi-year ban on my international cricketing career,” tweeted the national great, adding that he did not fix any match. The 35-year-old batsman said in October 2019 that he was invited by an Indian businessman to discuss “sponsorships and the potential launch of a T20 competition in Zimbabwe and was advised that I would be paid $15 000 for the journey”. The invitation came when the national team had not received salaries for six months and there were concerns that the…

Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za Stormers assistant coach Norman Laker says they have “good plans in place” for their next United Rugby Championship (URC) fixture against the Sharks. At the weekend, the Stormers fought back well to bag a 30-26 victory over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld. What should have made the result even sweeter for the Capetonians was the midweek Currie Cup thrashing the Bulls – playing their URC team loaded with Springboks and experience – handed a very green Western Province side. It was a more level playing field at the weekend, however, and while the Bulls did well to come back and even go ahead at one stage, the Stormers scored a stunner of a try late in the match to claim victory. Laker said they are pleased with…

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za PRECIOUS metal producer Sibanye- Stillwater yesterday announced that it had terminated a R15 billion deal to acquire two mines in Brazil due to a geotechnical event, which would have a “material (effect) and (be) adverse to the business” in a blow to its battery material ambitions. Sibanye had planned to buy Santa Rita, one of the top nickel mines, and Serrote copper mine, as well as a 5 percent net smelter royalty over potential future underground production at Santa Rita. The dissolving of the contract comes just over two months since Sibanye signed definitive agreements with Appian Capital Advisory in October. It said it was advised by Appian Capital Advisory that subsequent to the signing of the Atlantic Nickel SPA and the MVV SPA, a…

Sonri Naidoo IT GOES down in the direct messaging (DM) for the singles on Twitter every Sunday as many join the #UmjoloWithAzola Twitter space to find love. The Umjolo with Azola love movement is aimed to help people find love from all parts of South Africa and was founded in 2018 by Avance media young influential South African nominee in 2019, Azola Mlota. Mlota, who hails from Cape Town, said he fell in love with social media over the years and saw the opportunity to use the space to assist singles in finding love. “We live in a world where social media and digital media is the new normal. “I was reluctant at first to start the movement but once I saw read the testimonies about lovers who met through…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za MISS SA 2020, Shudufhadzo Musida has secured a spot for herself in the top 40 in the Miss World pageant, which is set to take place in March in Puerto Rico. This prestigious event had been put on hold several times as a result of the coronavirus. The 26-year-old has thrived regardless of the challenges. She took to her social platforms to share the exciting news. “I am so humbled to announce that I have made it to the Miss World top 40. Going into this my biggest driver was beauty with a purpose, and to have my project chosen as one of the winners is such an honour. To have met embodiments of beauty with a purpose in the other contestants just made the journey more…

Tebogo Brown | Witpoortjie GOVERNMENTS throughout the world are skilfully admitting their Covid-19 scare tactic failed, dismally. They are gradually giving up the fight. Slowly but surely they are lifting some of the oppressive Covid restrictions. However, this is the beginning of yet another problem, climate change and the global electricity crisis. Covid-19 will be treated like any other endemic viruses such as the flu. It is important to mention that the writer did point out back in the year 2020 that on March 19, of the same year the UK’s public health bodies and the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) decided that the new coronavirus infection should no longer be classified as a “high consequence infectious disease”. The coronavirus was downgraded to common or garden status.…

Pakistan swore in Ayesha Malik as its first woman supreme court judge yesterday, a landmark occasion in a nation where activists say the law is often wielded against women. Malik attended a ceremony in the capital, Islamabad, where she now sits on the Bench alongside 16 male colleagues at Pakistan’s highest court. Malik served as a high court judge in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore for the past two decades. She has rolled back patriarchal legal mores in her Punjab province jurisdiction. | AFP…

The Kremlin accused the US and its allies yesterday of escalating East-West tensions by announcing plans to boost Nato forces in Eastern Europe and evacuate the families of diplomats from the US embassy in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the probability of military conflict in eastern Ukraine being initiated by the Ukrainian side was higher than ever. Peskov said Ukraine had deployed a large number of troops near the borders of breakaway regions controlled by pro-Russian separatists which he said indicated that Kiev was preparing to attack them. Ukraine has denied this. Peskov said information coming from the West was filled with “hysteria” and “laced with lies”. Nato said earlier it was putting forces on standby and reinforcing eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets in response…

Eshlin Vedan Comment Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune proved that he still has it as he produced an inspirational performance for Warriors in the Compact Cup semi-final against Amabutho FC in Durban last weekend. Khune’s performance led Warriors to the final of the Compact Cup, where they will face Coastal United FC at FNB Stadium on Saturday. His career may currently not be in a good state, but Khune has had one of the most decorated careers in PSL and South African football history. A one-club man since beginning his professional career with Chiefs in 2004, most pundits agree that he is the undisputed best SA goalkeeper since the inception of the Premier Soccer League. For many, it’s a pity that he could not play for the Bafana Bafana team…

Michael Sherman michael.sherman@africannewsagency.com While there was not much movement by South Africa’s top players in the latest world rankings released yesterday, Hennie du Plessis made a significant rise of five places to 197th. The 25-year-old began the year ranked 219th, but now holds a new career-high world ranking. Du Plessis finished third in the SA Open Championship at Sun City in December, which was his highest points haul of his career. His previous best came at the Joburg Open a week prior at the end of November, when he finished seventh at Randpark Golf Club. After the Joburg Open, Du Plessis was ranked 314th in the world and following the SA Open he rose 101 positions to 213th. Du Plessis is also now the 15th-ranked SA player in the world.…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za GLOBAL oil prices remained elevated at seven-year highs, driven by rising geopolitical tensions, which stoked fears of supply disruptions and saw investors looking for safe havens. The Brent crude price rose above the $88 a barrel mark early yesterday, briefly dipping below $87 (R1 313) in the afternoon, as the world’s biggest oil producers were seemingly on the verge of going to war. High oil prices could spell disaster for South African consumers as the price of petrol could rise back above the R20-mark a litre. Russia’s looming invasion of Ukraine took another step yesterday as the US ordered the departure of family members of staff at its Ukraine embassy, and the voluntary departure of employees. The US is reportedly considering deploying several thousand troops to…

Occasionally, the world experiences a ‘black swan’ – an unforeseen negative event that affects how we do business, how we work and how we live. It is an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of a situation and has potentially severe consequences. Covid-19 is the black swan for our generation, which has caused a shift in work and personal life, bringing about the ‘new normal’ as we know it. Black swan events are characterised by their extreme rarity, severe impact and widespread insistence. A notable area that this latest black swan event has had a significant impact on is the job market – causing it to evolve and adapt to a changing workforce, and thus the ‘gig economy’ has come into play. In a South African context,…

Amanda Maliba amanda.maliba@inl.co.za THERE is a new kid on the block and his name is Olwethu Mackay. In just six months since the premiere of e.tv’s newest series, House of Zwide, the 18-year-old has already become a household name, playing the character of Senzo Zwide, a teenager who lives a wealthy, pampered life in the heart of Joburg. House of Zwide, which features a star-studded cast including Vusi Kunene, Winnie Ntshaba and Motlatsi Mafatshe, replaced the longest-running series Rhythm City that was canned in July last year, and peaked at 4.4 million viewers in September, making it the second most-watched series on our small screens. But while his character is spoilt and gets all that he wants on a silver platter, Olwethu admits that he had to work hard to…

Goitsemang Tlhabye goitsemang.tlhabye@inl.co.za THE family of Thembinkosi Thabethe, who was allegedly stabbed and killed by a neighbour at the Green Acres Estate over a WhatsApp message, may finally get the answers they have been looking for since the fatal stabbing in April 2020. This was after the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court last week gave the State no more than three weeks to get its house in order by mid-February to proceed with the murder case against the accused, Leon Coetzee, without further delays. Coetzee appeared in court with the State asking for another postponement to get a High Court date to have the matter transferred. The request was opposed by Coetzee’s attorney, who instead requested the matter be withdrawn from the roll until the State got its house in order.…

Zolisa Soji | South Hills LINDIWE Sisulu is being attacked by the privileged who are benefiting from this unequal society of ours. If you go to the masses you will find out the majority of them agree with Lindiwe Sisulu. Those who are responsible for gross inequalities in this society of ours are the ones who are irked by Sisulu’s opinion piece. Justice in this land of ours does not serve the masses, it only serves those with fat bank accounts. Imagine if Sisulu were to write examples of bad judgments, how long the article would be? The article is not about examples, it is a general overview of what is happening in the Judiciary system. In a broader face to face debate Sisulu would be able to…

Alex Moumbaris THIS is part two of a three-part series on how secret internationalist support for the armed Struggle by courageous individuals helped overthrow the apartheid regime, extracted from a new book, International Brigade Against Apartheid: Secrets of the People’s War That Liberated South Africa, edited by former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils. Here is an edited extract. IT WAS one of the worst experiences of my life. My young pregnant wife and I were arrested on the South African border in 1972. We were manhandled and taken off to a nightmarish detention in Pretoria by the security police. It was the last time I saw her free for many years. I was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1938 of Greek parentage. My parents divorced in 1945. In 1952, after King…

British newspaper The Guardian yesterday said it had been given permission to challenge a decision banning the media from a court case about Prince Philip’s will. A High Court judge last year ruled that the will should remain sealed for 90 years, to protect Queen Elizabeth II and other royals. The left-leaning daily said its challenge would focus on the secrecy that surrounds an obscure exemption that has been granted to the royal family, whose wills are kept secret after their deaths. | AFP…

Mutinous troops in restive Burkina Faso arrested President Roch Marc Christian Kabore yesterday and detained him in army barracks a day after staging an uprising, security sources said. Soldiers at several army bases across the West African country rebelled on Sunday, demanding the sacking of the military top brass and more resources to fight a bloody jihadist insurgency. Yesterday, several armoured vehicles of the presidential fleet, riddled with bullets, could be seen near the president’s residence. One was spattered with blood. Residents of the president’s neighbourhood reported heavy gunfire overnight. “President Kabore, the head of parliament and the ministers are effectively in the hands of the soldiers” at the Sangoule Lamizana barracks in the capital Ouagadougou, a security source said. The situation was tense and confused in the capital, where…

An unusual managerial set-up has helped Malawi reach the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time as the Flames prepare to take on Morocco, one of the tournament favourites, in the last 16 today. The Flames are appearing in just their third Afcon, and their first since 2010, but they qualified from their group as a best third-placed side after beating Zimbabwe and holding African No 1 Senegal. Whatever happens against Morocco in Yaounde, their tournament is already a success despite the eyebrow-raising decision to bring in Romania-born Mario Marinica and demote existing coach Meke Mwase to the role of assistant. Marinica was appointed Malawi’s technical director in November after the Flames failed to make an impact in 2022 World Cup qualifying before being put…

With Stormers head coach John Dobson seeing a potential spot at inside centre for Damian Willemse, could we finally see the talented back settle in one position? Willemse positional drifting has become as much a part of his identity as his unmatched ability to humiliate defences and make ridiculous displays of skill look easy. But is Willemse’s positional musical chairs situation nearing its end with the Stormers? At the weekend, the Stormers came from behind to pull off a 30-26 United Rugby Championship victory over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. Manie Libbok started at flyhalf, while Willemse donned the fullback jumper. Warrick Gelant, who not too long ago returned from the lengthy injury he suffered after returning to the Cape, was on the bench. He made a huge…