Table of contents for 2022-03-04 in Star

Tawanda Karombo DESPITE a 52 percent year to date strengthening of its share price, Siban- ye Stillwater chief executive Neal Froneman still believes the company is undervalued given its strong cash flow position and record dividend declaration for the second half-year period to the end of December. Sibanye operates across precious metals such as gold, platinum as well as nickel and zinc in key markets such as South Africa, the US, Finland and Brazil. Its shares traded 0.99 percent weaker at R7.46 on the JSE in afternoon trade yesterday, largely in line with other resource groups such as Impala Platinum and AngloGold Ashanti that traded 1.59 percent and 1.89 percent weaker, respectively. Froneman said during a conference call yesterday after the release of the company’s second-half…

Dua Lipa is being sued for copyright infringement by a band called Artikal Sound System, who have claimed she ripped off their song Live Your Life for her hit single Levitating. The 26-year-old singer enjoyed huge success with her 2020 hit but a band called Artikal Sound System are seeking to claim the profits from the track because they believe she has ripped off their 2017 reggae single Live Your Life. According to documents obtained by TMZ, the band believe Dua and her team heard their song and came up with a carbon copy in Levitating. Although they haven’t explained why they feel that is the case in the lawsuit, there are similarities in the sound of the two songs, particularly the choruses. Artikal Sound System have also named Lipa’s…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za JAILED IT guru Muziwendoda Kunene has cleared his name over accusations he shot his son. Kunene, who had close links with ANC and state intelligence, was found guilty of attempted murder as well as defeating the ends of justice and handed a 14-year prison term. He was arraigned on grounds that he shot his son Msebenziwenkosi Kunene at their Lynwood, Pretoria, home on November 21, 2007. Kunene junior testified at the trial in the Pretoria Regional Court that one of the bullets fired by his father struck him behind the ear. Kunene senior rose to public prominence in 2007 after being implicated in the hoax emails saga alongside former National Intelligence Agency head Billy Masetlha. They were acquitted of fraud. The hoax emails created an impression that…

Bidders Choice will be holding an online auction of an industrial property in a liquidation matter in Olifantsfontein. Bidding opens on Tuesday at 8am and closes on Wednesday, March 16, from 11am. The property, of about 8 530m², at 26 Axle Drive, Clayville, has a large triple-volume factory building of about 4 520m² and a double-storey office building of about 1 700m² and 710m². The production floor is about 4 520m² and the processing areas, staff ablutions, change rooms and storerooms measure about 370m². There are also outbuildings of about 230m². The face-brick office building has a reception foyer, individual office, counter sales, receiving/despatching area, ablutions, kitchen and controller’s office. A staircase leads to the upper level which has large open area, individual offices, boardroom, ablutions, kitchen, small production floor…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE decriminalisation of possession and use of dagga by children would not be a free ticket for minors to avoid prosecution for involvement in drug trafficking, the Constitutional Court has heard. Two lawyers arguing the application were at pains yesterday to impress upon the justices of the apex court that they were not pushing for legalisation of cannabis possession and use by children. Advocates Morgan Courtenay and Hephzibah Rajah told the court the litigation intended to bar the arrests and prosecution of children for dagga. The law clinic Centre for Child Law (CCL), represented by Courtenay, pursued the application on the backdrop of the 2018 Constitutional Court landmark judgment that decriminalised possession of dagga by adults for private use. Rajah represented Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, who…

THE Johannesburg Sports Confederation, in collaboration with the City of Joburg and the Gauteng Sports Confederation, hosted the Johannesburg Women in Sport Awards 2022 at the Brixton Multipurpose Centre on Saturday. The theme was “Women Transforming the World Through Sports”. Community Development mayoral committee member Ronald Harris applauded the Sport and Recreation employees for a job well done. “One of the obstacles that women face in sports is the inequality in media representation, disparity in access to facilities, discrepancy in financing the work you produce, and disparity in the compensation you receive for what you accomplish. “As a result, we are grateful that you continue to persevere in the face of social hurdles, ensuring that you will ascend to the top and be the greatest,” Harris said. The trophy handover…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za “WHERE to from here?” was the innocent inquiry to Mark Boucher following the Test series in New Zealand. That’s a loaded question for Boucher. He chose, as he has done in the last few months, to focus entirely on the national men’s team that he coaches. “Bangladesh, another tough series,” he said. “We’re very much in the Test Championship at the moment. We’ve got to learn from the mistakes, but we are heading down the right road.” Whether the journey will still see him at the helm as head coach will be determined after Bangladesh’s tour, which comprises three one-day internationals and two Tests. Boucher faces a disciplinary hearing to be chaired by Adv Terry Motau SC in May, with Cricket South Africa seeking his dismissal for…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za DESPITE a pending arbitration ruling, Kaizer Chiefs still have a lot to play for this term. That is the view of Amakhosi coach Stuart Baxter, who was speaking yesterday ahead of his team’s Premiership clash against Orlando Pirates at Orlando Stadium tomorrow. After all the talk of returning to their glory days, Chiefs are on course to endure another barren season, having already lost out on the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup this season. But Baxter doesn’t want to throw in the towel just yet. The coach believes that the title race is not over, despite leaders Mamelodi Sundowns holding an 18-point lead over second-placed Royal AM, who have had a breakthrough season to remember. What gives Baxter belief that they can put pressure on Sundowns is that…

MIHLALI BALEKA mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za MAMELODI Sundowns are not concerned about wrapping up the Premiership title race early. Their priority is on improving every week, given the targets and the milestones they’ve set for themselves for the rest of the season. On Wednesday night, Sundowns surpassed the 50-point mark in the league, as they extended their lead at the top of the standings to 18 points. But mathematically, they are not home and dry just yet as there are teams that still catch them because they have games in hand. Kaizer Chiefs, realistically, is one of the sides that still has an outside chance to catch Sundowns as they have four games in hand. There’s one small but important matter, though: two of those are still under arbitration after they forfeited them…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za BRAD Binder did not reach the heights expected of him in 2021, but the Red Bull KTM rider has no doubts that this year, team and rider will have a much bigger impact on the MotoGP season. The race calendar starts this weekend with the Qatar Grand Prix (5pm SA time on Sunday), and with a decent pre-season in south-east Asia behind them, Binder and company are confident their start to the season will be much better than what transpired this time last year. Then, the KTMs battled to make any sustained headway around the Losail International Circuit as Binder finished 14th, while teammate Miguel Oliveira was 13th. A week later, while completing a double-header at the track, Binder and Oliveira finished eight and 15th. It was…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za SHORT-TERM insurer Santam, which paid out R24.5 billion in claims last year, the highest in its history, also paid its shareholders an 800 cents special dividend on top of a 790 cents final dividend. The share price reacted strongly to the annual results and dividend announcement, rising 8.37 percent to R300.19 by yesterday afternoon. Chief financial officer Hennie Nel said they had paid the special dividend because capital had built up from no dividend payments due to the uncertainty surrounding the Contingent Business Insurance (CBI) claims that arose through the pandemic. However, the court had ruled on these claims and good progress had been made to settle the claims, which had left the group with higher than optimal levels of capital, thus a…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za FIRSTRAND, the financial services group comprising FNB, RMB and WesBank, lifted normalised earnings a robust 43 percent in the six months to December 31, but has warned a worsening Ukraine crisis has the ability to derail growth in the months ahead. Most of the growth was attributed to the low base of the prior period that included impairments raised during the Covid-19 pandemic, but which had since been lowered by about R3 billion due to improving conditions, including a 12 percent reduction in non-performing retail loans (excluding Aldermore in the UK). Local banks had to raise steep provisions to cope with higher non-performing loans due to the effects of the pandemic on consumers and businesses, which dampened bank earnings through the pandemic, but this…

Ann Hornaday Robert Pattinson gets back to his vampire roots in The Batman, in which he plays the title character with the same moody, broody intensity he brought to his breakout role in Twilight. “I’m a nocturnal animal,” Pattinson’s joyless superhero announces in one of several voice-overs, delivered in a hoarse whisper worthy of Clint Eastwood’s Harry Callahan. Like Callahan, Pattinson's Batman is a vigilante on a mission to dispatch the hooligans, miscreants and malignant criminals who are leading his hometown of Gotham City to “eat itself”. He'd probably say something like, “Make my day”, except that Gotham seems stuck in a perpetual, rain-streaked nightscape. Even the vagrant rays of sunlight that peak through are shrouded in crepuscular gloom. Welcome to The Batman, yet another lugubrious, laboriously grim slog masquerading…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za RENOVATIONS at University of SA (Unisa) vice-chancellor Prof Puleng LenkaBula’s official residence, at a cost to the institution of over R2 million, have come under scrutiny. Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Dr Blade Nzimande revealed details of the expenditure in response to DA MP Chantel King’s questions in the National Assembly. The DA demanded to see the itemised billing for the project and also examine the service providers involved in renovating the Cloghreen residence in Tshwane. “The university was requested to respond and the total cost for the Cloghreen renovations amounted to R2 050 842. This includes kitchen upgrades, floors, walls, electricals, plumbing and wet works. The total budgeted amount was R2 031 869,” Nzimande said. According to Nzimande, his department did not budget for the…

Peter Bachtis | Benoni RUSSIA is now officially the pariah of the world, its actions, despicable to say the least. Putin’s political stranglehold over his country is nothing new, it’s history repeating itself. Putin is after all, a consummate autocrat, who has every organ of state under his direct control and all the appointees hand-picked by himself. The situation on the ground is different, as millions of Russian citizens are dragged into Putin’s military madness, a new age Gengis Khan, who has dared to invade an independent country. The Russian people need to rise up against this barbaric tyrant, arrest him and his entire cabal of cruel men and women so that they can once again be accepted into the realm of civility. Putin’s days are numbered. He…

Lehlohonolo Mashigo lehlohonolo.mashigo@inl.co.za THE shutting down of news channel Russia Today (RT) has caused an uproar from various circles of society, as it is seen as a move that is heading toward censorship. Yesterday, MultiChoice announced that the channel wouldn’t be carried on the DStv platform until further notice. “Sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU has led to the global distributor ceasing to provide the broadcast feed to all suppliers,” said the broadcaster. The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union called on Multi- Choice to reinstate RT with immediate effect or face a boycott. The union said that as South Africans, they had a right to access different views on the Russia-Ukraine war and therefore, they cannot allow MultiChoice to play politics and take away this right. “The maiming and…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za “There are a couple of guys who didn’t go to Europe, so we are the benefactors of that,” Lions coach Mzwakhe Nkosi said, and the Lions will need all of that expertise and drive to overturn what has been a disappointing 2022 so far. The Johannesburg-based team remain winless this year, losing all their United Rugby Championship matches, and the three Currie Cup games they have played. The latter competition takes centre stage this weekend and as disclosed by Nkosi, he has been granted the opportunity to call on a handful of senior squad players to tackle the table-topping Free State Cheetahs tomorrow. That includes Tiaan Swanepoel, who slots in at fullback – no doubt to shore up some game time – Emmanuel Tshituka, who missed the…

FOR a couple of hours on Sunday Liverpool fans will throw off their usual disdain for Manchester United and be rooting for their great rivals as they take on Manchester City. Should Liverpool beat West Ham United tomorrow, they would close the gap in the Premier League title race to three points having played the same number of games. If United were then to beat City at The Etihad the following day, Liverpool's title destiny would be in their own hands. It is a big if, however, as United's interim manager Ralf Rangnick faces his biggest test since coming in to replace sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. While United are unbeaten in their last eight league games under the German, only one was against a top-six team, four have ended in…

ZAAHIER ADAMS zaahier.adams@inl.co.za THE Proteas Women’s team begin their quest to ultimately be crowned world champions today in Dunedin. At no time has any senior South African cricket team achieved this feat. That is the sheer weight of history that Sune Luus and her team carry on their shoulders in New Zealand. Add in the expectation that this Class of 2022 has the potential to deliver the ‘Holy Grail’ and the stakes are raised even higher. This is not just patriotic optimism. Luus’s team are ranked No 2 on the ICC’s one-day international standings – only below the tournament’s perennial favourites Australia – which is justified by their sequence of five successive series wins over New Zealand (away), Pakistan (home), India (away) and the West Indies (home and away). They…

Tawanda Karombo EXXARO Resources – which benefited from stronger coal prices to lift revenues, core headline earnings per share and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) for the full year to end December 2021 – sees huge demand potential for its coal in Europe and Asia. This is despite anxieties emanating from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that could distort supply and demand. Mxolisi Mgojo, the outgoing chief executive of Exxaro and who is retiring from the company in July, said demand and prices for coal would likely remain stronger despite the Russia/Ukraine stand-off. “We do see robust demand in the outlook as coal markets are currently tight owing to supply chain constraints from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. De- mand is still good in Europe and Asia, but in…

Ariana DeBose is set to make her Marvel debut in Kraven the Hunter. The 31-year-old Golden Globe winner is to star alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the upcoming movie. According to Deadline, the West Side Story star will take on the role of Calypso, a voodoo priestess who uses magic potions, and the occasional lover and partner of Kraven (Taylor-Johnson). Russell Crowe and Fred Hechinger were recently added to the cast, though their roles are being kept under wraps for the time being. Last year, it was revealed Aaron had been cast as Kraven in the Sony motion picture, which will be directed by JC Chandor. The flick is slated for release on January 13, 2023. | Bang Showbiz…

Itumeleng Mafisa itumeleng.mafisa@inl.co.za THERE was a heavy police presence at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday as 10 men, arrested in connection with a planned cash-in-transit heist in Rosettenville, appeared in court. During the court proceedings, the State held that some of the accused had unverified addresses, and there were questions about the legality of three of the accused who were from Zimbabwe, and one from Botswana. Sihle Mazibuko, 35, Qaphela Ngubeni, 33, Menzi Shabalala, 47, Khulekani Nkosi, 36, Kitso Mnguni, 45, Phendula Mvubu, 44, Mike Ngwadi, 47, Hloniphani Dube, 40, Alex Matshebele, 40, and Andrew Tshobolo, 67, appeared briefly in the lower court. The defence lawyers said they were concerned that their clients, who were arrested in Johannesburg, had been placed at the Pretoria Central Prison (C-Max) instead of being…

Sonri Naidoo sonri.naidoo@inl.co.za SEVERAL University of Johannesburg (UJ) students embarked on a protest yesterday at one of the campus’s main entrances along Kingsway Avenue. The protest comes in the wake of the institution’s vaccination policy, which requires all students who enter the campus to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The students said the enforced mandatory vaccination was against their constitutional rights. They handed a memorandum to Godfrey Helani, senior director of student affairs at the university. The university has been given seven days to respond. Thabang Aaron, a third-year student, said the university was discriminating against students and was threatening them to vaccinate by the end of March to avoid being de-registered. “The institution is infringing on the rights of students and education, a right of belief and a right of…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za A LOCALLY written and produced theatre production aims to awaken its audience and evoke a sense of keen reflection, particularly on those came come before. Khaikari – The Awakening (Cape Flats Kung Fu) follows a woman experiencing a spiritual awakening by heeding the call of her ancestors, who speak to her through the ritual of music, dance, dreams and rhyme. A spoken word artist originally from Parkwood, Monishia Schoeman – also known as Eavesdrop – produced, directed and wrote, Khaikari – The Awakening (Cape Flats Kung Fu), in which Schoeman plays the lead. Schoeman said the wounded healer is called on to remember, and help her people remember, their true, rich heritage as indigenous peoples. In 2021, Schoeman made her acting, directing and producing debut with her…

Staff Reporter OBESITY is on the rise in Africa, with one in five adults and one in 10 children and teenagers projected to be obese by 2023 in 10 high-burden countries. This is according to a World Health Organization (WHO) analysis which found that the prevalence of obesity among adults will range from 13.6% to 31%, while in children and adolescents it will range from 5% to 16.5%. Africa also faces a growing problem of overweight in children, the WHO said. In 2019, the continent was home to 24% of the world’s overweight children aged under 5. Being overweight has been associated with severe disease and the need for hospitalisation with Covid-19. The WHO noted that while no data was available yet for Africa, a study published by the Journal…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za THOSE who enjoy an array of cuisines and live entertainment with their sparkling drinks are in for a treat as the Johannesburg Cap Classique & Champagne Festival returns. It returns to Gauteng after a two-year halt, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, as a weekend-long event on April 9 and 10 from 11am to 4pm at the Inanda Polo Club in Sandton. Before the pandemic, the Johannesburg Cap Classique & Champagne Festival was known for featuring some of South Africa’s finest champagne classiques. Event organiser Darielle Robertson was excited at the prospect of bringing much-needed relaxation after the strict Covid-19 regulations. “We’re so excited to be back in Gauteng with what has proved to be an enormously popular festival. “This year we have bubbly from the likes of…

STAFF REPORTER THE Joburg Development Agency (JDA) is spearheading the completion of the Bolani bridge, which is envisaged to reduce traffic by improving mobility and travel convenience between the Soweto suburbs of Jabulani and Molapo. Despite being located a stone’s throw away from each other, Molapo and Jabulani are separated by a railway line, which cuts across the two areas. The new bridge is intended to make it easier to travel from Molapo to the Jabulani development node via Molele Street. “The introduction of the Bolani Bridge will see the Jabulani node become a more sustainable development in the area, allowing a socially and economically integrated environment between these two communities of Molapo and Jabulani,” Development Planning MMC Belinda Echeozonjoku said. The bridge construction, which is nearly 80% complete, has…

ESHLIN VEDAN eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za HAVING firmly established himself as a goalscoring miidfielder of note in recent times, Orlando Pirates’ newest star Bandile Shandu insists that the team should always come first before he chases any personal accolades. The 27-year-old has found the back of the net in three out of his team’s last five games in all competitions. Notably, he struck a brace in their 3-2 Caf Confederation Cup group stage win over Al-Ittihad two weeks ago. And Shandu believes he did not do it without the help of his teammates. “For me, it’s about the team. The scoring is just a bonus,” he said. “I will work to see where I can assist. I want to work to make sure that we can get a good result against Kaizer Chiefs…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za FRANCE are the best team in the world at the moment, but don’t write off the Springboks for the 2023 Rugby World Cup just yet, says Sean Fitzpatrick. Les Bleus have made an unbeaten start to the Six Nations, winning all three matches so far against Italy, Ireland and Scotland, and are favourites to claim a Grand Slam by knocking over Wales on March 11 and England on March 19. That run of form comes on the back of a successful November international season as well, where they beat Argentina, Georgia and then New Zealand 40-25 in Paris. Coach Fabien Galthie has got the mix just right between youth and experience, with scrumhalf Antoine Dupont regarded as the best rugby player in the world, while the likes…