Table of contents for 2022-05-31 in Star

THE AFRICAN Energy Chamber has called for African countries to open their own investigations against the global diversified miner, Glencore plc. Glencore’s two subsidiaries last week pleaded guilty to multiple charges of market manipulation and bribery, including corruption related to the company’s oil operations in Africa and South America. The Energy Chamber yesterday said what Glencore did was illegal, immoral, and completely unacceptable. The chamber said Glencore’s actions also did not reflect the normal business dealings of the oil and gas industry. “And, for the record, the African Energy Chamber has never solicited or accepted a single monetary contribution from Glencore,” tbe organisation said. “What’s more, we strongly believe that Glencore’s dealings in African countries should be closely examined on a local level and African officials who accepted bribes should…

SIBANYE-Stillwater, rocked by ongoing strike action at its South African gold mines and sharp criticism from the government over its handling of the labour unrest, said yesterday it would defend itself against a claim suit in the UK High Court over termination of its $1.2 billion (R18.7bn) deal to acquire two Brazilian mines. The two Brazilian properties, the Santa Rita nickel and Serrote copper mines, would have further enhanced Sibanye’s portfolio. Appian Capital, the London-based investment firm, has interests in the two Brazilian mines and has filed a claim against Sibanye’s decision to terminate the deal. The claim worsened Sibanye’s streak of recent troubled stakeholder- relations incidents emanating from the company’s failure to find a speedy solution to strikes dogging its gold mining operations for nearly three months in…

TOP GUN: Maverick has been described as many things in its mostly rave reviews: Thrilling. Slick. Visceral. That rare sequel that improves on the original at every hairpin turn. The iconic 1986 Top Gun played like a parody of Reagan-era macho posturing. What makes Maverick a bracing gust of cinematic pleasure is the fact that this time, all the shiny hardware, fist-bumping action, whooshing sound effects and bros-forever emotional beats are kept afloat effortlessly. Effortlessness – the art of appearing nonchalant even when you’re working your hardest – might have been the cardinal virtue of cinema’s Golden Age, when stars like Cary Grant, Grace Kelly and Sidney Poitier personified its most elegant, unselfconscious values. But the term can apply just as aptly to movies themselves – when “motion” and “picture”…

Parliament arsonist accused Zandile Mafe’s lawyers have said they will pursue the matter of his bail as far as the Constitutional Court, if need be – after his bail appeal was dismissed in the Western Cape High Court yesterday. Mafe, through his lawyers, advocate Dali Mpofu and Luvuyo Godla, brought an application in the high court – where they said the magistrate was wrong in refusing to grant him bail, as exceptional circumstances did exist to permit his release. Mafe, who was not present for the bail appeal, is set to appear in the magistrate’s court on June 9. He is charged with housebreaking with intent to commit terrorism, arson and theft. The matter was heard before a Full Bench, as his previous bail appeal had resulted in a divided…

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) says one in six South Africans is battling depression. One such person is Dineo Mogale, a young professional diagnosed with depression, who opened up about her struggle at a recent #BreakingDepression virtual media event where she described living with depression as “debilitating” to the point where it’s impossible to cope with daily activities. Mogale couldn’t get out of bed and wasn't “emotionally or mentally available”. She struggled to concentrate at work, and even simple tasks felt huge. What is depression? Dr Lerato Dikobe-Kalane, a prominent psychiatrist in Cape Town, at the same event, described depression as “more than just feeling blue, but a persistent low mood that affects how a person functions”. Dr Dikobe-Kalane suggests that if you or someone you love…

Bobby Brown fears a new biopic about his late wife Whitney Houston will drag up her personal drama instead of focusing on her music. The superstar singer died in 2012 at the age of 50 and her life is going to be brought to the big screen in a new Sony Pictures movie with actress Naomi Ackie in the lead role and Houston’s long-time pal Clive Davis among the producers. Bobby has now revealed he hopes the biopic will not focus too heavily on Whitney’s demons, telling Billboard: “I truly hope that they let her rest and also let our relationship rest. I don’t know anything about the biopic that Clive is doing. “But hopefully it won’t dive into our relationship. Hopefully it will be more about the music and…

Novak Djokovic renews his epic 16-year rivalry with Rafael Nadal at the French Open today with a semi-final spot at stake and where victory could end the 13-time champion’s Roland Garros career. Nadal, who will turn 36 on Friday, puts his record of 109 wins and just three losses in Paris, since his title-winning debut in 2005, on the line against the defending champion. The Spaniard was taken to five sets for only the third time in his tournament history by 21-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round. In the immediate aftermath of that victory, Nadal admitted that not only was this year’s French Open at stake for him but possibly his entire playing future. “I know my situation, and I accept it. I can’t complain much,” said Nadal, who…

PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS’ (PwC)ending of its contract with Oceana comes at a time of heightened regulatory sensitivity at auditing firms as their roles are increasingly being challenged in high-profile frauds such as Steinhoff and EOH. Oceana, a fishing group facing turbulent governance issues, said yesterday that its external auditors, PwC, had resigned with immediate effect due to a strained relationship and a lack of “objective and transparent communication” between them. The resignation on Friday was just a business day ahead of an Oceana audit committee meeting scheduled with shareholders about PwC’s reappointment. The meeting was scheduled because of the large number of votes (38 percent) against PwC’s reappointment at the AGM on May 5, and in the interests of governance, Oceana said in a statement yesterday. Oceana has faced a range…

BR’s editor Adri Senekal de Wet interviews Dr Chris Harmse, an economist at CH Economics and lecturer at the School of Commerce at the Stadio Multiversity. Please explain the reason for higher inflation in South Africa (SA)? The main reasons for the higher and expected increase in the inflation rate in SA are due to cost push factors. The three main items in the inflation basket, making up more than 55 percent of the inflation basket, have increased considerably over the last year. They are food and non-alcoholic beverages, making up 17.14 percent of the basket, which have increased by 6 percent year-on-year (y/y) at the end of April 2022, housing utilities (24.5 percent of the basket), increasing by 5 percent, but the sub-index, electricity…

Controversial advocate Malesela Daniel Teffo, representing four of the five men accused of murdering soccer star Senzo Meyiwa, was back at his post yesterday in the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. No questions were asked by the court about his dramatic arrest a month ago. It was business as usual, although the second leg of the trial kicked off at a slow pace, with a Netflix documentary series made following Meyiwa’s death taking centre stage. The defence team of four of the accused, headed by Teffo, vehemently objected to the presence of the Ten 10 Films in the court. The bulk of the day was taken up by objections from both the defence and State to their presence. Both teams met in Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela’s chambers for more than an…

The cost of living has proven to be very high and will plunge ordinary South Africans into more debt and poverty due to fuel increases. The petrol price looks set to increase by R2.27 to R2.37 a litre on tomorrow, which could see the price of a litre reach R25. Founding director of Strangé Consulting, Miranda Lusiba, said the constant increases of food and fuel made it difficult for people to plan or budget. “Even if people are trying to live within their means, the increases make it difficult. I think the salaries we make as small businesses are not enough any more to take care of our basic needs and it also means that we have to cut out a lot of luxuries and just stick to basics…

THE Gauteng Health Department has not responded to allegations Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto has a shortage of bed linen. According to DA spokesperson on health, Jack Bloom, this has forced the hospital to cancel or reschedule important surgical operations. Bloom said the problem had been ongoing for more than a year, with shortages of pillow cases, draw sheets, theatre towels, gowns and doctors’ shirts and trousers, resulting in delays in surgical procedures. The DA said the shortage had been admitted by Gauteng Health Department MEC Hope Popo, in response to the party’s written inquiries in the Gauteng legislature. The party said that according to Papo, “almost all Gauteng hospitals have been affected in differing degrees”, from January last year to the present, with intermittent shortages due…

Google is seeing more and more pressure on journalists and the erosion of press freedom not only in Asia, but globally. According to Irene Jay Liu who leads Google News Lab, part of the Google News Initiative (GNI), despite this, there’s a strong sense of mission and purpose that the work needs to be done. “What has always amazed me is how newsrooms here are willing to collaborate with Google, and each other, to problem-solve and innovate,” Liu said in a Google blog post with David Zuckerman, Content, Google News Initiative. An experienced journalist, she was a 2017 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in national reporting as part of the Reuters team that documented widespread cheating in US college admissions. Now, with News Lab, Irene promotes innovation and the use…

Parts of Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria caught alight early yesterday, but there were no reports of casualties. The Gauteng Department of Health said it “can confirm that a fire broke out at Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH) in the early hours. The fire, which affected temporary structures at the facility, was successfully put out by the SBAH hospital team, using the fire extinguishers on site. “Thankfully, there were no patients or staff casualties. “Eighteen patients and one corpse that were in separate temporary structures close to where the fire broke out had to be moved to other areas of the hospital as a safety precaution.” The fire broke out at 1.20am at the wendy house used as a temporary storage area for Covid-19 medical waste and an in-transit…

IT’S believed that a good book with a glass of wine and tasty food is a great combination to lighten one’s mood. An exclusive event hosted by Blaque Bistro restaurant in Bryanston brought the full experience of food and wine tasting while unpacking thought-provoking points in the newly published book. With the popular reality star from the Real Housewives of Durban, Nonku Williams, finally launching her A2B wine brand and collaborating with chef Sizo Henna, who owns Blaque Bistro, and author Zikhona Valela, their guests were in for a nice treat. Each of the three shared captivating stories of how they brought their dreams to light and the drive behind their hard work. Chef Henna served his guests a three-course meal giving them a taste of his best dishes. Taking…

Today, countries around the world will mark World No Tobacco Day, which this year highlights the devastating effects of tobacco on our environment. The World Health Organisation’s theme for this year is “Tobacco: Threat to our environment”. While tobacco is a leading cause of death, illness and impoverishment, tobacco also endangers the environment. The campaign raises awareness among the public on the environmental impact of tobacco – from cultivation, production, distribution and waste. It gives tobacco users yet another reason to quit! Reducing tobacco consumption needs to be identified as a key lever for achieving all of the Sustainable Development Goals, not just those directly related to health. From start to finish, the tobacco life cycle is an “overwhelmingly polluting and damaging process”, from deforestation, erosion, water pollution, biodiversity damage…

SuperSport United booked their place in next season’s MTN8 competition as they dispatched an uninspired Orlando Pirates 2-0 at the Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe Stadium last night. United were handed an opening goal against the run of play when Fortune Makaringe headed into his own net in the 20th minute. Makaringe was caught in two minds when a devilish corner was delivered into Pirates’ near post, rather than gamble on a teammate clearing behind him, the midfielder flicked the ball past his own goalkeeper Richard Ofori in goal. All of Pirates’ recovery attempts took a huge blow when Happy Jele pushed Thamsanqa Gabuza in the penalty area and got himself sent off in the process in the 66th minute. Gampani Lungu was lucky as he had to retake his penalty after…

WORKFORCE solutions provider Adcorp Holdings would focus on growth in its new financial year to February 2023, including the possibility of acquisitions, chief executive John Wentzel said at the release of the annual results yesterday. A 47 cent dividend was declared for the year to end-February 2022, versus zero in 2021. Total earnings increased sharply to 109.1c per share compared with 35.6c in 2021 – earnings per share from continuing operations increased to 92.8c from only 2.2c in 2021. Operating profit from continuing operations before finance income and finance costs rose 68.6 percent to R199 million. Revenue from continuing operations fell 1.7 percent to R11.5 billion following an exit of unprofitable contracts, negative currency translation and ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa…

Takalani Sesame stars Elmo, Zuzu, Moshe, Kami and Zikwe are back with a new season on Monday, June 6. The new season of the educational show features Mzansi’s A-listers Sho Madjozi, Holly & Mimi Rey, Farieda Metsileng, David Kau and The Goliaths, Jason, Donovan and Nicholas Goliath. Takalani Sesame is designed to support children’s development through playful learning. The 13th season of the popular children’s show will focus on teaching them and parents about “Big Feelings” like feeling scared, angry, frustrated, or sad. Takalani Sesame stars will help inspire children to think and talk about all the big emotions they may experience, whether it’s feeling nervous or being too excited to calm down, or whether it’s feeling anxious in the face of a new situation or struggling to master a…

YOUNG bright high school pupils from Gauteng took part in a hackathon to help solve the challenges of the global green energy technology transition. A group of 28 top pupils from seven high schools in Gauteng battled it out at the Siemens Energy Just Energy Transition (JET) Hackathon, held at the Premier Hotel in Midrand on May 26 and 27. The hackathon was joined by Grade 11 and 12 pupils from Leap Science and Maths Schools in Diepsloot and Alexandra, St Barnabas School of Specialisation in Randburg, Parktown High School for Girls in Parkview, John Orr Technical High School in Milpark, Curro Academy Parkdene High School in Boksburg, Midstream College in Midrand and Woodhill College in Pretoria. The teams, each made up of four pupils, were set the task…

In many poverty-stricken areas in Uganda, teenage girls skip classes during the menstrual cycle because they cannot afford sanitary pads. The absenteeism results in poor performance which affects their self-esteem and many eventually drop out of school, according to the ministry of education. In Kalerwe, a slum area on the outskirts of the capital Kampala, Joanna Atukunda, 29, is determined to change the narrative. Atukunda said that girls from poor families would be able to stay in school because they have pads. As the world commemorated Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28, Atukunda distributed free reusable sanitary pads in the area, reaching over 100 teenage girls. Atukunda and her team also raised awareness about the importance of good menstrual hygiene management. “I lost both my parents when I was five…

The Gauteng Transport Department is moving forward with its planned Gautrain route expansion. The proposed expansion has been a subject of discussion for a lengthy period. The Gauteng provincial government commissioned the Gautrain Management Agency to develop a detailed strategy to improve travel around Gauteng. A critical point of the strategy was to ascertain the possibility of extend- ing the rapid rail network in Gauteng. Gauteng Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure MEC Jacob Mama- bolo had announced the new route for phase 1 of the proposed Gauteng Rapid Rail Integrated Network (GRRIN) project. Mamabolo described the process that had preceded the announcement of the expansion as intensive. He said: “There has been a lot of technical expertise, analysis assessment that has gone into the rail reserve determination. We had to…

DUTCH-South African singer-songwriter Joya Mooi shares interesting details about her music journey, her first performance in South Africa, and music projects on the cards. Mooi told The Star about her debut performance in South Africa, which she also identifies as her biggest highlight as a musician. “Honestly I think this is the biggest highlight. I have never performed in SA and this is my first time.” The star from Amsterdam revealed that she usually came to South Africa as a visitor and further described her performance experiences here as “incredible”. Having her family witness her do what she is passionate about was also a delightful experience for Mooi. Asked what made her decide to perform in SA, she said: “It is my second home. I come here every year if…

Ingredients 180ml You First Raw Almonds 80ml You First odourless coconut oil, melted 80ml honey 2 eggs 180ml ripe banana, mashed 250ml apple, grated 5ml (1 tsp) baking powder 5ml (1 tsp) baking soda 5ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon 5ml (1 tsp) mixed spice 2.5ml (½ tsp) salt 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract 250ml (1 cup) stoneground cake flour, oat flour or spelt flour 30ml (2 tbs) almonds, roughly chopped Method Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a 13cm x 23cm loaf tin with parchment paper and non-stick spray. Using a food processor or blender, pulse the almonds until finely ground and resembling flour. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the coconut oil and honey together. Whisk in the eggs, then add the mashed banana and grated apple,…

Last weekend, the ANC in Ekurhuleni held an elective conference. The former Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina was re-elected chairperson for the third term. Congratulations. The Ekurhuleni elective conference was chaotic. The party struggled with credentials for two days: Friday and Saturday. As a result, the conference was delayed. This is fast becoming common in ANC elective conferences. On Saturday, the ANC Gauteng provincial chair David Makhura addressed the conference. Makhura was scathing and rebuked the delegates for allowing the conference to degenerate into a chaos. Makhura said it is un-ANC to fight for positions. He further said members are even killing each other for positions in the party. This is not the ANC I know, he said. Former president Kgalema Motlanthe once said: “It will get worse before it…

Formula One packed up after Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix with no certainty it would be back there next year, but offering plenty of advice on what needs to be done for a new race contract to be agreed. The sport has no shortage of venues clamouring for inclusion and is taking a close look at a calendar that could expand to 24 rounds. Miami made its debut this year, Las Vegas is entering in 2023 when Qatar returns as a fourth Middle Eastern round, and night races in Saudi Arabia and Singapore also add to the spectacle. Some feel Monaco, part of Formula One’s historic fabric, is in danger of being left behind. There has been talk of it becoming biennial, or being dropped entirely. Local organisers have played down…