Table of contents for 2023-04-06 in Star

EOH, AN IT group that has required a turnaround plan, has flagged a small increase in revenue and a sharp decrease in net profit for the six months to January 31, 2023. EOH CEO Stephen van Coller said: “For the first time since 2019, I am able to address our stakeholders in the context of EOH being a normal business. “For many years, we have been battling corruption scandals, unprofitable legacy contracts, inefficient corporate structures, huge debt burdens, and a highly inefficient capital structure.” Its results released yesterday showed that operating profit from continuing operations decreased to R110 million in the six months to end-January, from R162m in the prior comparative period, but comparing favourably to the R100m operating profit for its full 2022 year. Revenue rose 8% to…

THE GOVERNMENT should be providing some recourse for small businesses that have been hard hit by the unreliable power crisis, according to the Franchise Association of South Africa. Maria D’Amico, chairperson at Franchise Association of South Africa (Fasa), which represents franchise brands that cut across 14 different business sectors, said they were concerned about the domino effects of load shedding on their members. “Some franchises on free-standing properties will incur costs to install generators or solar solutions; those in shopping centres that provide alternate power are often paying a premium for that service and then those in malls that don’t provide backup power find themselves simply trading in the dark or closing shop during load shedding because they cannot generate their own power within the mall. “In all cases they…

This week, Christians worldwide will commemorate Holy Week leading up to Easter, a time where they recall the events leading up to Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection. Muslims worldwide commemorate the holy month of Ramadaan, a time of reflection, selflessness and prayer. In Gauteng, more than 70 000 people are expected to descend on Zuurbekom in the west of Johannesburg for the annual Easter conference of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC), where the church’s leader, Leonard Modise, pictured, will provide the annual message of peace. This year, the message is expected to confront corruption and gender-based violence. This is the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic that churches and mosques in South Africa will have no limitations on the number of attendees at a single service. The…

The Vintage Shop Of Second Chances Libby Page Loot (R240) Orion AMONG the cobbled streets of the Somerset, England, town of Frome, Lou is embarking on the start of something new. After the death of her beloved mother, she takes a deep breath and dives into the unknown, and is opening her own vintage clothes shop. In upstate New York, Donna has just found out some news about her family which has called into question her whole upbringing. The only clue she has to unlock her past is a picture of a yellow dress, and the fact it is currently on display in a shop in England. For Maggy, she is facing life as a 70-something divorcee and while she got the house, she’s not sure what to fill it…

AFTER decades trying to publish his book, Gavin Weir’s book, titled Mr One Hundred Billion, is now ranked 4th in the top 100 on Amazon.co.uk list of “Biographies & Memoirs of Journalists”. Weir, 60, who was one of a handful of Daily News staff writers who penned the weekly Natal Fever column over a two-year period in the 90s, moved to England in 1999 and is now a senior sub-editor on The Times in London. Weir said the book was about him growing up in the town of Benoni in the 1970s. It overtook even big names such as Jeremy Clarkson and the England footballer Ian Wright. He said the success of Mr One Hundred Billion had taken him by surprise. “I expected to sell maybe a few dozen copies…

A LEGAL tussle has ensued between a bank and a panel-beating company over a Toyota Hilux, with both wanting to obtain possession of the vehicle. The bank said it is owed money in regards to arrear payment instalments, and the panel beater was claiming for storage costs. Standard Bank turned to the high court sitting in Polokwane to get the car from Mohlabafase Panel Beaters. The bank made it clear it was the owner of the vehicle, as the person who bought it fell in arrears with his monthly instalments. The bank and the purchaser entered into a written sale agreement for the Toyota Hilux, where the bank would remain the owner until all amounts due under the agreement have been paid in full. The purchaser failed to make payments…

On 21 March, 2023, Uganda’s parliament passed a law making it a crime for a person to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+). This bill goes beyond merely outlawing same-sex relationships and marriages; it outlaws identifying as LGBTQ+. This draconian law targets an array of activities such as supporting or funding LGBTQ+ rights organisations, including a ban on promoting and abetting homosexuality and invoking the death penalty for cases involving “aggravated homosexuality”. The DA condemns this inhumane law that contravenes established international and regional human rights standards. It will strip the LGBTQ+ community in Uganda of their humanity by criminalising them and ultimately denying them services such as health care, education, housing and protection by the police. According to the advocacy group Sexual Minorities Uganda, in February…

Since the UN Climate Change Agreement was signed by 196 nations in December 2015, many countries have announced policies to reduce their fossil fuel emissions. Their commitments are set out in nationally determined actions they’ll be taking to achieve this. But the transition must navigate political economy tensions, especially in developing countries. Take South Africa, for example. It has deep-seated socio-economic challenges, such as inequality and unemployment.Its unemployment rate (including people who have given up looking for jobs) is unacceptably high at 42.5%. The country is also among the most unequal in the world. And inequality remains mostly delineated by “race”. The mainstream economy remains predominantly owned by the white minority almost 30 years after democracy. South Africa is under pressure to move from fossil fuels to green energy, with…

Israeli police clashed with Palestinians inside Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque yesterday, sparking a military exchange of rockets and air strikes in flaring violence as the Jewish Passover coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadaan. Armed police in riot gear stormed the mosque’s prayer hall before dawn, with the goal of dislodging “law-breaking youths and masked agitators” who they said had barricaded themselves inside following evening prayers. The officers were met with a barrage of rocks and fireworks, police video showed. More than 350 arrests were made in the raid, which drew threats from Palestinian groups and wide condemnation from Muslim countries. One Palestinian witness, Abdel Karim Ikraiem, 74, charged that the police, armed with batons, tear gas grenades and smoke bombs, burst into the mosque “by force” and “beat the…

RISING geopolitical tensions and the resulting fragmentation of the global economy could increase financial stability risks, reducing cross-border investments, asset prices, payment systems and banks’ ability to lend, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday. The IMF has long warned of increased costs, economic friction and gross domestic product output losses associated with the global economy fragmenting into geopolitical blocs, with US-led democracies on one side and China and other autocratic states on another. This can lead to competing technology systems and reduced trade. But a new IMF working paper highlighted the potential for rising tensions to drive outflows of cross-border capital, including direct investment, from countries, with particularly high risks for developing and emerging market economies. Such stability risks are driven through financial channels, IMF researchers said in the paper,…

Public outrage forces about-turn on controversial decision to obscure irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure at power utility THE government has made a major U-turn on its Eskom crisis management, not only with an about-turn on its gazetting of the exemption for Eskom’s disclosure of irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure but also to rescind the national state of disaster on Eskom. Minister Enoch Godongwana announced yesterday that the notice gazetted on Friday that exempts Eskom from disclosing irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure will be withdrawn – for now. This follows public outrage regarding Godongwana’s decision to exempt Eskom from the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and allow it to report on irregular and wasteful expenditure in its annual report, and not in its financial statements. Many raised concerns that this would…

ANC MP Sibusiso Kula, accused of killing his wife, has been granted R50 000 bail. The North West High Court granted him bail following his appeal against the Orkney Magistrate’s Court’s decision to deny him bail. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said Judge André Peterson ordered him to surrender his passports; report twice a day at the nearest police station; provide the investigating officer with his work itinerary; report to the investigating officer if he must move outside of his residential jurisdiction; and he must have no direct or indirect contact with his children. “The investigating officer was further ordered to take the copy of the order to the Orkney clerk of the court and have Kula sign it before his release. Advocate Benny Kalakgosi argued strongly for the State…

The Dark Flood Deon Meyer Loot (R163) Hodder ALMOST fired for insubordination, detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido find themselves demoted, exiled from the elite Hawks unit and dispatched to the leafy streets of Stellenbosch. Working a missing persons report on student Callie de Bruin is not the level of work they are used to, but it’s all they get. And soon, it takes a dangerous, deeply disturbing turn. Stellenbosch is beautiful, but its economy has been ruined by one man. Jasper Boonstra and his gigantic corporate fraud have crashed the local property market, just when estate agent Sandra Steenberg desperately needs a big sale. Bringing up twins and supporting her academic husband, she is facing disaster. Then she gets a call. From Jasper Boonstra, fraudster, sexual predator and owner…

The Easter Weekend is a very important period in the Christian calendar. What makes Easter special is the unique confluence of the commemorative and celebratory events of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This week I had a freewheeling telephone discussion with my non-Christian friend who has the reverential fear for Jesus as a messenger of God about the significance of the Easter Weekend. He impressed upon me that he appreciated the message that Jesus brought to the world, such as forgiveness and compassion, but lamented the fact that society finds it increasingly difficult to put Christ’s teachings into practise. To him the Easter message is like a puppet show. My friend shared with me the story of the compassionate Jesus in the Gospel according to St Matthew 15:32. Jesus…

With the cold winter days looming, can loneliness now be a thing of the past? South Africa’s first cuddling service has intrigued locals with its job posting for “cuddle mates”. A post on the Indeed job site lists that Pro Cuddle SA company, started by Florence Letswalo, is looking for cuddle mates with no experience. According to the post, the responsibilities of the cuddle mate would be to travel to the client’s house and provide cuddling services – for a fee. The cuddler is to embrace the client in a consensual and non-sexual manner, with the nature of the relationship to remain non-committal. In addition, the cuddler is to advise the client to communicate with them should they become uncomfortable for any reason at any point during their session, with…

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who must be charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, has resentfully postponed his highly controversial judicial amendments. The massive demonstration in Tel Aviv and other parts of the country proves citizens’ dissatisfaction with his contentious judicial reform plans. One of the core grievances that citizens of the Israeli regime have with Netanyahu’s failed coup against the country’s judiciary, is that the overhaul will destroy the independence of the Supreme Court, by giving the Knesset full control over the judiciary. Netanyahu is a warmonger and an obstacle to peace and safety in the Holy Land. His leadership threatens the efforts towards a just solution. He must be prosecuted and brought before a war crimes tribunal. Every effort must be made to curb…

Last Friday, I attended a business networking session at Silverstar Casino in Krugersdorp, courtesy of Mogale City Local Municipality which organised the event in partnership with a certain business person. There were two mayors and two former mayors under the same roof. This was a historic moment. There was the mayor of Mogale City, Tyrone Gray (DA), and the former mayor Calvin Koketso Seerane (ANC). There was also the West Rand district mayor, Hullet Hilt (DA), and former mayor Mpho Nawa (ANC). Gray was one of the speakers. He recognised a long-serving employee who was going on pension, by giving him a gift and photo. It was a different breed of entrepreneurs that came together to network. Small business people and street vendors were also part of the session.…

BEIJING: French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe must resist reducing trade and diplomatic ties with China as he began a state visit yesterday, seeking to refute any sense there was an “inescapable spiral” of tension between Beijing and the West. Macron said maintaining dialogue with China was key given its close relations with Russia, which is waging a war in Ukraine. Asked about Western concerns Beijing might be considering sending arms to Moscow, Macron said any nation that did so would be complicit in a breach of international law. “China’s interest isn’t to have a lasting war,” Macron said. On his first trip to China since 2019, he spoke to US President Joe Biden before the visit about engaging the Chinese President. | Reuters…

CAPE Town City coach Eric Tinkler said he told his squad they could play with freedom because Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns were overwhelming favourites to defeat them on Tuesday night. After the goalless draw at Loftus Versfeld, Tinkler said no one gave his team a chance of winning. He told his players to play with freedom because they had nothing to lose. “You know, I called this clash a freebie,” said Tinkler. “I said to the players they need to use this as a freebie. Nobody cares about how you will do, because they are expecting you to lose, so go out there and express yourselves and play without fear. “I still felt that we did not do that. We could’ve done it a little bit better and express ourselves…

GOLD FIELDS said its 50:50 joint venture with Gold Road Resources, the Gruyere joint venture (JV), this week achieved its first one million ounces of gold production. The long-life, low-cost, Tier 1 gold mine is located 1 200km north-east of Perth in Western Australia’s north-east Goldfields region. Gold Road Resources CEO Duncan Gibbs said: “The Gruyere team has performed safely and sustainably at an impressive rate that has seen this milestone achieved in line with annual guidance.” Gold Fields Australia vice-president Stuart Mathews said: “We are proud of the team on reaching this milestone and on the delivery of projects like the Gruyere solar farm that was launched in 2022 and supports our global decarbonisation objectives. “The solar component of Gruyere’s hybrid microgrid accounts for about 10% of the…

LACTALIS South Africa (LSA) has invested R140 million in a new evapo- rator dryer powder plant facility at its cheese-manufacturing plant in Bonnie- vale in the Western Cape. LSA general manager Alban Damour said in a state- ment yesterday that the new plant would significantly boost skimmed milk production capacity. The plant was officially opened on Tuesday. The group’s Bonnievale factory is one of the biggest cheese factories on the African continent and currently provides employment to 800 employees. “This investment demonstrates the commitment by Group Lactalis to strengthen its business in South Africa. We remain focused on finding innovative business solutions that enable the production of high-quality food pro- ducts while creating employment and making a difference in the communi- ties in which we operate,” said Damour. The…

There is concern over an increase in cash-in-transit (CIT) heists in Gauteng. According to the Cash-in-Transit Association of South Africa (Citasa), CIT incidents increased by 24% for the first three months of 2023, in comparison with the same period in 2022. Citasa said month-on-month for March 2023, compared with 2022, an increase of 37% was recorded. Two bystanders were killed yesterday and another injured after a group of brazen criminals conducted a heist and made off with an undisclosed amount of money. The heist, by a heavily-armed group, occurred on the N12 Putfontein Road in Ekurhuleni just before 8am. Spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the police in Gauteng have launched a manhunt to apprehend the suspects following the robbery. “This incident claimed the lives of two innocent male bystanders who…

Curtain Call Jackie Phamotse Loot (R209) Protea Boekwinkel Those who live on the surface desire what the darkness offers. In tough times, crime is the only thing that soothes their souls. It is the South Africa you choose not to see. The Constitution forms the backbone of South African democracy, yet the youth bleed for it. What does South Africa truly have when its children are traded for a good time and tenders? It is an accurate reflection of the social decay under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa. Are your children safe in this trauma-infested country? Daphne Morgan’s death results in two worlds colliding: Gibson Kente demands nothing more than respect for the bloodshed, while Tim Morgan seeks his mother. Treasure is caught in the crossfire of hell and…

The Misery Merchants Ruth Hopkins Loot (R199) Jacana The Misery Merchants is a hard-hitting exposé of G4S, the company running one of South Africa’s private prisons in Mangaung. Hopkins presents up-close encounters with the gangs who run the prisons, and a unique insight into the minds of the men in the torture squad, who doused inmates with water before electrocuting them, and in some cases, strapped down ‘unruly’ prisoners and forced anti-psychotic medicines into their systems. Both the gangs and the prison bosses competed to run Mangaung Prison, one of South Africa’s few private prisons. Torture and forced medication were the order of the day. Hopkins, a seasoned journalist, has interviewed more than 100 prisoners and many prison warders in order to understand what makes this prison so dysfunctional. Her…

Author and activist Zoleka Mandela has opened up about her cancer battle, revealing that she is having conversations with her loved ones about the days leading to her death. What will happen to her book and her kids were just a few subjects she said she was confronting. In a video shared on her Instagram account, Mandela spoke candidly on Kaya FM about her health and plans. “There is a lot of pain. I mean, every day is different, so the form of treatment is different in the sense that in this regard, they are doing a lot of trying to improve my quality of life and in reducing pain. So my treatment would be more about strengthening the bones, which are easily fractured. So I do have fractured bones…

The wording of Emmanuel Tshituka’s ban was surely an in-joke by the all-European disciplinary panel to get a rise out of South African supporters. In the statement that confirmed the Lions’ flank would be banned for three weeks, the explanation read: “Tshituka was sent off by the referee Karl Dickson (England) in the 18th minute of the match for striking the Racing 92 fullback, Louis Dupichot, with his forearm in a dangerous manner in contravention of Law 9.11.” From the description, it would be fair to imagine that Tshituka did, in fact, trundle up to the Racing full-back, wrath personified, arm cocked back, fist clenched and elbow locked to release a forearm strike on an unsuspecting Dupichot. The reality is that Tshituka and Dupichot met during a wonderful bit of…

One of the champions of land reform in South Africa took his final bow on Monday. Tributes are revealing the impact that retired advocate, attorney, businessman and activist Dr Wallace Mgoqi had on the country. Mgoqi was a former manager of the City of Cape Town and the former chief land claims commissioner on the restitution of land rights, dealing with land claims over a period of eight years. He was also a former commissioner of the Commission for Gender Equality, as well as a former acting judge of the Land Claims Court from 2014 until 2019. These are some of the many titles he held. These included joining the AYO board as chairperson in 2018 and being a champion of AYO’s broad-based black economic empowerment mandate to transform the…

GLASGOW: The husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested as part of an investigation into the funding of the governing pro-independence Scottish National Party. Peter Murrell, 58, who stood down as the SNP’s CEO last month, was taken into police custody yesterday. The police investigation is looking at what happened to more than £600 000 raised by Scottish independence campaigners in 2017, which was supposed to have been ring-fenced but may have been used for other purposes. The party’s accounts published by the Electoral Commission, the independent watchdog, showed that at the end of 2018 the party had about £411 000 in cash or cash equivalents. | Reuters…

IF Siyabonga Ngezana were to have a motto for this Premiership season, the Kaizer Chiefs centre-back would most probably go with author Jim George’s popular phrase “it’s not how you start that’s important, but how you finish”. An Amakhosi dependable in previous seasons, Ngezana had the kind of wretched start to the current campaign that could have destroyed many a player’s confidence. Such were the costly mistakes he was making that nicknaming him ‘Calamity Siya’ would not have been too harsh. As it was, unforgiving Chiefs fans were on his case – so much that you would have sworn they were not the same crowd who were previously proclaiming him one of South Africa’s best defenders. Unsurprisingly, Ngezana found himself out of the Chiefs starting team as coach Arthur Zwane…

WESTERN Province’s loss is certainly the Central Gauteng Lions’ gain with both Zubayr Hamza and Tshepo Moreki swapping Newlands for the Wanderers next season. The duo’s move up to Johannesburg is a massive blow to WP as they were both an integral part of Saliegh Nackerdien’s team. Hamza is, of course, a former WP captain who has played six Test matches and a single ODI for the Proteas, while Moreki has been one of the standout seamers the past couple of seasons. The Lions are certainly overjoyed to have lured the duo from Cape Town, especially the experienced Hamza, who, ironically, struck a century against the Lions at the Wanderers in the penultimate Cricket SA 4-Day first-class match. “Zubayr will add great value to our environment,” said Lions chief executive…