Indice dei contenuti per 2021-06-17 in Star

Sihle Makhowana sihle.makhowana@inl.co.za THE DIRECTORS of Africrypt investment company are alleged to have made off with about $3.6 billion (R49.6bn) of unsuspecting South Africans’ crypto investments, according to papers seen by Independent Media’s investigations unit. The directors, Ameer Cajee and his brother Raees Cajee, allegedly transferred Africrypt’s pooled funds from its South African account(s) through Bitcoin on the blockchain in April 2021 after claiming that there was a breach in the company’s system, compromising client accounts, wallets and nodes. Notably, FNB, which banked Afri- crypt according to documents seen by Independent Media’s investigations unit, allegedly enabled the investment company’s transactions, although the bank has vehemently denied this. FNB risk spokesperson Nadiah Maharaj adamantly refused to acknowledge any relationship with the fraud-accused company. And when probed further FNB opted to…

SIHLE MAVUSO, TARRYN-LEIGH SOLOMONS and ZINTLE MAHLATI PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa says the country’s youth are still facing challenges despite living in conditions better than those of their parents and grandparents because of the sacrifices made by the youth of 1976. Ramaphosa made these remarks yesterday while delivering his address at this year’s Youth Day celebrations in Pietermaritzburg. With Covid-19 restrictions in effect, Ramaphosa did not travel to Pietermaritzburg, but delivered the address virtually. June 16 became a holiday after 1994 when the country gained its freedom from the apartheid government. “On this day 45 years ago, brave young women and men in Soweto and other parts of our country rose up against injustice. Unarmed, and in their school uniforms, they came out in their numbers, shouting ‘down with…

MASHUDU SADIKE ANOTHER DA leader has been accused of having lied in his CV while applying for a position in the party. Limpopo MPL Risham Maharaj allegedly enhanced his CV when applying for a position as a member of the DA Limpopo provincial disciplinary committee in 2019, according to a party insider. Maharaj, who is also DA political leader in the Vhembe District, was successful in the position and it was ratified on February 8 last year. In a CV seen by the Pretoria News, Maharaj states that he obtained a Management Advancement Programme Certificate at the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science in 2009. He claimed the qualification was an abridged MBA, despite that the position he had applied for did not require the qualification. The…

BONGANI NKOSI bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za IT could soon be government against government in court over a district municipality’s apparent failure to solve a problem causing recurring spillage of raw sewage into farms and communities’ streets. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has threatened to launch a second court action against the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality over a sewage spillage issue that has plagued communities and farms since 2017. Raw sewage is a common feature in North West province in communities such as Hududi township, Vryburg suburb and nearby farms. The communities also battle an erratic water supply. At the centre of their problems is the state of the Vryburg Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW). Last September, the department obtained an order from the North West High Court that directed…

Staff Reporter AN INNOVATIVE entrepreneurship hub in Alexandra is making a positive impact. Three small businesses are being incubated, 38 young people being employed and in excess of 3 000 job-seeking youths from the township having been enrolled on the YES4YOUTH programme. The hub offers young people in the township the opportunity to develop their potential and turn their dreams into feasible economic opportunities. “The Netcare Ulusha Hub was developed by Netcare and YES and is strategically located at the Exemplar REITail Limited Alex Mall,” says Dr Nceba Ndzwayiba, the Netcare director of HR and transformation. “It is supported by partners including Nedbank, Vulcan and Air Liquide. It has the specific goal of addressing barriers to sustainable entrepreneurship growth in townships, skills development and youth employment. “Now, at a…

Norman V Mahlangu | Siyabuswa COVID-19 has successfully ushered in a significant setback for our education system. Exactly at this time of the year in 1976, the then-youth protested against apartheid education. Today, their 45-year-old legacy is challenged by a pandemic that forced a sudden shut down of educational institutions. This was followed by a new culture of learning. If we are not careful, the phenomenon will not only shut down activities – but dreams and life-saving careers might be terminated permanently. Now is the time that the youth of today to stand on their our own two feet and save their future, by not allowing the destruction posing as Covid-19 to quench their appetite for education. An old saying says: “You cannot keep birds from flying over…

LOAD shedding has been implemented to ration the remaining emergency generation reserves, which have been depleted. Marius Steyn, personal lines underwriting manager, says South Africans need to mitigate the damages caused by load shedding by being prepared prior to power going off. “The reality is, load shedding has an immense impact on consumers and businesses alike – who must cope with the damage to appliances brought on by power surges or risk loss through theft, burglary as a result of faulty security systems,” said Steyn. Mitigating risks that may be caused by power cuts: Ensure that your alarm system is in a working condition and the back-up battery is fully functional. Spare torch or headlamp: keep a torch in your car, if you arrive home at night during a power…

DESPITE President Cyril Ramaphosa announcing during his “family meeting” on Tuesday night that almost 2 million people have been vaccinated against the coronavirus in the country and the pace of vaccinations is steadily increasing, there are still concerns and questions. Can we achieve herd immunity and when? This week, World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the media that the virus was moving faster than the global distribution of vaccines. South Africa is still busy with phase 2 of the roll-out, vaccinating health-care workers and people 60 and over. The vaccination of teachers was scheduled to start last week but was delayed after a batch of 2 million Johnson and Johnson vaccines had to be destroyed due to contamination. Ramaphosa assured the country that the problems with…

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called the country’s food situation “tense,” state media reported yesterday, amid mounting reports of shortages. Opening a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s central committee, Kim claimed the economy had improved this year, with industrial production up 25% from a year earlier, and he generally struck a more upbeat tone than in February, when he had admitted the country’s economic plan had “failed tremendously”. Nevertheless, Kim’s admission about food shortages speaks of a problem that can’t be glossed over. Last year, North Korea faced its worst slump in more than two decades, experts say, largely due to the self-imposed closure of the border with China, a measure designed to keep the coronavirus pandemic at bay. There were reports of acute power cuts and…

Kochi: After several hours of hard work by a rescue team of forest and police officials yesterday, a wild elephant which had fallen into a well on private property in the Indian state of Kerala was pulled out and allowed to walk into the forest. But the rescue operation was halted for a while when the locals created a furore stating that they needed to be assured that the frequent damage caused by herds of wild elephants to their crops would be compensated for. It was after top forest officials assured them that the locals agreed that the rescue operation resumed and the elephant was freed. Locals had heard the cries of an elephant and found it stuck in the well. The rescue team was also helped by a large…

Paris: Paris’ Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo has hinted she is planning to stand in next year’s presidential elections, saying that having a woman as president for the first time would change the relationship of the French with those in power, in an interview published yesterday. If she declares her candidacy, Hidalgo would be entering a crowded field dominated by centrist President Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen expected to duel in a run-off. Hidalgo has sought to make the clogged French capital cleaner and greener making eco-policies her calling card. | AFP…

MIHLALI BALEKA @Mihlalibaleka BERNARD Parker is elated with the prospect of leading Kaizer Chiefs in the semi-finals of the Champions League against Wydad AC during his 10th year at the club. After a two-and-a-half-year stint in Europe, which included spells in Serbia, the Netherlands and Greece, Parker heeded the call to return home in 2011 to join Chiefs. At Amakhosi he won four trophies – two Premiership titles, the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup – from 2013-15. Parker and company have set a record for all the wrong reasons in the past six seasons as they’ve failed to win a trophy. But they have a chance to rewrite the history books as they are three matches away from winning the Champions League. They will clash with Wydad in the first leg…

IT goes without saying that getting himself in contention in a Major championship again is Louis Oosthuizen’s first goal in the 121st US Open Championship which tees off at Torrey Pines in San Diego today. Fresh off his second runner-up finish in the PGA Championship, Oosthuizen cast aside his happy-go-lucky approach to missing out on adding to his Major tally and gave people an insight to how much missing out again hurts. He has finished second in all the Majors since he won his only title at the Open Championship in 2010, and his response has always struck the world as “mature”. “Another second place, you know, I’ve got to take it,” he lamented at the conclusion of the PGA Championship. “But I feel like I could have probably got…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za ANALYSTS have warned that South Africa’s delayed vaccine roll-out could halt the country’s economic recovery in spite of the government imposing stricter restrictions to curb further spread of Covid-19 infections. Investec chief economist Annabel Bishop said the slow roll-out had reduced the positive sentiment towards the economic outlook and vaccine roll-out that had been growing this year. Bishop said while this and the last month had seen a quickening in the roll-out, the pace was still too slow and South Africa risked substantially more Covid-19 deaths. “The extremely slow roll-out of vaccines means that the country will most likely not reach two-thirds immunity by year end as originally planned,” Bishop said. “Globally, economic recovery remains strong, as are vaccine roll-outs in key economies. (But) South Africa’s weak…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za ARROWHEAD Properties’ independent board has deemed the proposed merger between the company and Fairvest Property Holdings in the best interest of its shareholders. Arrowhead said in a statement on Tuesday that the independent board was strongly of the view that the benefits of a deal between Fairvest and Arrowhead would best be unlocked through a merger that creates a single, larger, more liquid Reit. The board considered a merger preferable to a transaction that would result in Arrowhead becoming a listed subsidiary of Fairvest, where neither company would fully enjoy the benefits of increased size or liquidity and where there was less ability to take advantage of the synergies or operational efficiencies that may be unlocked through a merger. Engagements had begun with Fairvest, and it was…

Estate duty is a material death tax that few people take cognisance of. Luckily, in terms of section 4(q) of the Estate Duty Act, but subject to its strict requirements, relief is provided to surviving “spouses” who may have contributed to the accumulation of their assets, by allowing a deduction of the value of all property that accrues to the surviving spouse from the gross estate of the deceased. No estate duty is therefore payable on qualifying assets. This provides some relief for surviving “spouses” who may end up having to part with assets they used to share with their spouses, just to pay the tax bill to the South African Revenue Service (Sars). The definition of “spouse” for this purpose includes a permanent life partner and not only a…

Man arrested for trespassing at Kylie Jenner's home A man has been arrested at Kylie Jenner's home after he refused to leave until he could see the reality TV star. The 35-year-old man refused to leave the property when confronted by security and insisted he wanted to see 21-year-old Jenner and profess his love to her in person. TMZ reports that Jenner was not home at the time of the incident and her security detained the man until the police arrived. This is reportedly not the first time he showed up at Jenner's home in Los Angeles but he has previously left when asked by security. The unnamed man was charged with misdemeanour trespassing before being released. This is the latest alarming incident for the Kardashian-Jenner family after Jenner's sister…

Sithole gave birth at Steve Biko Hospital but it’s unclear what happened to the babies Piet Mahasha Rampedi piet.rampedi@inl.co.za DECUPLETS mother Gosiame Sithole gave birth at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital on Monday last week, but the whereabouts and state of her babies remain a mystery. An investigation by Independent Media, assisted by a private investigator, has uncovered that the woman was admitted to the government-owned hospital in Pretoria earlier that day and delivered her babies. It’s unclear what happened to the babies and what their state of health is. In a statement released yesterday, Independent Media, which initiated a private investigation into the birth of the decuplets, following denials by various government officials, said the story was not fake news but a cover-up of mammoth proportions. The Pretoria News…

HEALTH facilities in Gauteng are increasing capacity as the number of confirmed Covid-19 hospital admissions continue to soar. Mediclinic, Netcare and Life Health- care this week said some of their facilities were under pressure as the third wave of the pandemic intensified. Managing director of Netcare’s hospital division Jacques du Plessis said that the group added extra resources to assist with the anticipated increase of Covid-19 admissions. He said last week non-urgent surgeries requiring post-operative critical care were suspended to free up capacity where needed. “We will never turn away patients in need of emergency care, and given the experience of the first and second waves, we are well equipped to ensure we are able to maximise our ability to provide the necessary care. “We encourage the public to…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za A NEW campaign has been launched to raise awareness and educate communities about the dangerous impact of codeine or lean abuse among the youth. The campaign #LeanOnMe was created with the aim of sensitising communities, raising awareness as well as educating the Norwood community about lean and the effects of codeine abuse among the youth. Lean is a mixture of codeine, a prescription pain medication to treat mild to moderate pain found in cough mixtures, along with other ingredients including fizzy drinks. The mixture is known to have an intoxicating effect that calms and relaxes the user, which can last anywhere between three and six hours. The Norwood Community Police Forum (NCPF) said it was dedicated to curbing this growing trend of lean usage and providing the…

staff reporter VACCINE education and literacy have been identified as an important focus area in building confidence and trust as South Africa rolls out Covid-19 vaccines across the country. With a view to bringing an innovative solution to addressing this, while giving young people an opportunity to contribute to their communities, the Solidarity Fund and National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders (NHTKL) have entered into a partnership. This has allowed more than 200 young people in five provinces – KZN, Eastern Cape, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga – to embark on a rural-focused door-to-door campaign, engaging with community members about maintaining preventative behaviours and having meaningful conversations on vaccinations, while also assisting with the registration of people over 60. The foot soldiers, who have visited and engaged with…

SA has betrayed the dreams of the youth of 1976, and now must back today’s youngsters Recent Statistics SA figures that put youth unemployment at 63.3% have re-ignited Fees-Must-Fall protests because parents are feeling the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many have lost their jobs and are struggling even harder to support their children’s education and the growing costs of service delivery. These are all examples of our society’s failure to realise the hopes and dreams of the youth of 1976 who sacrificed their lives so today’s youth would not have to. The news of the JSE recovering is another example of how we have betrayed the youth who are still suffering from the socio-economic blow caused by the lockdown. It shows a society more concerned with capital gain over…

Rangoun: Myanmar’s junta and villagers traded accusations yesterday after a settlement was razed almost entirely to the ground in the centre of the coup-racked country. Villagers of Kin Ma in Magway region said junta forces were to blame for its near-destruction, while the military said “terrorists” and windy weather were responsible. Junta troops came to the village this week hunting for members of a local self-defence force, one resident said. “As people ran, they (the military) shot the village with a rocket launcher. And then we saw the fire,” he said. “We thought they wouldn’t destroy anything so we ran without taking any properties.” An elderly couple died in the fire. The military has sought to quell mass anti-coup protests with bloody crackdowns that have killed more than 850 civilians.…

NEW DELHI: India’s battle with Twitter escalated yesterday with the government accusing the US firm of deliberately ignoring new IT rules, as reports suggested it can now be prosecuted for users’ tweets. Currently social media companies operating in India are classed as intermediaries, shielding them from criminal liability for anything posted on their platforms. But the companies face losing this protection if they fail to comply with new “Intermediary Guidelines” that came into force in India on May 26. These rules, which critics say could be used to silence dissent, demand that the firms give details of the “first originator” of posts deemed to undermine India’s sovereignty, state security or public order. The tech companies also have to appoint a chief compliance officer. | AFP…

US President Joe Biden pressed Vladimir Putin at their summit yesterday to replace the combustible US-Russian stand-off with a more “predictable” relationship between “two great powers” capable of agreeing to disagree. The two leaders wrapped up their first summit after around three-and-a-half hours of meetings at an elegant villa in Geneva. Biden quickly got to the point: his desire to take US-Russian relations off their increasingly unstable trajectory, in which Washington accuses the Kremlin of everything from meddling in elections to cyberwarfare. “It’s always better to meet face to face,” he told Putin as they met in the villa’s library. “We are trying to determine where we have a mutual interest, where we can co-operate; and where we don’t, establish a predictable and rational way in which we disagree –…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za AGGRIEVED residents in the Northern Cape are planning to approach the court to have the mining right granted to JSE- and Australian-listed Orion Minerals Prieska Copper Zinc revoked amid allegations that the company failed to consult the community on the development of the mine. Ronald Februarie, organiser of the Siyathemba Business and Community Forum, said that Orion failed to lead a thorough consultation process with the community on its plans to develop the mine and how it would uplift Siyathemba. Februarie said the Siyathemba community had not participated in the con- struction of solar energy projects in the Siyathemba Local Municipality and did not want to again be sidelined in the construction of the Copperton mine. “We have now more than 5 000 signatures of…

Vin Diesel has revealed that the Fast & Furious franchise will meet its conclusion in 2024. The 53-year-old star has portrayed Dominic Toretto since the first film in 2002 and he claims the upcoming 10th and 11th instalments will be the last. According to “Entertainment Tonight”, Diesel said during a recent press junket: “Every story deserves its own ending. “I know people are going to feel like it doesn’t have to end, but I think all good things should. “There are reasons for a finale. I think this franchise has deserved it.” Director Justin Lin, who will film the final two movies, marking seven turns behind the camera for the blockbuster franchise, commented: “We got together and Vin says, ‘I think we should think about closing up the saga now’.”…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za THE Commission of Inquiry into State Capture is today set to continue with evidence from former Transnet chief financial officer Anoj Singh and former Public Enterprises and Finance minister Malusi Gigaba. The commission, which is striving to wrap up its proceedings in the next two weeks, is at the tail end of hearings. The commission this week heard various applications for leave to cross-examine witnesses. Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo maintained that since the commission was running out of time, he had decided that he would not make findings where evidence was one-sided. He said instead he would refer incomplete work to other law enforcement agencies. One of the applicants who applied to cross-examine implicated parties is Werksmans Attorneys, which decided to withdraw its bid to question…

Chulumanco Mahamba THE OWNER of a Joburg-based interior design company has allegedly become the target of social media impersonators who pose as her to scam people with the promise of great returns on investments. Award-winning interior stylist and owner of Task Interior Styling, Mali Langa, has revealed that she is the target of multiple cases of identity theft on social media where impersonators have allegedly used her status and influence to scam unsuspecting victims of their money. “My life has been threatened, and I am fearful of what might happen,” Langa said yesterday, regarding multiple-fake profiles of her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. ID theft in social networks refers to accounts that use the name, image or other identifying elements of a person, company or organisation for fraudulent purposes. The…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@ inl.co.za THE journey of South Africa’s fifth person to qualify with a Doctorate in Fashion Design, Dr Sipho Mbatha, started with about R200 in his pocket. Mbatha, from the Vaal, has made history by being the first South African from the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) to obtain a Fashion Design doctorate. Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa also confirmed on Sunday that Mbatha is South Africa’s fifth doctor in fashion design. The 34-year-old lecturer at TUT’s Faculty of the Arts and Design: Department of Design Studies, made history at one of the June graduation ceremonies hosted virtually at the Pretoria campus recently. Mbatha told The Star yesterday that he gets emotional when he thinks about his journey to obtain his doctorate. His university journey started with…

THE Department of Water and Sanitation has opened its doors to pupils who plan to pursue water and sanitation related qualifications next year. “Our bursaries are comprehensive. They cover full tuition fees, accommodation and food as per university guidance, books and stationery allowance and a monthly stipend,” department spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau said. The applications close on October 31. They will be allocated on the basis of a balanced consideration of outstanding academic performance, financial need and the relevant skills set for the water and sanitation sector. Through the bursaries offered to students, the department, he said, then provides employment contracts during which the bursars get relevant workplace exposure and additional training until they are ready to register as professionals with their relevant professional bodies. For 2022, the following applications for…

Noel Desfontaines | Hospersa general secretary HOSPERSA, a union of more than 60 000 health-care workers in the public and private health sector, has raised concerns about the state of the Department of Health embroiled in a corruption scandal, an acting minister and the slow pace of the Covid-19 vaccination. We are also questioning the appointment of the minister of tourism in the position of acting minister of health, citing that the position needs someone with a medical background. We are calling on the president to review this appointment and for the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) to conclude its investigations as speedily as possible for law enforcement agencies to bring all implicated individuals to book. Due to mounting pressure over certain allegations, Minister Mkhize has taken special leave.…

WESLEY SEALE MEETING at a quiet coffee shop at Peking University, the university professor being interviewed was an expert on Sino-South African relations. As we sat down, she requested that she be excused at some stage because she had to attend the local branch meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC). When the time came, she reminded me with the words: hopefully you’ll understand how important these branch meetings are. It was one of the many moments that one came face to face with the confidence and legitimacy that ordinary and extraordinary Chinese people have in the Communist Party. My friends and I once asked a DiDi driver, the equivalent of Uber in China, why Chinese people respected President Xi Jinping so much. The Didi driver’s answer was…

Fatima Osman SOUTH Africa’s Traditional Courts Bill, aimed at regulating traditional courts, has been put on hold amid concerns over its legality. Traditional courts operate in South Africa’s rural areas under traditional leaders. Traditional leadership is recognised by the Constitution in accordance with customary law. The courts apply unwritten versions of customary law – the practices of an indigenous community – and are recognised as courts in the South African legal system. Their proximity to communities, informal nature and accessibility make them the first port of justice for millions of citizens. The colonial-era Black Administration Act of 1927 regulates traditional courts, but its provisions are largely outdated and ignored. In theory the courts have limited jurisdiction and powers, but these are often exceeded in practice. They hear a range…

Maputo: Wardens at Mozambique’s largest women’s prison are forcing inmates into prostitution and punishing those who refuse, according to a local anti-corruption organisation. In a report published on Tuesday by the Centre for Public Integrity, guards at the Ndlavela Women’s Prison in Maputo are forcing inmates to have sex with clients for between $50 and $250, cash which the wardens have pocketed themselves. The women are taken out of the prison “three or four times a week” and taken to guesthouses where they are pimped out to clients, the report said. Following the report’s publication, justice minister Helena Kida visited the prison yesterday and ordered an urgent government inquiry. | AFP…

LONDON: Prince Harry will be virtually bald by age 50, claims a leading UK cosmetic surgeon. Dr Asim Shahmalak of Crown Clinic, Manchester, says the Duke of Sussex has started to lose his hair at a faster pace since he left Britain with his wife Meghan Markle last year. “Without treatment, the acceleration we have seen over the last 15 months will only increase over the next year,” said Shahmalak. The cosmetic surgeon said that Harry was at the same stage of hair loss as his brother William when he was 26. | Sputnik…

Israeli aircraft struck Hamas sites in Gaza yesterday after incendiary balloons were launched from the Palestinian enclave in the first such attacks since a fragile ceasefire ended 11 days of deadly fighting last month. The violence poses an early test for the government of new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, whose patchwork coalition came to power on Sunday on a pledge to focus on socioeconomic issues and avoid sensitive policy choices towards the Palestinians. An Egyptian-mediated truce that halted fighting between Israel and Gaza militants did not immediately appear to be threatened by the flare-up, with the overnight Israeli airstrikes giving way to calm by morning. There were no reports of casualties on either side. The overnight violence follows a march in East Jerusalem on Tuesday by Jewish nationalists that had…

HERMAN GIBBS THE mighty PSL, one of Africa’s most envied and richest football organisations, have been driven into a corner by lower-tier club Royal AM, whose daring legal ploy has sent shockwaves through national football’s corridors of power. Royal AM have proved they are no small fries and have defiantly brought the PSL promotion-relegation play-offs to a screeching halt. Numerous social media posts show that Royal AM co-owner Shauwn Mkhize, a wealthy Durban businesswoman, has vowed to stop the play-offs unless her team were declared GladAfrica Championship (National First Division) winners. Royal AM have now managed to stop the play-offs, which were scheduled to start on Tuesday. Royal AM approached the Gauteng Supreme Court after a recent arbitration ruling that resulted in them being declared NFD runners-up. On Monday,…

BESIDES putting the stamp on the final adoption of its new constitution, Cricket South Africa’s AGM, which started on Saturday and finished last night, didn’t inspire much enthusiasm. The juvenile jokes among provincial presidents, along with the petty questioning and the fact that one president didn’t bother reading the financial statements sent to all of them before the AGM, illustrated an organisation that’s going to need much more than a new Memorandum of Incorporation in order to drag itself from the doldrums. Any sponsor watching events from Saturday would be seriously questioning whether to get involved with SA cricket. What was clear is that the new group of independent directors that will serve on the Board truly have their work cut out for them. The composition of that board is…