Indice dei contenuti per 2021-10-01 in Star

Edward West and Philippa Larkin Pick n Pay lost R1.7 billion of sales during the second quarter due to the civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July and from liquor sales lockdown restrictions, the retailer said in a trading update yesterday. Nevertheless, in an update for the 26 weeks to August 29, the group said that despite severe trading and operational disruptions, the group managed to “deliver a resilient and positive performance, maintaining underlying momentum on sales and earnings growth”. Some 212 of its stores were damaged or looted during the civil unrest, 112 were Pick n Pay stores and 100 were Boxer stores. It had reopened 145, or about 70 percent of the damaged stores by the end of August, and 18…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za NORTHAM Platinum will look at implementing a dividend policy in the coming year, given the share buy-back programme it conducted during the year ended June 2021, it said yesterday. Chief executive officer Paul Dunne said the company remained committed to continuing to return to shareholders free cash not required in the advancement of the group’s ongoing growth programme. “The board will look at implementing a dividend policy in the coming year,” said Dunne. He said value could be returned to shareholders in a number of ways. “This includes cash dividends, but also includes share buy-backs and, previously, the purchase of Zambezi Preference Shares.” Dunne said Northam’s Zambezi Preference Share acquisition strategy enabled the acceleration of the maturity and wind-up of the Zambezi empowerment transaction. Northam reduced its…

Given Majola given.majola@inl.co.za THE SEPTEMBER 2021 Household Food Baskets has softened off the August high caused in part by the unrest in July in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, according to the Pieter- maritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group (PMBEJD) Programme co-ordinator at PMBEJD Mervyn Abrahams said, however, that the drops in prices of Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg were far less than the spikes recorded in August. “For example, the Joburg food basket declined by -2 percent, R88.60, in September, after increasing by 3.4 percent, R143.27, in August. The Durban food basket declined by even less, by -0.4 percent, R17.55, in September, off its 3.9 percent, R161.60 spike in August. The Pietermaritzburg basket, similarly to Durban, only declined by -0.4 percent, R14.70, off its August…

GEORGE CLARKE’S REMARKABLE RENOVATIONS BBC LIFESTYLE, DSTV CHANNEL 174, 8PM Across Britain, more than 600 000 buildings lie unused and unloved, and nearly a third of them are commercial. George Clarke meets the people taking on these ambitious projects, preserving the country’s architecture by breathing new life into it. THE WORLD’S MOST AMAZING VACATION RENTALS S2 NETFLIX Inveterate travellers Megan Batoon, Jo Franco and Luis D Ortiz discover more enchanting holiday properties for every budget and dish out tips for perfect stays. SCHUMACHER NETFLIX The life of Michael Schumacher, who rose to a Formula One icon thanks to a daring and defiant spirit, is explored in this insightful documentary.…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za THIS spring, Stellenbosch is hosting its first-ever garden festival for all botanical lovers, with the streets transformed into a massive garden. Inspired by the world-famous flower festival of Girona, Spain, the inaugural Garden Week Stellenbosch will encompass everything from horticultural tours, landscape art to dining and hiking. Guests will be treated to sweet melodies and scenic views. The week-long festival will also showcase the first-ever Stellenbosch Winelands experience featuring South African Michelin star chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen. It will be divided into three sections: nature walks, workshops, and food and wine. Open gardens and nature walks The city will open a few public gardens such as the historic Old Nectar estate in the Jonkershoek Valley, the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden in Paradyskloof, Spier Wine Farm…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za The City of Johannesburg is hosting its first “Aluta Nova Festival of Museums” tomorrow at one of the City’s iconic museums, The James Hall Museum of Transport. Aluta Nova Festival of Museums will offer a variety of activities such as the iconic London Bus museum tours, food/craft markets and an enticing live music line-up. The headliners for the festival include Urban Village, Ami Faku, The Charles Gene Suite, Bilal Da DJ, Uncle Partytime, Your Uncle Garry, Kat Upendi and The Dig Experience. Gaisang Sathekge, the chief curator of the James Hall Museum of Transport, says the festival is aimed at supporting local talent and creative SMMEs during a difficult time when the pandemic has affected the creative industry economically. “While this Festival of Museums, in its…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za A shake-up is on the cards for the Department of Health as it seeks to rearrange its organogram following the suspension of more senior officials related to the Digital Vibes scandal. Health Minister Joe Phaahla confirmed all officials implicated in the final report of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) into the Digital Vibes scandal would be handed suspension letters by the close of business yesterday, “pending the completion of disciplinary hearing processes and the formalisation of charges. The outstanding disciplinary investigations will require the investigators communicating with the SIU and with a procurement specialist”. This included the department’s Deputy Director-General responsible for Health Regulations and Compliance, Dr Anban Pillay, who was the acting director-general at the time the Digital Vibes contract was awarded. Phaahla said the department…

THE Namibia Film Commission (NFC) has invited local filmmakers to submit films for consideration in the International Feature Film and Documentary Category of the 94th Annual Academy Awards (Oscars). This comes after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences granted the NFC permission to appoint an eight-member selection committee of Namibian creatives and cinephiles to seek Namibian submissions ahead of the 2022 Academy Awards set to take place in March in Hollywood. A recent media statement by the NFC said the committee was chaired by Obed Emvula with Bridget Pickering, Tim Huebschle, Lize Ehlers, Abius Akwaake, Richard Pakleppa, Linda de Jager and Madryn Cosburn also serving. It said Namibia was entering a new and exciting phase in its filmmaking journey as filmmakers will now be able to submit feature…

Staff Reporter THE FOUNDER and chief executive of Township Fleva, an independent social-entrepreneurship programme in Orange Farm, is keen to turn youngsters from poverty-stricken households into captains of industry. Rashuping Morake, referred to as Rush in township parlance, has been running the non-profit enterprise in Joburg’s Region G for more than nine years in a bid to create economically sustainable residents. Morake’s initiative focuses on providing youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds with access to post-matric education, health-care services and socio-economic skills to enable them to be employable. “Our enterprise and supplier development programme is about inspiring young people to pursue entrepreneurship as this is the cure to the high unemployment rate we face,” he explains. Township Fleva also provides young people with learnership opportunities, helping them to gain work experience in…

KAIZER Chiefs struggled during Gavin Hunt’s reign. They may have gone on a dream run to the Caf Champions League final, and were the only team to beat champions Mamelodi Sundowns on the Brazilians’ road to a fourth consecutive Premiership title, but Chiefs won just seven league matches out of 28 under Hunt, leaving them 11th on the standings at the time of his dismissal. The situation was so bad that the Amakhosi faithful marched to Chiefs’ Naturena offices demanding more from their team. Fast-forward to the present day and Chiefs are again faltering in the opening weeks despite having a new man at the helm. The difference now, though, is that Stuart Baxter is not entirely new to the club, and knows all about the unique pressures and…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za PROP Ox Nche gave an interesting answer when he was asked earlier this week how he would describe the DNA of the Springboks. “We’re a pretty physical team. Our strong suits are our set-piece and our defence. So, I think those are the two main things. No one wants to miss a tackle in every single game, and we want to dominate teams physically as well, in our carries,” Nche said. “And our set-piece has been the consistent thing as well – where we want to impose our presence on the field as a forward pack there.” “DNA” has become a bit of a swear word in South African rugby circles following the Boks’ third consecutive Rugby Championship defeat last weekend, when they went down 19-17…

WHEN they line up for the start of their races at Cycling South Africa’s National Youth Championships at Forever Ressort’s Swadini in Hoedspruit, Mpumalanga from tomorrow to Tuesday, the five members of the Bushbuckridge Cycling Academy will no longer suffer from the inferiority complex they used to feel. In the past, Bongani Mathebula and his teammates used to look out of place with their handed-down bicycles hardly threatening their competitors who rode on top of the range machines. But thanks to the generosity of couple Nyimpini and Dr Mosima Mabunda, the boys are going to the championships high on confidence, armed as they will be with new state-of-the-art bicycles and dressed in proper kit. While proud to have once done well in a previous competition – he finished…

Financial services provider lifts headline earnings a share 513 percent to 3 447 cents Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za CAPITEC Bank Holdings lifted headline earnings a share 513 percent to 3 447 cents in the six months to August 31 and shareholders will undoubtedly also cheer the R12 per share dividend declaration, as no interim dividend was declared last year. Chief executive Gerrie Fourie said the results were “excellent” considering headline earnings per share were up 35.5 percent over the 2019 interim period, and the bank group had to traverse the challenges of unrest and Covid-19. Operating profit before tax was up 837 percent to R5.04 billion. Net asset value increased 22 percent to R31.96bn. Deposits increased 16 percent to R127.9bn. Net transaction income…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za BIDCORP Group delivered solid results and substantially cut debt as it navigated the impact on the leisure and catering sectors, in particular, of Covid-19 restrictions in the countries where it operates, chief executive Bernard Berson said yesterday. “The excellent free cash flow has been driven by good asset management, some asset realisations, while exceptionally nimble trading has underpinned the pandemic-affected results,” he said. Net debt, at R0.5 billion, fell from R5.6bn. Chief financial officer David Cleasby said in a telephone interview that the second and third quarters had been difficult in the northern hemisphere due to second wave Covid-19 restrictions, and following a recovery in these markets in the first quarter. Fortunately, the Australia, New Zealand and China markets had traded well throughout the year, he…

Nicki Minaj believing in indoda (a man) more than herself has always been one of the biggest chinks in her armour, but her latest antics might be the nail in the coffin. When it comes to women in hip hop, Minaj at some stage was the only one running the game – 10 years to be exact – with her pushing boundaries and opening doors for the ones that followed her. Built on the legacy of acts such as Lil Kim, Queen Latifah, Missy Elliot and Eve, the Superbass hitmaker took various elements from the women that came before her and built a unique brand. Coupled with her talent, to this day, Minaj has been an undeniable force going from traditional hip hop crossing over to pop music and reach…

THE BANKING sector saw increased criminal incidents amid the Covid-19 pandemic in conjunction with the implementation of regulations of the Disaster Management Act, which has impacted financial crime trends. According to the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) annual crime stats for 2020, these triggered changes in human behaviour, human movement, and policing thereby creating new opportunities for criminals which significantly impacted the number of criminal incidents. While some crime types decreased, others increased as criminals exploited Covid-19 for their own gain. The data, compiled on behalf of the banking industry showed that digital banking fraud increased by 33 percent, while debit card fraud rose by 22 percent, while on a positive note, credit card fraud decreased by 7 percent. Sabric chief executive Nischal Me- walall…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za The long weekend may be over, but spring festivities are continuing. The Bottelary Hills Renosterveld Conservancy (BHRC) is hosting its first MTB & Eco weekend this weekend. Bike, hike, sip and taste your way through this off-the-beaten-track destination in the heart of the Cape Winelands. There are five activities to participate in. They include mountain biking, wine and dine, trail run, guided hike, game drive and wine tasting and trail run. Mountain biking Mountain bikers can pick from eight self-guided rides at different starting points varying in distance and difficulty levels. Tomorrow there will be specially marked routes starting from 18km to 45km across rolling hillsides, vineyard trails and single tracks through the indigenous Renosterveld. There is also a new single track developed by multiple world triathlon…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za South Africa first Hybrid Art Fair, Turbine Art Fair, is opening this weekend at 10 Fricker Road, Illovo, Johannesburg, on Artsy & Online at www.turbineartfair.co.za. A total of 30 artists from Southern African will be exhibiting their work and host aspiring special projects. “We are delighted to be able to bring Turbine Art fair back in 2021. People are hungry for experiences and to reconnect again in person. They’re also hungry for good quality art and an in-person visual experience after so long. We hope to be able to cater for all this in a safe and well-controlled environment,” says Glynis Hyslop, founder of Turbine Art Fair. The art fair will also feature special galleries from artists who have regularly shown at the Turbine Art Fair,…

STAFF REPORTER THE ALUTA Nova Festival of Museums is back on and ready to thrill. The inaugural event was supposed to take place in June but had to be postponed due to Covid-19 regulations. It will be taking place this weekend with a star-studded line-up that includes Urban Village and Ami Faku. The event will take place tomorrow, just in time for Transport Month. The museum will showcase the vintage collection of vehicles that the James Hall Museum of Transport boasts. Festival curator and chief curator of the museum, Gaisang Sathekge said the aim of the festival was to resuscitate museum spaces by “decentring the idea that heritage is a traditional and sacred concept” that should not be touched by the “unclean voices” of contemporary culture. “This is the…

In spite of our efforts over the last three decades, more than 210 000 South Africans are still being newly infected with HIV every year. That’s just under 575 a day or around 24 every hour. Sadly, many are still girls and young women, and about one in every three pregnant women who seek antenatal care in the public sector tests positive. Who is being infected and where? Of the newly infected every year, 70 629 are men and 134 861 are women. Almost twice as many women are infected with HIV annually in South Africa and more girls and young women (aged 15–24 years) than boys and young men are infected. It is estimated that 56 974 girls and young women are infected every year – or 156 every…

CRISTIANO Ronaldo’s record 178th Champions League game had been one of his quietest for 94 minutes until the ball broke kindly for him to break Villarreal hearts at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Manchester United’s returning hero rode to the rescue just in time to salvage a 2-1 win from another performance which cast more doubt over where the Red Devils are headed under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Norwegian badly needed three points after a run of three defeats in four games and got it with seconds to spare. However, Solskjaer conceded United had “got lucky” and were “saved” by goalkeeper David de Gea as Villarreal enjoyed the overwhelming majority of the chances. The difference between the sides was in who was on the end of those opportunities. De Gea denied…

WORLD heavyweight champion Tyson Fury believes he will be facing the most dangerous incarnation of Deontay Wilder yet when he clashes with his American rival for the third time next month. Fury, the undefeated World Boxing Council heavyweight champion, faces Wilder in a trilogy fight in Las Vegas next Saturday in his first bout since dethroning the 35-year-old from Alabama via a seventh technical knockout in February last year. That victory followed an epic 2018 battle between the two heavyweights in Los Angeles which ended in a draw after Fury remarkably climbed off the canvas following a 12th round knockdown. Fury had initially been set for a unification fight this year with former world champion Anthony Joshua, but was ordered to grant Wilder a rematch in May after the intervention…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za A FACE-OFF is brewing between logistics state-owned enterprise Transnet and its organised labour nemesis the United National Transport Union (Untu) this week, which has accused the entity of unilaterally letting go of critical skills and experience through the voluntary severance packages (VSPs) that will see close to 3 000 employees exit at the cost of about R2.3 billion. Transnet on the other hand said yesterday that its wage bill, at more than 67 percent of its fixed costs, was unsustainable, though it was trying to retain critical skills. Untu general secretary Steve Harris this week accused Transnet chief executive Portia Derby of underhandedly approving all applications of the VSP workers, including 794 senior managers, which he said would leave the entity without critical skills…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za DEBT-RIDDEN Ascendis Health, whose shareholders are scheduled to vote on the group’s proposed recapitalisation programme on Monday, yesterday posted a R1.6 billion after-tax loss from continuing operations during the year ended June 2021. The group said rising debt levels, restructuring costs and higher finance charges had contributed to the group reporting a loss after tax from continuing operations of R1.6bn. Normalised earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) from continuing operations, which excludes the assets earmarked for sale, increased by 120 percent to R14 million from -R70m a year earlier. Normalised Ebitda from total operations rose 18 percent to R1.45bn. Through the recapitalisation Ascendis Health, which focuses on supplying pharmaceutical and animal health products, aims to settle outstanding debt of approximately €444…

Take-home pay rose in August, says BankservAfrica Given Majola given.majola@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s average take-home pay rose in nominal and real terms during August, with the average nominal salary being R15 125. However, the inflationary impact was starting to show, according to the BankservAfrica Take-home Pay Index (BTPI) monthly data. The data, which did reflect on July’s payroll figures, also revealed a loss in thousands of salary payments for lower-paid employees. BankservAfrica’s head of Stakeholder Engagements, Shergeran Naidoo, said the average nominal salary was R15 125 in August increasing by 8.1 percent reaching the highest level since January last year. “In real terms, the average salary adjusted for inflation was R12 317 and reflected a year-on-year increase of 3.2 percent – the fastest increase since July…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za Franschhoek Uncorked Festival is back this spring to present a weekend of exploring one of South Africa’s premier wine destinations while uncovering a fine selection of wine gems from the Franschhoek Vignerons. This year, more than 12 wineries will participate to showcase this season’s new release wines, which include MCCs, white wines, rosés and even a few Summer inspired red varietals. On the weekend of October 16 and 17, guests will also be spoiled with live music and great food as they check out new wineries. The two-day event will also offer an option to stay over at one of the valley’s accommodation establishments, ranging from quaint B&Bs and guest houses to 5-star boutique hotels. And during their visit at the Fransch- hoek Uncorked weekend, they can…

Theresa Relihan As the reality of exam season sets in, it’s crucial to remember that, while revision is second nature for some students, that isn’t the case for everyone. For others, revising a year’s worth of work is a daunting task, often resulting in stress and anxiety. Thankfully, there are ways for students to get a better grip on their studies. “Everyone’s got their own unique way of learning and retaining information, and everyone’s affected by exam stress differently. “However, with a bit of planning, some healthy habits, and hard work, students can manage exam stress, avoid burnout, and improve their chances of acing their exams,” says Theresa Relihan, head of marketing at Logitech Sub-Saharan Africa. Set up a dedicated study space Firstly, you should find a study space…

ITUMELENG MAFISA WHILE other people around Joburg’s townships are running away from nyaope addicts who hang around taxi ranks, Hella Ledwaba runs towards them. Ledwaba, 36, operates an NGO in Alexandra where she looks after the addicts. She tries to get them help from the Department of Social Development and works hard to make sure they kick the habit. Nyaope, a cocktail of substances including ARVs, Vim, is a problematic drug in most townships. Ledwaba said she started the NGO in 2016 after her boyfriend died of poisoning. He was an addict who would often recover but suffer a relapse again. “What hurt me was that when he was clean you could not recognise he was an addict. He also wanted others to be clean and get off the…

Staff Reporter THE Johannesburg International Arts Alive Festival, now in its 29th year, is billed to feature a range of artistic performances in a variety of offerings with a Joburg flair. This year’s festival is jam-packed with an exciting line-up of events and artists to from a variety of disciplines, including theatre, music, crafts, visual arts, dance, and film. The event will run at venues across Johannesburg from September 7 to December 12, with Newtown at the heart of most performances. This year’s edition will also feature educational programmes in webinars, workshops, conferences, and masterclasses, with most events catering for virtual and physical audiences. “Supporters of the festival can take comfort in the hope that regulations will be relaxed gradually and the allowed capacities for indoor and outdoor venues will…

ERIC Tinkler’s affiliation to Orlando Pirates runs deep. But such is the distorted allegiance of coaching that he’ll have to put his personal ties with the Bucs on hold when they visit his Cape Town City side at DHL Stadium tomorrow afternoon. Since his four-year stint at Pirates – which involved two continental finals, the CAF Champions League in 2013 and Confederation Cup in 2015 – it’s probably safe to say that Tinkler has grown in leaps and bounds. That growth, though, has come with success and downfalls. As a result, his return late last season to the Citizens – the side he inspired to their first silverware five years ago – was about recharging his batteries. Tinkler helped City reach the MTN8 final on Wednesday, hammering Swallows…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za THE conditions the Emirates Lions face tonight at Parc y Scarlets might have just as much say in the outcome of their United Rugby Championship match as the opposition that they face. Inclement weather – “grey, wet and cold,” as described by head coach Ivan van Rooyen – is expected in LLanelli on the south-west coast of Wales and will be closer in conditions to a rain-swept Newlands than the magnificently dry and humid surroundings the Lions found themselves in when they beat Zebre last week. Expansive rugby might, therefore, not be on the cards and the tight exchanges could be where the match is won or lost. Playing in the right areas of the field, and hunting for territory, might just be the name of the game.…