Indice dei contenuti per 2022-05-23 in Star

DANISA Baloyi, former president of the Black Business Council (BBC), believes she was subjected to injustice during the five years she faced accusations of swindling the business lobby group. The prosecution against her and three others came to nought on Friday, after defence lawyers succeeded in crushing the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) case on a section 174 application. A section 174 application is brought by the defence on the basis that the NPA presented weaker evidence that fails to establish a prima facie case against an accused. Baloyi and her co-accused, Dominic Ntsele, Hawa Khan and Abubaker Khan, walked free on Friday in the Palm Ridge Commercial Crimes Court. The four were accused of stealing R5.7 million from the coffers of the BBC. The business lobby group received the money…

WITS University has launched the Wits Entrepreneurship Clinic (WEC) to enable the youth of South Africa to become future job creators. With youth unemployment in South Africa at an alarming rate, the University of the Witwatersrand on Friday launched the Wits Entrepreneurship Clinic (WEC), based at the Wits School of Business Science. Project leader for the WEC and senior lecturer in management in the Wits School of Business Sciences Dr Rob Venter said young entrepreneurs are one of the country’s best hopes in solving the jobs crisis. “The Wits Entrepreneurship Clinic aims to strengthen the role of universities in the entrepreneurship ecosystem to enable young entrepreneurs to become the future job creators and the drivers of economic development in Africa,” said Venter. To achieve this, experiential learning and evidence-based management,…

Nsimire M’Buhendwa used to spend long days working in fields surrounding her village in east Democratic Republic of Congo, only to return home with backaches and barely enough money to put food on the table. But the struggles of the mother of four eased after she joined a women’s co-operative, producing coffee and coffee-infused soap bars sold in five Congo provinces, Burundi and Rwanda. “I used to be a woman that left home in the morning and came back in the evening with almost nothing, not knowing how my children would study,” the 43-year-old said. Started in 2018, Heshima Coffee has created a source of income for around 1 500 women and youths in rural parts of east Congo, giving out free coffee plant seedlings and connecting members to fair-trade…

FOR MANY reasons, social media can be dubbed a vile platform but some people can attest that it is not entirely bad. Last month, saw South Africans come together to help University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) student, Dumisani Ngobese, whose life story touched many people. A video of him walking on stage drenched in tears was enough to secure him a permanent job. His perseverance pushed him to attend the ceremony regardless of not having clothes to wear on his big day. While thousands of graduates shared their special moments on their social accounts, Ngobese stood out in commanding the attention of South Africans across platforms. As a result, the new graduate topped trends on social media with many making monetary pledges. This unexpected turn of events did not only demonstrate…

THE continued postponement of the Zuma corruption trial is becoming a laughing stock. Is this the beginning of South Africa confirming its status as a banana republic, with our judiciary also becoming a laughing stock? This type of action does not bode well for any company wishing to invest in South Africa. The billions that have been promised to President Cyril Ramaphosa, via all his investment conferences, will probably result in all of them falling through. Any sane CEO or company would not want to invest in a country where the judiciary cannot even organise a trial for a man who allowed the country to be robbed of its assets and involved himself in corruption. He should have been found guilty at the time Schabir Shaik was found guilty. Coupled…

May I suggest that instead of spending the R22 million on the proposed flag project, rather spend this money as follows: 1. Find a piece of land and build 40 houses at R500 000 each, which in total will cost R2m. The houses will be for the poor. 2. Develop a road on this piece of land and build 20 houses on each side of the road. This road can be tarred later on by the government department concerned. 3. With the remaining balance of R2m, place a small slab of the South African flag into a suitable position of the front wall of each home. 4. After these projects, there should still be funds available to purchase 40 paintings from local artists and have these pictures framed and given…

Against the backdrop of ongoing load shedding in recent days, homeowners and business owners should test their alarms and security systems to ensure they are working properly and for their own safety. Test these systems on a regular basis, but this has become more important as battery backup is crucial to ensure that your security service provider is still monitoring and providing protection when the power goes out. If you have a stable and correctly programmed security system coupled with a battery that is in good condition, it will protect your home and workplace during power outages. The increased occurrence of load shedding means that there are more alarm activation signals received by armed response companies. If the alarm is triggered because of a power surge or because of load…

ROME: Charities running migrant rescue ships in the Mediterranean faced a pre-trial hearing in Sicily on Saturday over alleged collusion with people traffickers after a controversial investigation. Twenty-one suspects, including crew members of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children and German NGO Jugend Rettet rescue ships, are accused of “aiding and abetting unauthorised entry into Italy” in 2016 and 2017. “Our crews rescued over 14 000 people in distress from unseaworthy and overcrowded boats… and are now facing 20 years in prison,” said Kathrin Schmidt, who sailed with Jugend Rettet’s ship Iuventa. The Iuventa was impounded in 2017 after Jugend Rettet and others refused to sign a contentious interior ministry “code of conduct” accord, and as the EU scaled up surveillance and policing in the Mediterranean. Save the Children…

Sylhet: Heavy rains have caused widespread flooding in parts of Bangladesh and India, leaving millions stranded and at least 57 dead, officials said at the weekend. In Bangladesh, about two million people have been marooned by the worst floods in the country’s northeast for nearly two decades. Floodwater rushing from India’s north-east breached a major embankment on the Barak River, inundating at least 100 villages at Zakiganj in Bangladesh, said Mosharraf Hossain, the chief government administrator of the Sylhet region. |…

World champion Max Verstappen overcame a sequence of problems to lead his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez home and claim the lead in the title race on a bad day for Ferrari in yesterday’s sizzling Spanish Grand Prix. His victory in a crushing Red Bull one-two was the 24th of his career and third in succession this season as he came home ahead of his Mexican partner with George Russell confirming Mercedes’ revival by finishing third. Charles Leclerc, who had led the championship and dominated practice, set off well from pole until he was forced to retire his Ferrari with engine failure. Beaten at the start, Verstappen was blown off the circuit and had technical problems, but overcame them to produce a furious drive aided by his teammate’s generosity for…

Suspended after resisting board’s ‘arm-twisting’ attempts to make her sign contract appointing CFO to a permanent position THE state-owned entity, Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), finds itself in a human resources mess after the suspension of its chief executive, Zukiswa Potye. The Star has learnt from sources inside that the MDDA management that Potye was suspended after she refused to sign a contract for the MDDA’s chief financial officer, Yaseen Asmal. In a letter seen by The Star, Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele demanded a response from MDDA board chairperson Hlengani Mathebula over a “complaint received by the Public Services Commission (PSC) on allegations of the irregular extension of appointment contract of the CFO of the Media Development and Diversity Agency”. In the letter, Gungubele tells Mathebula that…

JOBURG mayor Mpho Phalatse said she was concerned about her own life following the deaths of at least three mayors in the past year. Phalatse was speaking at the funeral of former City of Joburg mayor Mpho Moerane, who died at the Milpark Hospital last week. He slipped into a coma after a car accident. Speaking at Moerane’s funeral in Alexandra yesterday, the current mayor said that she feared she would be next to die since she was succeeding at least three dead mayors. Some mourners murmured and gasped as Phalatse spoke about herself possibly as the next to die. Phalatse said the city had lost about 18 councillors to death. “It’s all too much for us to take in. We have so many questions. I am also detecting a…

At the bottom of a sinkhole, ancient trees stretch nearly 40m high. Dense plants cover the ground, and a rare type of bamboo grows. Cave explorers discovered the hidden forest this month when they descended into a previously unexplored massive sinkhole in south China’s Guangxi region. Researchers say the hole, which is about 192m deep and spans more than 176 million cubic feet, could be home to previously unidentified plant and animal species. The finding is less surprising than people might expect, said George Veni, the executive director of the New Mexico-based National Cave and Karst Research Institute. “It’s not unusual to have trees growing out of cave entrances,” said Veni, who was not involved in the new research. “It’s just that this [sinkhole] is particularly large…

A LAWYER dragged out of a hair salon and thrown into a police vehicle is claiming more than R70 million in damages from the SAPS. The woman, who is not identified as she had suffered a miscarriage following her hair-raising experience, claimed R59 575 000 in damages. This included damages for miscarriage, for which she blamed the police. She further claimed R16m for loss of income, saying she was so traumatised she could not continue with her law practice. The woman’s ordeal started on Saturday June 30, 2007 – four days after she had married. Her husband accompanied her to a hair salon. While under a hair dryer, two policemen entered the salon. Her husband was standing at the counter. They told her husband he was under arrest. The…

Finland and Sweden have expressed their eagerness to join Nato, an alliance that has outlived its World War II mandate. As the trajectory of events in Europe unfold, the grim spectre of a full-scale nuclear holocaust becomes a potent reality as Russia deploys massive nuclear power on its borders, placing this destructive first-strike capability on hair-trigger alert, using components of artificial intelligence in its targeting software. Russia has 6 225 nuclear warheads. The US has 5 500. In a first strike by either side, using only 100 warheads could result in the end of civilization. Peer-reviewed studies graphically reveal the consequences would include catastrophic disruptions of global climate and massive destruction of the Earth’s protective ozone layer. A global famine would result from such a war, which would cause up…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has no idea how he will get out of the ANC’s mess. The “honeymoon” phase of Ramaphosa’s ascendancy to power has reached the climax, and people on the ground are starting to feel the consequences of the man’s poor leadership – which is anti-poor and working class. It is clearly noted that the ANC, under Ramaphosa, has no idea how they would permanently stop power cuts, perpetual rocketing prices of fuel, closure of factories, massive retrenchments by many super-capitalists, unending corruption in both public and private sectors respectively, and the shocking increase on cost of living. I know that this piece will draw ire from those who believe that criticising Ramaphosa’s leadership equals supporting those deemed to be his opponents, that to censure Ramaphosa translates to…

AS more rains continue to wreak havoc in KwaZulu-Natal, the national government needs to remove red tape impeding the immediate release of emergency funds reserved for disasters. Our sister title the Daily News learnt that the National Treasury and KwaZulu-Natal government were sitting on R10 billion and R300 million respectively in their contingency funds reserves which were solely budgeted for unforeseeable disasters like the one we saw last month. If that is true, surely there is no reasonable justification why the people – after a month – were still trapped in community halls and churches waiting to be relocated to temporary structures which the government had promised. The accusations and counter-accusations between the government and the DA on this matter are not helping the poor people still trapped in more…

US President Joe Biden had a short message for North Korea’s Kim Jong Un: “Hello. Period.” he told reporters yesterday in Seoul, before heading to Japan for the second leg of his Asia trip which has been overshadowed by fears of a nuclear test by Pyongyang. Biden is leaving South Korea, after spending two days with newly elected President Yoon Suk-yeol, with the pair discussing possibly expanding joint military exercises. His goal to reinforce US leadership across Asia has been dogged by fears the unpredictable, nuclear-armed North could conduct a weapons test while Biden is in the region, but on his last day in Seoul, he told reporters he had a short message for Kim: “Hello. Period.” He said he was “not concerned” about Pyongyang’s possible weapons test, saying: “We…

MOSCOW: About 18 million people will face severe food insecurity in the next three months in Africa’s Sahel region, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Friday. The UN has allocated funds to the four African countries with worst food insecurity – $6 million for Burkina Faso and $8m each for Chad, Mali, and Niger. These countries are forecast to experience “emergency levels of food insecurity during the lean season between June and August,” the UN agency said. |…

At the start of the United Rugby Championship (URC), the Emirates Lions were touted to be one of the “weaker” teams in the tournament, and the last hope among the South African franchises… On face-value that certainly seems to be true. The Joburgers finished the regular season 12th in the standings, having won eight of their 18 matches, which included a 21-11 victory over the Dragons at the weekend, but also wins against Benetton, Edinburgh, Ospreys, Munster, Cardiff, the Stormers and Zebre. They should have arguably beaten Glasgow away last year but for a dubious try awarded against them, while they let triumph slip away against Connacht a few weeks ago. The stated objective of this season was a top-10 finish, which they missed out on by four log points.…

Christine Quinn claimed Chrishell Stause’s relationship with Jason Oppenheim didn’t work out because her former colleague is a “b****”. The Selling Sunset stars split in December because the real estate agency boss doesn’t want to have children, but the 33-year-old beauty insisted Oppenheim was “madly in love” with the former soap star and blamed her rival for the break-up. Appearing on the Table Manners podcast, Quinn told hosts Jessie and Lennie Ware: “Jason just, he’s very clear that he wants to have like, and I think it’s really implied he just wants to be a bachelor and have fun. “But also he was madly in love with Crishell. He really was.” When asked why she thought they didn’t work out, Quinn, 33, said: “Because she’s a b****”. Quinn blamed Stause’s…

THE murder of another gender-based violence victim has sparked a public outcry to get #JusticeForHlehle and bring her killer to book. Singwa Namhla Mtwa’s killing has again cast a spotlight on the gender-based violence (GBV) pandemic in South Africa. This comes after she was shot and killed inside her car when she arrived at her Sidwadwa-based home in Mthatha on April 21. The 35-year-old suffered gunshot wounds to her upper body and was declared dead at the scene, Eastern Cape SAPS said. Her heartbroken sister Sanga Nozintathu Mtwa took to social media in a plea to get justice This plea sparked a public outcry as #JusticeForHlehle and #JusticeForNamhla trended on social media. The hashtags prompted other alleged victims of GBV to share their personal stories. “My sister was brutally…

From page 1 “On May 20, the State closed its case. We argued that section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act says if upon closure of the State’s case there is no evidence on which a reasonable person can be convicted, the court can dismiss the case,” said Nkoana. “In terms of section 174, we had to prove there is no prima facie case established by the State’s witnesses. “We always believed our clients were innocent. The court found in our favour and dismissed the case. “The court said, ‘no, there’s no case to answer because the State’s case is weak’,” Nkoana added. The defence lawyers advanced the argument that the NPA had failed to prove that the R5.7m was paid into Merit Energy’s bank account out of criminal…

The City of Johannesburg remains steadfast in building the City of Golden Opportunities that we promised to our residents by getting the basics right. In our efforts to find reliable and sustainable energy solutions, the city will host the first Joburg Energy Indaba today and tomorrow at the Sandton Convention Centre. It cannot be business as usual with the economic hub of the country and the rest of Africa when the country is constantly hit by blackouts and faced with sharp electricity tariffs as well as cable theft, among other challenges, that emphasises the need for next week’s Joburg Energy Indaba. Johannesburg is committed to combating and mitigating the impact of climate change. As we seek to find new energy solutions, we need to be mindful of our commitment to…

POLITICAL leader Mmusi Maimane has received praise on social media platforms after visiting the controversial Podcast And Chill with MacG podcast. Their varied attention-grabbing conversation was among the trends on social media, with many people claiming to have taken pleasure in the episode. Maimane took people to his younger days, revealing how he grew up and all his involvements, which formed a pivotal part of who he is right now. He further shared his insights on crucial matters that are pervasive in South Africa, such as corrupt leaders. Engaging with the podcast team, he said: “Dignity is fundamental to what I do, and that is why I have a problem with those who are corrupt, because I think how can you steal from the people and arrive in an (BMW)…

Stellenbosch University has postponed exams for a week following allegations of discrimination, racism and rape on campus. The decision followed an unprecedented and unified request from all student leadership structures, the university said on Saturday. Deputy vice-chancellor of Learning and Teaching, Professor Deresh Ramjugernath said the institution approached the decision by accepting that there had been significant “trauma and discomfort” among students. “I think it’s obviously challenging, particularly when you have already made plans. But the events that took place on campus and the challenges that have been faced by a significant portion of our students are such that they are all regrettably going to be affected by it. “This decision was not taken lightly, but made in consultation and after careful deliberation. “We finally came to the conclusion that…

I WONDER if Tony Yengeni has a Xhosa (or should I say African) name? He should. If Yengeni does have it, why does he prefer to use the English name, Tony? I wonder? That's a story for another day. Yengeni is an ANC national executive committee (NEC) member and was once convicted for corruption. I remember that day when he went to jail. He received a heroes send-off by governing party members. It was a sight to behold, as such only happens in South Africa. That said, last week, the NEC member said things were “worse” since Cyril Ramaphosa took power. Yengeni mentioned “crime” and “corruption”, insisting that these were out of control – meaning that Ramaphosa is the worst democratic president ever. Yengeni has no moral grounds to complain…

THE University of KwaZulu-Natal graduation ceremonies are as much about celebrating academic excellence as they are about celebrating diversity and the triumph of the human spirit. It was on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, and day five of UKZN’s 2022 autumn graduation ceremonies. Hundreds of people had gathered at the university’s sports centre on its Westville campus for what promised to be another graduation ceremony characterised by impassioned celebrations, pomp and pageantry. Excitement was palpable outside the hall, and understandably so. For the past two years, the university could not hold in-person graduation ceremonies due to restrictions imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19. A lot changed in those two years. Most notably, the economy was ravaged by Covid-19, and so too were lives with over 100 000 people losing their…

CAIRO: An Israeli “aggression” launched from the Golan Heights and targeting southern parts of the Syrian capital Damascus killed three people and caused some material damage, the Syrian ministry of defence said. For several years, Israel has mounted attacks on what it has described as Iranian-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran-backed forces, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, have put down a presence since deploying to help President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war which broke out in 2011. Syrian air defences intercepted Israeli missiles near Damascus. “Our air defences stopped a number of hostile missiles in the airs- pace of the southern countryside of Damascus,” Syria’s news agency Sana said. AFP correspondents in the Syrian capital said they heard very loud noises on Friday night. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights…

Canberra: Australia’s Labor Party will form the country’s next government today, as unprecedented support for the Greens and climate-focused independents ended nearly a decade of rule by the conservative coalition. Labor leader Anthony Albanese, pictured, will be sworn in as the 31st prime minister, before heading to Tokyo to attend a regional summit tomorrow with US President Joe. Former prime minister Scott Morrison said he would stand down as leader of the Liberal Party, Sky News reported. |…

LONDON: Britain’s Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy were included in a “Rich List” of the 250 wealthiest British residents published by on Friday. Sunak’s inclusion is largely a result of his wife’s wealth, but comes at a politically difficult time for the man in charge of Britain’s budget as he faces pressure to increase support for households struggling with soaring energy bills and food prices. The couple entered The Sunday Times UK Rich List at number 222 with a reported net worth of £730 million (about R14 billion) the newspaper said. Indian-born Hinduja brothers, Sri and Gopi, topped the list with a net worth of more than £28bn. The list includes British citizens as well as individuals and families who predominantly work or live in the…