Indice dei contenuti per 2022-11-14 in Star

A NEW REPORT has revealed that South Africa’s public infrastructure is at risk of failure due to a plethora of reasons, including crime, non-payment for services, inadequate management and poor maintenance. The Infrastructure Report Card (IRC) released on Friday rated the overall condition of South Africa’s infrastructure as a D, the lowest rating since the first IRC launched in 2006. The 60-page report by the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (Saice) reflects an expert view of the institution’s reporting on the current condition of a broad range of public infrastructure and its impact on public and economic wellbeing. The IRC scorecard, which assessed performance of 32 subsectors of infrastructure, was based on a simple five-point scale ranging from A which means world class to E which means…

THE MINING sector faces its own crises worse than load shedding as Transnet’s Northern Corridor in KwaZulu-Natal remained clogged up near Ulundi after a 5 000 ton coal train derailed last week with the entity casting suspicion at the Ulundi Business Forum, which had a dramatic fallout with Transnet over contract demands. Transnet said over the weekend the derailment came after the Ulundi Business Forum was invited to provide a list of all equipment and plant machinery that they are able to deploy to site as well as costings. Transnet had contracted the Ulundi Business Forum for equipment to assist in the derailment recovery and the Forum insisted on direct contracts with Transnet over and above what they have with Industry. “Transnet rejected this demand and the Forum…

In spite of Tania Campbell’s return as Ekurhuleni mayor, her government could face a number of challenges, with ActionSA expected to pull out of the coalition. The city is facing service delivery challenges because of governance instability in the municipality. The DA was expecting to start propelling service delivery after the multi-party coalition’s return to power. The coalition’s return to power was facilitated by a fallout between the ANC and the EFF after the ANC reneged on an agreement to vote a Red Berets candidate into the mayoral position in exchange for EFF support in the City of Joburg. The Star spoke to ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, who said the party would be holding a media briefing today to indicate some decisions it had taken as well as concerns about…

The Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training (Umalusi) is concerned about recent protest actions in parts of the country which have resulted in some matric learners missing an exam or writing it later than scheduled. Umalusi said the continuing protests and disruptions affected the smooth running of the matric exams. In KwaZulu-Natal, Education MEC Mbali Frazer was forced to intervene at JE Ndlovu High School in KwaMashu, where a fortnight ago protesting parents were allegedly trying to disrupt matric exams by preventing staff and learners from entering the school. In North West, arrangements had to be made for about 460 candidates to be compensated for lost time, while about 50 learners in Gauteng could not write the exam due to protests.…

The countdown to the festive season has started. And with many South Africans looking forward to some holiday downtime after a stressful year at work, the temptation to throw caution to the wind, overspend, and live for the moment is heightened. Shafeeka Anthony, marketing manager of consumer finance website JustMoney.co.za, says it’s easy to get carried away in the lead-up to the holidays and forget the financial responsibilities awaiting you in 2023. JustMoney offers the following tips for happy holidays. Budget before you spend: If you haven’t already drawn up a household budget, this is the time to start. Go over your bank statements and track your income and expenditure. Identify regular, high-priority bills such as your home loan, and estimate your monthly expenses. Compare prices: Having determined your…

Missing Children SA says the country is losing the fight against the rising number of child kidnappings. The civil society organisation believes that the issue is now a pandemic, as the country records a drastic increase in these kinds of crimes and SAPS needs to be hands-on in fighting the rise in numbers. This statement was as result of recent comments by Police Minister Bheki Cele in which he said the police spent almost six months chasing a suspect and with a stroke of a pen, the magistrates gave the suspects bail. They went on the run and the police were expected to find them again. Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Missing Child SA’s national co-ordinator, Bianca van Aswegen, said the system of law in the country in some instances…

Pope Francis went to Bahrain to promote dialogue with the Arab world and address human rights abuses in the oil-rich island nation with a Muslim majority. On his final day in Bahrain, he called on the Arab countries to join the civilised world and put an end to human right violations. He also urged the 80 000-strong Roman Catholic congregants to pray for Ukraine and an end to the terrible war. We cannot agree more with the head of the Catholic Church. The Middle East is notorious for its human rights violations. Capital punishment is still widespread in the Arab world. “An eye for an eye” and “a tooth for a tooth” form part of their penal code. Public hangings, stoning, cutting off hands and fingers of petty thieves are…

THE latest and last instalment of the Carling Black Label Cup probably had more significance than the previous editions, benefiting South African football. Over the years, great rivals Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs were the only teams that participated in the then pre-season competition after its inception in 2011. But things changed this year. Four teams with the most votes from the 16 Premiership sides took part in Saturday’s tournament as it kept its ethos of being the fans’ Cup. As expected, the most endeared clubs in SA – Chiefs, Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and AmaZulu – won the most votes. Debutants AmaZulu and Sundowns clashed in the first semi-final, where the latter hardly broke a sweat as they cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win at FNB Stadium. The second semi-final…

BEN Stokes and Sam Curran starred as England edged Pakistan by five wickets to win the T20 World Cup yesterday and become the first dual white-ball champions, holding both the 50 and 20-over titles. Jos Buttler’s side held Pakistan to 137/8 in front of a partisan 80 462 fans at a heaving Melbourne Cricket Ground, with Player of the Match and tournament Curran bagging 3/12 and Adil Rashid 2/22. In reply, England slumped to 49/3 in the sixth over as they struggled to get any momentum against a fiery pace attack. But Stokes (52 not out) and Moeen Ali (19) used their experience to guide England to 138/5 with six balls to spare. “In finals, especially when chasing, you probably forget all the hard work before that. To restrict them…

SOUTH Africa’s Just Energy Transition Programme (JETP) has been given further boost with a R7.2 billion investment by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to generate an additional 1 200MW of solar and wind energy. This comes after French and German public development banks, AFD and KfW, extended R10.7bn in concessional financing to South Africa to support the country’s efforts to reduce its reliance on coal through a just transition to cleaner energy sources. On Friday the EIB and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) formally agreed EIB financing that will back a new targeted financing programme to unlock €400 million, or R7.2bn, for private sector renewable energy investment across South Africa. The agreement was signed at the UN Climate Change Conference, or COP27, in Sharm El…

FASHION retailer The Foschini Group (TFG) said, despite load shedding in South Africa, which led to a R400 million loss in turnover, it delivered solid interim results. Its shares shed 7.07% to close at R109.62 on the JSE on Friday. In its results for the half-year ended September 30, 2022, released on Friday, TFG chief executive Anthony Thunstrom said: “This in our world translates to approximately R200m in terms of lost profits. Now we’ve dealt with load shedding for some time in South Africa, and our customers have largely adapted to the inconvenience that this causes. “Over the last few weeks of September saw load shedding escalate to levels four, five, and six, which has a far greater impact than load shedding of lower levels. For many of our…

THE third and final season of Showmax’s popular telenovela The Wife is here and people have been binge-watching the first few episodes. The new season picks up with the Zulu brothers’ crimes now making front-page news – and Naledi kidnapped. As Qhawe tells the Zulu brothers in the first teaser, no one is sleeping until she’s found. The biggest change for the season is Wiseman Mncube as the new abusive, ice cream-loving Mqhele Zulu and the husband to Hlomu (Mbalenhle Mavimbela). Mncube takes over from the popular Bonko Khoza, who won best actor at the SA Film and Television Awards this year and was named the “National Husband” by Twitter for the role. Mncube previously stated that being cast as Mqhele came as a shock to him. “I was…

Ingredients 200g dark chocolate, chopped 280g butter, cut into small pieces 6 large eggs 2 cups castor sugar 2/3 cup cake flour ½ cup cocoa powder, sifted 3 x 50g Peppermint Crisp chocolate bars A pinch of salt Method Place a skillet over a bed of low burning coals. The coals shouldn’t be hot. Melt the chocolate and butter together in the skillet. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar to combine till light and fluffy. Mix the flour, cocoa powder and salt together. Whisk the egg/sugar mix into the melted chocolate butter mix until just combined. Add the flour and cocoa mix and stir to combine. Lightly crush the peppermint crisp bars and place on top of the brownie mix. Don’t mix in, the mixture will let it…

3 Tbsp sunflower or canola oil 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely grated 1 Tbsp masala curry powder 1 tsp ground cumin/cumin seeds 1 tsp ground coriander 1 star anise 1 stick cinnamon 1 sprig curry leaves 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated 1 can chopped tomatoes 1 tsp sugar 1 large potato, peeled and cubed into 1cm cubes ½ a cup water Salt and milled pepper 1 can hot chilli or tomato flavoured sardines 8 mini rolls of choice Fresh coriander and tomato salsa, for serving Heat oil over a low to medium heat and cook the onions and garlic until softened. Stir in ground and whole spices and curry leaves. Add ginger, canned tomatoes, sugar, potatoes and water. Season. Cover with a lid and cook…

Fighting corruption and organisational renewal rank among the most abused phrases in the ANC post its last conference at Nasrec. The phrases are abused to explain away and gloss over organisational cracks. State apparatuses have been deployed against comrades under the pretext of fighting corruption. And comrades are routinely suspended and expelled under the pretext of organisational renewal. The inconsistent application of the infamous step-aside rule has come under condemnation from within the party ranks. Presidential hopefuls such as ministers Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Lindiwe Sisulu have publicly raised similar concerns. There are various ways in which calls for organisational renewals can be understood. The first, which is unproblematic, is what every organisation worth its salt undergoes. The second is when such calls are invoked to hoodwink all and sundry…

CRISTIANO Ronaldo retains the support of his Portugal teammates despite his recent problems, midfielder Bernardo Silva said as the side prepare for their eighth World Cup tournament in Qatar. “The reality is when you’ve got a player like Cristiano, it’s natural that sometimes you play for him because he can win you the game in the final minutes,” Silva told the Fifa website. Ronaldo is the leading scorer in the history of men’s international football, with 117 goals in 191 games, but his goal-scoring form has dipped lately. He has scored in only one of Portugal’s 10 games over the last year, netting a brace against Switzerland in the Uefa Nations League in June, and only three times this season for his club Manchester United where he has struggled to…

MAMELODI Sundowns romped to yet another trophy on Saturday as they claimed their first Carling Black Label Cup, but their celebrations were dampened as controversy dominated the post-match press conference. Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena was an unhappy figure as he was questioned about one of the biggest turning points in the final against Orlando Pirates. Pirates defender Tapelo Xoki received his marching orders in the 20th minute of the match following a “horrendous career-ending” tackle on Sundowns’ Hashim Domingo, making it a walk in the park as the Brazilians scored four unanswered goals. Following Xoki’s dismissal, former Sundowns forward Kermit Erasmus, who moved to Pirates on deadline day, was seen pointing and shouting at Mokwena on the bench, suggesting that the incident was heated. Afterwards, Mokwena reluctantly opted to address…

TECHNOLOGY group EOH is righting its troubled house after it announced on Friday that not only had it reached a R178 million settlement deal with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), but would proceed with a R600m rights offer. The JSE-listed IT firm has to pay more than 178m, plus interest, for irregular dealings with the department between 2012 and 2017. EOH will pay an initial upfront payment of R65m, which relates to duplicated software licenses, and the remainder of an amount of R112m to be paid over a period of 36 months commencing in January 2023. The new EOH board and management said it had, over the past four years since appointed, taken investigation allegations of corruption and irregularities concerning it…

POSITIVE sentiment of robust recovery in global luxury goods sales, such as jewellery, buoyed Richemont to a 12.8% share surge on the JSE. This was after the company reported strong September interim sales volumes and chairperson Johann Rupert said the company was well geared to overcome global economic uncertainties. The company on Friday lifted sales and operating profit from continuing operations to €9.7 billion (R173bn) and €2.7bn, respectively. Shares in the company on the JSE responded positively to this, surging by 12.8% to close Friday’s trade session at R214.30. Market analyst Paul Hawkins said Richemont’s stronger sales provided “further evidence that luxury is a good place to hang out, even in a recession” market. Rupert said although the global economy was poised for volatility, the company had brighter prospects.…

THE Cape Town leg of one of the biggest cultural gatherings is just a month away and organisers have announced the full line-up. Cotton Fest is set to kick off the festive season and will feature more than 50 of South Africa’s hottest known and emerging hip hop and amapiano headliners and artists from Cape Town and Johannesburg. Fresh off the release of his album, producer extraordinaire Anatii is back and will headline the Cape Town leg of the festival. Capetonians are amped for the festival, which is set to take place on December 10 at Paarden Eiland Park, with 60% of tickets already sold out. In the Open Mic Night competition, one emerging Cape Town artist stands a chance to perform at the festival next month. Entries are…

As the fate of the country is fixated on the 55th ANC National Conference, set for December 16-20 at Nasrec in Johannesburg, South Africans are eager to know the kind of results it will yield. Presidential hopeful and ANC NEC member Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has boldly and unambiguously stated that South Africa needs a change that will see a woman leading the country. Dlamini Zuma and Lindiwe Sisulu have been praised for their efforts to run for president and vice-president under a single banner at the upcoming ANC conference. In conversation with The Star, the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs said she was preparing to be at the helm as the first woman president. This as all hopefuls vying for the party’s top job are ready for…

THE 6th Annual Innovator Trust Women In Tech (WIT) appreciation experience is set to take place on Wednesday, to honour female tech entrepreneurs from across the country for their outstanding achievements in leading their businesses. This affair will have women leaders from industry, technology, media and the small-business sector gather at the event hosted in the City of Gold. Seasoned broadcasters Iman Rappetti and Pabi Moloi will be driving conversations as programme directors. While women make up more than half of South Africa’s population, the country’s workforce only reflected 43.4% of women according to data from the second quarter of last year. The case appears similar in the South African tech space, which although is a growing sector, still sees less than 25% of tech jobs held by women, and…

The ACDP and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) have expressed concerns over proposed changes to the South African school system which seek to scrap separate toilets for boys and girls. The news website The South African reported some of the guidelines set out by the Department of Basic Education. They include: Schools will soon be required to provide “genderless/unisex toilets and changing rooms”. Individual stalls, redesigned bathroom signs, and more cubicles are touted as a solution. Teachers are to be told they must avoid gender-segregating pupils by splitting classes, lines or groups into “boys and girls”. Gender-neutral uniforms must also be made available to all pupils who require them. “Deadnaming” will also be outlawed. This means a student identifying as a different gender cannot be called by their previous name.…

Those with children of school- going age will know that November is filled with exam stress and deadline pressures. Creating a quiet, distraction-free space in the home can not only help them through this stressful season, but it could also add value to the home. “Homes with a study space are in high demand following the pandemic. Whether the space is used for those who work remotely or for their children as a dedicated homework station and study space, having a secluded room in the home can be a good value addition to any home,” says regional director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, Adrian Goslett. RE/MAX shares the following tips to help homeowners prepare their homes for exam season: Dedicate a room to studying According to research, a…

THE dust had not yet settled on the Springboks’ 30-26 defeat to France when Rassie Erasmus once again took to social media to voice his displeasure at refereeing decisions – but you have to wonder if SA Rugby’s director of rugby has gone too far and that after winning a major battle in the series against the British & Irish Lions last year, he is now losing a war with World Rugby. You can’t blame referees for being twitchy around the Springboks because they are fearing a video assassination and I thought Wayne Barnes had done a good job in Marseille until the last 10 minutes or so. Deon Fourie should never have been sin-binned as the Boks pushed for victory. It was a first offence in the Boks’ 22,…

The World Cup starts in Qatar on Sunday with a match between the hosts and Ecuador (6pm SA time kick-off). Independent Media continues its breakdown of the various groups. Group H may be the last group but certainly not the least, with pundits dubbing it the ‘Group of Death’. Here, Mihlali Baleka takes us through how the group is likely to pan out. GHANA Ghana have been Africa’s World Cup flag bearers in recent years, with Africa as a whole fully behind ‘BaGhana BaGhana’ in 2010. But after a disappointing performance in 2014 and missing out on the 2018 edition, it is time the Black Stars find their groove on the big stage again. They have an opportunity to avenge their painful 2010 quarter-final defeat, courtesy of Luis Suarez’s antics…