Starの 2022-08-26 の目次

Comedian Carvin H Goldstone is set to offer side-splitting comedy on his return to the Wild Coast Sun’s Tropical Nites Theatre tonight and tomorrow. The Carvin H Goldstone Comedy Show will also include a few new comedy characters including Uncle Juggie and Sharnrae’s mother who always asks her to boil the rice and check on her younger siblings while mom is at work. The multi-award-winning comic said the upcoming show was inspired by the people he met daily, both locals and internationals. “These characters come to life through me in my comedy and that’s what people will enjoy. I also think the last three years have been so taxing on us and having that laughter will carry us through,” said Goldstone. This year marks his 15th year in comedy. “I…

AMID widespread concern over food price inflation, the Competition Commission has found what it calls “opportunistic pricing” in the sale of sunflower oil and bread. This week the country’s largest federations embarked on a national shutdown against the rising cost of living in South Africa including high fuel, electricity and food prices. As the unions marched on Wednesday, the Competition Commission released the latest Essential Food Pricing Monitoring Report. According to the commission, its work in food price monitoring revealed several concerns in South Africa’s food markets and food value chains. These include wide farm-to-retail spread in prices, large price differences between regions for basic fresh produce, growing margins at the processor and retailer level, as well as the trend of price inflation that started with the Covid-19 pandemic. It…

THE process of ensuring residents have access to safe drinking water is based on rigorous daily tests, says Cebile Myeni, a laboratory analyst at Joburg Water. Myeni graduated from the University of Zululand with a BSc in biochemistry and microbiology. She also holds a BSc Honours degree in microbiology from the same university. She started as an analyst intern for Joburg Water in 2014 and became a permanent lab analyst in September 2016. Myeni says her job can be stressful because the city relies heavily on her and her colleagues to test the quality of drinking water. However, she also sees it as a privilege to be part of such an important process because without quality drinking and usable water, “there would be chaos”. As the city’s primary water and…

Twisted lies Ana Huang Loot.co.za (R180) Piatkus DISCOVER the addictive world of the Twisted series from TikTok sensation Ana Huang. This is the fourth book and the final one in the series. Charming, deadly, and smart enough to hide it, Christian Harper is a monster dressed in the perfectly tailored suits of a gentleman. He has little use for morals and even less use for love, but he can’t deny the strange pull he feels towards the woman living just one floor below him. She’s the object of his darkest desires, the only puzzle he can’t solve. And when the opportunity to get closer to her arises, he breaks his own rules to offer her a deal she can’t refuse Sweet, shy, and introverted despite her social media fame, Stella…

Meredith Alone Claire Alexander Loot.co.za (R309) Michael Joseph MEREDITH Maggs lives in her home, her sanctuary, and she hasn’t left it for 1 214 days. She can’t leave her house because of a terrible act of sexual violence and betrayal. But it’s her carefully curated space of safety. She has people who care about her and are let in, but very few. Meredith is not a hermit. She has an old school friend Sadie who comes around regularly, she’s friendly with the online food delivery person, and through a chat room where nobody knows each other’s real names, she “talks” to people. One of them, Celeste, becomes a friend. She isn’t shut-in, but she has been sexually assaulted. Meredith and her sister Fee have had a terrible childhood, raised by…

ON Wednesday, Cosatu and Saftu marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria. The two federations marched against the cost of living, high fuel price and food prices. They forgot to add the high unemployment rate, which is unprecedentedly high. That the two big federations agreed to march alongside each other shows the seriousness of the issues they have raised. Even the government agreed the issues raised by labour unions are real and genuine. But what is the government doing about that? Nothing. The march didn’t get the much-needed support from the workers. Many people went to work, as if nothing was happening, and business was also open for the day, except in Pretoria. Therefore, the economy was affected as much as expected. This shows that Cosatu has lost its sting.…

The Equality Court yesterday ruled that singing the anti-apartheid song Kill the Boer did not amount to hate speech. Judge Edwin Molahlehi dismissed AfriForum’s application to bar the singing of the controversial song, belying an earlier ruling by the South Gauteng High Court in 2011 which stated that the song was discriminatory and harmful. Kill the Boer had also previously been declared hate speech by the South African Human Rights Commission in 2019. Judge Molahleli yesterday found in favour of Julius Malema and the EFF, who maintained that “liberation songs should not be interpreted literally, but recognised as a critique of a system of oppression”. The ruling said that the song did not incite the murder of white farmers, and said AfriForum had failed to provide sufficient evidence to link…

TAIPEI: US senator who sits on the Senate’s Commerce and Armed Services Committees arrived in Taiwan yesterday, the third such visit this month and defying pressure from Beijing for such trips not to take place. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory against objections of the government in Taipei, launched military drills near the island after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi came in early August. Senator Marsha Blackburn arrived in Taiwan’s capital on board a US military aircraft. She was due to meet President Tsai Ing-wen today. Blackburn had voiced support for Pelosi’s trip. | Reuters…

ACTRESS and TV presenter Pearl Thusi is in Nigeria shooting a short film. In an update on social media, she wrote:“I’ve always wanted to shoot a movie in Nigeria. So glad it’s finally happening… thank you for this @MoAbudu.” Thusi also thanked Nigerian film producer and CEO of EbonyLife Group, Mo Abudu, who was making her directorial debut. Thusi has been cast in the lead role alongside Joseph Benjamin in Her Perfect Life. “Onajite Johnson-Ibrahim, 39, seems to have a perfect life – a flourishing career, a growing business, a loving husband and two bright, beautiful children. Why does she want to end it all?“ reported Premium Times Nigeria about the film. In her tweet, Thusi said: “I’ve always believed in pan African unity, we see it everyday in music…

LOBBY group AfriForum says it will appeal yesterday’s court ruling by Judge Edwin Molahlehi, who dismissed an application against EFF leaders Julius Malema and Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and members of the party for singing the Struggle song Dubul' ibhunu (“shoot the boer”). Judge Molahlehi handed down the judgment at the Equality Court sitting at the Johannesburg South High Court where members of the party gathered. Members sang Struggle songs outside court and when the judgment was made, they sang in jubilation. Judge Molahlehi disqualified AfriForum’s Ernst Roets as an expert witness, saying he found it difficult to admit that Roets could be relied on as a non-partisan expert witness. He accepted Malema as being an expert witness in the matter. Roets confirmed that AfriForum would appeal the court ruling as the…

Old Johannesburg Warehouse Auctioneers will be hosting an online auction, with 1 200 lots to choose from. The first part of the auction, set to start on Monday at 9am, will and comprise a selection of items such as Continental, Africana and modern furniture, silverware, collectables, carpets, antique tools, traditional and contemporary South African art, ceramics, wines, jewellery and books and more. The second part, set to start on Tuesday at 9am, will include designer, retro and antique furniture, art, collectables, decorative arts and more. Jewellery, among them Victorian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and modern pieces, will be available, along with gemstones such as citrines, rubies, sapphires and certified diamonds. For watch collectors, Rolex, Omega, Montblanc and more will go under the hammer. Collectable handbags and sunglasses will also be…

With entertainment in full swing across South Africa, the Maboneng Music Festival has added to the list of local activities that people can look forward to. This popular festival is set to take place on October 1 at The Hanger in Maboneng, giving new artists a platform to showcase their artistry. Popular radio personality DJ Sabby will be strutting the stage as a host with much-loved artists such as Blaq Diamond, Sizwe Alakine, Halo Yagami to legends like Dalom Kids, and music bands like Rapture90s and many others giving stellar performances. The creative force behind this vibrant festivity, Thomas Aquinas, spoke about its essence and why it is important to local artists. “The event focuses on uplifting the youth through the art of music and bringing music lovers together from…

Why Men Hurt Women Kopano Ratele Loot.co.za (R259) Wits University Press A FUSION of conversations, observations and personal reflections on his own experiences, work with men, and scholarship, Why Men Hurt Women and Other Reflections on Love, Violence and Masculinity, is Kopano Ratele’s meditation on love, violence and masculinity. This book seeks to imagine the possibility of a more loving masculinity in a society where structural violence, failures of government and economic inequality underpin much of the violent behaviour that men display. Enr iched with personal reflections on his experiences as a partner, father, psychologist and researcher in the field of men and masculinities, Ratele looks at how love and violence shape the emotional lives of boys and men. Blending academic substance and rigour in a readable narrative style, Ratele…

Recently, a landlord walked into a meeting held by his tenants and berated them for not approaching him to discuss the monthly rental increase of R500. He singled out certain tenants, embarrassing them by disclosing their personal circumstances. He said that he reduced the rentals of tenants who were struggling to meet the increase. He understood the position of pensioners and always demonstrated his good faith by reducing their rentals. This was not in dispute. The increase was exorbitant, and given the nature of his motivation and the leases, he did not have legal grounds for the increase. The building and individuals’ flats were well maintained, and save for some grievances, tenants enjoyed a cordial relationship. The increase was linked to an increase in levy and municipal rates. In terms…

A staggering 134 cases of cable theft and vandalism have taken place in Merafong since April. By monitoring the crime events reported on CPF WhatsApp groups in Carletonville, the DA has been able to build a database of cable theft incidents. Our database does not yet monitor other CPF groups in Merafong so it is quite plausible that many more crimes have taken place. The bigger problem is that in most instances, these criminal events are not reported to the SAPS on their formal channels, and the municipality – as the owner of the infrastructure – does not make formal statements to the SAPS after these crimes. Unfortunately, cable thieves have become so brazen that they target certain locations multiple times. The biggest game-changer, however, is our residents of Merafong.…

In the past month, my email has served up two contrasting examples of the state of scholarly publishing in African countries. The one was an invitation to celebrate the centenary of South Africa’s Wits University Press. The other, an academic report on the demise of Nigerian university presses. Between these two extremes, there are only a few functioning African university presses in 2022 – a recent survey found only 15 active presses out of 52 that claim to still be working. The situation is similar in other universities in the global South, such as in India and Latin America, where most university presses function as printers rather than publishers. All the more reason, then, to celebrate the longevity – and significance – of a publisher like Wits University Press. Active…

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Algeria yesterday for a three-day visit aimed at mending ties with the former French colony, which this year marked its 60th anniversary of independence. The first French president to be born after Algerian independence, Macron is hoping “to lay a foundation to rebuild and develop” a sometimes difficult relationship with the North African nation, his office said. Accompanied by seven ministers, Macron arrived at Houari Boumediene Airport in the capital Algiers, where he was to be received by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The two heads of state were to visit a monument to martyrs of the country’s war for independence, which ended more than 130 years of French colonial rule in 1962. Franco-Algerian relations have seen repeated crises since then. The French leader, on his…

Tehran: Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets in western Iran over a lack of drinking water and the inability of officials to solve the problem, state media said yesterday. In the past few months, thousands of people angry over the drying up of rivers have been driven to protest, particularly in central and south-western Iran. Around 200 people gathered in front of the governor’s office in Hamadan this week “to protest against the interruption of the urban water network”. They were later joined by “several hundred people” in what was a second successive night of protests over water shortages in the western city. | AFP…

Second Test, Day 1 of 5: South Africa 151 England 111/3 DEAN Elgar is by his own admission a ‘bat first’ captain. He wanted to bat at Lord’s last week after winning the toss, and said that despite advice from the coaching staff to bowl, he still had to fight with himself before following their advice. Having won the toss again yesterday, Elgar went with his first instinct, despite the cloudy overhead conditions, and the fact that his team’s strength is its fast bowling, and England’s top order is fragile. The South African captain’s mind was in part also made up by the composition of his team, that included Simon Harmer, in place of Marco Jansen, with the brainstrust determining that the Old Trafford surface was dry and would aid…

AFTER a glittering 27-year professional career in which she became one of the greatest players of all time, Serena Williams is preparing to bid farewell to tennis at the Grand Slam where it all began. The 40-year-old icon ended the guessing game on her future earlier this month by revealing that the “countdown” to her retirement had started, with her final Grand Slam appearance coming at next week’s US Open in New York. “There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction,” Williams wrote. “That time is always hard when you love something so much. But now, the countdown has begun. I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but just (as) exciting Serena.…

SOUTH Africa’s producer prices in July tracked consumer prices and rose to a fresh peak, mainly driven by petroleum and chemical products, food and beverages as well as metals and machinery. This means that consumers will continue paying higher prices for goods and producers pass on the input costs to the end-users amid elevated headline inflation, which reached 7.8 percent in July. Data from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) yesterday showed that the annual producer price inflation (PPI) at the factory gate reached a fresh record high of 18 percent in July, up from another record of 16.2 percent in June. This latest PPI print crept closer to the all-time high reached during the 2008 global financial crisis and was above market forecasts of 17.3 to 17.6…

Amapiano star DJ Maphorisa isn’t happy with Universal Music after he took to Twitter to accuse the record label of removing his and Kabza De Small’s Scorpion King Mix from YouTube. The veteran producer and DJ, who’s signed to Sony Music Entertainment Africa, also criticised record labels for not knowing how to make money and for compromising the amapiano movement. “So Universal Music removed our Scorpion King Mix on YouTube cause they wanna drop Thokoza by Sam Deep first – the funny thing is we making the song BIG ayiiiii ke di Bari shame they really dnt know how to make money. Majors labels sometimes f*** up the amapiano movement.” Lately, as hits have become less frequent in amapiano, there’s been widespread discussion around the impact record labels have had…

“WE WILL deal with you the way we do witches.” This was one of the threats levelled against 59-year-old Margaret Makama-Hlungwani after her fallout with a neighbour’s son in 2010. This year, following a period of improved community relations, the single mother of four said the insults and death threats had resurfaced after a neighbour’s daughter died in March. Since then, threats and finger- pointing had become a daily occurrence, so much so that she was forced to flee her Bramfischerville home as her neighbours and community members insulted her unrelentingly and accused her of being a witch. Makama-Hlungwani said things were okay between her and her neighbour until, in 2010, she told her neighbour’s son not to invite her daughters over to his room. Relations between her and that…

THE Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) said it does not expect any negative impact from the 95th Comrades Marathon race being broadcast on DSTV SuperSport channel instead of the SABC channels, as in previous years. CMA race director Rowyn James said the race, taking place this Sunday, was expected to attract the same audience and support as in previous years, even with a new broadcaster. The organisers said even though the race took a break due to the Covid-19 outbreak, not much has changed and the standards were still of global level. James assured runners that the distance had been thoroughly calculated and there would be markings on the road counting down the 89.885km from Pietermaritzburg City Hall to Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium. “The route is also remeasured every five years…

​ THE City of Johannesburg is using digital geoinformatics for a range of functions, including resource and infrastructure inventory, street name provision, and street address management, as well as land-use management, zoning and town planning. Other geoinformatics applications used include digital mapping systems for public data provision, health-care planning and monitoring public health risks, city service proximity analysis, and transportation planning and service routing. The city also deploys it for law enforcement on developments, emergency management services, disaster response, housing, human settlement strategies and overall land administration. Roxanne-Pyal Parthab, a geographic information systems (GIS) specialist at the Directorate for Corporate Geo-Informatics (CGIS), describes the city’s deployment of geoinformatics. “It’s the science of ‘where,’ answering questions like what is where, why, when, and how,” Parthab explains. She says geoinformatics is the…

Since its so-called policy conference, where only castration was worth a headline, the ANC has resorted to officially endorsing the natural hatred and fear that many black South Africans have against other black Africans. Soon after this get-together, some of the new political wannabes from Gauteng marched against themselves, and the government of themselves. Then its spokesperson blamed foreigners for all the wrongs in this country. This hatred has its roots and origins in tribalism and ethnic violence among black South Africans, and is now manifesting against black foreigners, because of fake unity among blacks, and depleted resources. It must be assumed that the ANC conducts such acts of scapegoating as a way of saving its own hide, and for political survival. Let us also assume that the South African…

He lived in a homeless shelter at night, but by day he was a student, studying hard and now he is on his way to Queen’s University in Canada to pursue his PhD in agricultural studies. Omamuyovwi “Dante” Gbejewoh, 29, originally from Nigeria, had been living at the Elim night shelter in Elsies River for the past three years. He arrived in Cape Town in January 2018 to further his education after completing an Honours degree in Nigeria. At Stellenbosch University, he was informed that as an international student he would not be able to pay for tuition in instalments as he had hoped. Unable to pay for both tuition and accommodation, Gbejewoh moved to a shelter and, while working as a security guard, was able to save R40 000…

The apartment upstairs Lesley Kara Loot.co.za (R229) Bantam Press THE gripping thriller looks at how secure we feel in our homes, and what happens when that security is threatened. That murder you heard about on the news? It isn’t always someone else’s story. Scarlett’s aunt lived – and was murdered – in the flat upstairs. But Scarlett is determined that life should return to some kind of normal, even if that means living with just a ceiling between her and the scene of such a devastating crime. After all, this is her home. She’s safe here. Isn’t she? Dee is balancing her job as a funeral director with organising an event to mark the disappearance of her best friend, 10 years ago. She’s got enough on her plate without having…

When the brave women of this country marched to the Union Buildings in 1956, they chorused: “Wathint’ abazafi wathint’ imbokodo.” (You strike a woman, you strike a rock.) The march to the Union Buildings by Cosatu and Saftu on Wednesday was a clear message to the ANC government that: “Wathint omnotho wathint isivunguvungu.” (You strike the economy, you strike a hurricane.) The weak economic climate in South Africa has brought about great distress in many households. Put another way, the journey from the Covid-19 national lockdown to the Cosatu and Saftu march to the Union Buildings resembles the mosaic journey in the wilderness with many twists and turns. To add salt to the wound, the war between Russia and Ukraine has weakened our economic muscle further and made the cost…

It has become almost a weekly occurrence that some form of racism is reported as having taken place at some or other school. It usually involves white teachers, white pupils and sometimes even coloured pupils and/or their parents. Black pupils cannot be racist. This then results in the usual brouhaha surrounding the event, and carries on for weeks. This has been going on for years with no solution in sight. Very little has been done to end racial discrimination and prejudice. Where are our education experts, sex therapists et al? The value system to combat racism, and introduced by the education department, has been a failure. Racial integration has not achieved the desired results. The suggested 50/50 quota system is insane. Most prejudice stems from the homes of both black…

THE Competition Commission yesterday conducted search and seizure operations at the premises of eight insurance companies operating in the Western Cape, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal. The commission says it has reasonable grounds to suspect that BrightRock Life Limited; Discovery Limited; FMI, a division of Bidvest Life Limited; Hollard Insurance Group (Pty) Ltd; Momentum, a division of MMI Limited; Old Mutual Insure Limited; Professional Provident Society Limited; and the South African National Life Assurance Company (Pty) Ltd (Sanlam) are involved in “collusive practices to fix prices and/or trading conditions”. This was in respect of fees for investment products such as retirement annuities and premiums for risk-related products, namely, life insurance cover such as dread disease cover/chronic medical condition cover, disability cover, life cover and funeral assistance benefits allegedly in contravention of section…

In mid-July 2022 the EU imposed new restrictions on South African citrus imports. The new phytosanitary requirements were meant to address the false codling moth, a citrus pest native to South Africa and for which there is zero tolerance in the EU. The new regulations are a major blow to South Africa’s citrus industry as they will severely disrupt exports. The country is the world’s second-largest exporter of citrus after Spain. The EU accounted for 41% of southern African citrus exports by value in 2021. Locally, in 2021 citrus accounted for 25% of South Africa’s total agriculture exports up from 19% in 2011. In our view, which is based on decades of engaging with EU regulations, and food exports more generally, the regulations are unfair and punitive. Firstly, the EU…

KARACHI: Historic monsoon rains and flooding in Pakistan have affected more than 30 million people over the past few weeks, the country’s climate change minister said yesterday, calling the situation a “climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions”. Pakistan has urged the international community to help with relief efforts as it struggles to cope with the aftermath of torrential rains that have triggered massive floods since last month, killing more than 900 people. Since mid-June, when the monsoon began, more than 3 000km of road, 130 bridges and 495 000 homes have been damaged. | Reuters…

WHAT an occasion this Rugby Championship Test is going to be! Australia are the hosts, but nobody will want to emerge as winners more than the Springboks. The Boks have the opportunity to return to winning ways in proper style by securing their first win in Australia in almost a decade. While the visitors will be desperate for victory, the Wallabies will be just as keen to keep that record intact, and for them, a positive result against the world champions after that humiliating loss to Argentina will be the perfect bounce back. There are areas all round that both teams will want to improve on after their disappointing results a fortnight ago. The aerial game has been a talking point leading up to the fixture, and for good reason.…

DANNY Jordaan is far from a revered figure in South African football, but his role in ensuring that women players receive educational qualifications deserves recognition. The Safa boss was all smiles at the Fifa Football for Schools programme launch this week, boasting about how learned Banyana Banyana players are. The veteran administrator detailed that Safa played a key role in ensuring that 90% of the Banyana regulars are graduates, while some are students. Of course, that shouldn’t divert the attention from the inferior support that has been given by Safa and corporations to the reigning Queens of Africa. But education remains a tool that will continue to empower and support them beyond their playing days as it is for those who came before them. Lydia Monyepao and Amanda Dlamini are…

THE World Rugby Sevens Series reaches a climax in Los Angeles this weekend and there are permutations galore as to who will be crowned overall champions, although the Blitzboks have left their calculators in South Africa and will simply play their best possible rugby. And if the red-hot Blitzboks finish the last tournament in the same great form as they did the first one in Dubai way back in December, they will be victorious. But captain Siviwe Soyizwapi knows that if this is to happen, they have to play to those same high standards. “We have to keep our own standards and not worry about our opponents,” Soyizwapi said. “We had an up and down season, but we learned from all those mishaps and came back stronger. “There is one…