Tabla de contenidos para 2024-08-26 en Star

Philip Morris International is moving away from combustible cigarettes and rolling out smoke-free nicotine products in South Africa, Branislav Bibic, vice-president for the company’s sub- Saharan Africa region said in an interview on Friday, adding that e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches should be regulated differently as they were gaining popularity on the local market. Philip Morris International is the producer of the popular Marlboro cigarettes brand, among others. The company is adopting new smoke-free products after launching its own new nicotine pouch product called ZYN last week. “It takes a lot of resources to educate consumers about the products and the benefit and we are doing that globally, and in South Africa we are making robust progress,” Bibic told Business Report in an interview. “These new categories (smoke-free nicotine products) are…

In what WILL be a seminal case that will help craft the future of South Africa’s law, MTN and Turkcell will be appearing in the Supreme Court of Appeal this week to argue a matter over whether a South African court can rule on alleged activities that happened in another country. Turkcell seeks to have MTN found guilty of bribery and corruption, alleging that it didn’t win its 49% of a telecommunications licence in Iran fairly. Before this issue can be heard, a full bench of judges in Bloemfontein needs to decide whether a South African court has jurisdiction over the matter. Turkcell’s bid to have MTN found guilty of bribery and corruption dates to 2013, when the Turkish operator initially approached the US courts in an action it later…

Georgina Crouth notes in her Daily Maverick article: “Thami Moatshe, an entrepreneur with exposure to the private and public sectors, says one of the primary obstacles to manufacturing localisation is the high cost of production and the competitive pressure from cheap imports.” Although Moatshe was talking about the South African clothing industry, variations of this argument are made by every local manufacturer everywhere in the world. South African clothing manufacturers are protected from global competition by a 45% import duty. This works less well than it should, first because there are dodgy importers who circumvent the duties. Second, because innovations in the clothing supply chain allow companies like Shein and Temu to sell at prices our local factories struggle to compete with. Maybe the imported clothing is of poor quality…

South African financial markets are bullish. The All Share Index on the JSE hit 84 600 points in intraday trading on Friday, while the gold price soared to $2 533 (R44 859) an ounce in intraday trading on Tuesday – reaching new record highs. This as the rand/dollar exchange rate recorded its lowest level on Friday, at R17.70 to the dollar, since February 9 last year. Brent crude oil dropped to $77.12 a barrel on Tuesday – the lowest level since December 2022. Markets were strongly supported by the news that the SA inflation rate fell to 4.6% in July, the lowest since July 2021. This rate is near to the mid-point target of 4.5% set by the South African Monetary Policy Committee. The speech on Friday by US…

GOLD FIELDS chief executive Mike Fraser is pinning hopes of a rebound in the company’s production for this year in the second half to December, after the company’s output fell 20% in the interim period to June, driving down earnings and dividends. Stocks in the company fell 7.8% to R261.64 per share on the JSE on Friday, after Gold Fields paid a lower interim dividend of 300 cents compared to 325c per share in the previous contrasting period. The share losses in the company on Friday were in extension of its stock’s 9.58% and 11.64% in the past seven and 30 days respectively amid record high gold prices. Softer gold production marked Gold Fields’ undoing in the half year under review, with output falling by 20% to 918…

Fans of legendary South African actress Connie Chiume, who died earlier this month, can enjoy her final performance in Blood Legacy, a gripping drama series which will premiere on Netflix on September 20. The Gomora and Black Panther actor died at age 72 at Garden City Hospital in Johannesburg. Her family said that her death came after a “medical procedure” and “a period of illness”. The exact cause was not disclosed. In addition to Chiume, the series stars Sello Maake KaNcube, Xolile Tshabalala, Pallance Dladla, Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa and Tarina Patel. Buyile Mdladla, Treasure Nkosi, Mike Ndlangamandla, Dineo Rasedile, Unathi Mkhize, Wiseman Zitha and Dawn Thandeka King, round it off. According to the streaming giant, the show revolves around the case of a Spear Industries CEO, who is found dead…

EMILY in Paris has charmed its way into viewers’ hearts worldwide since it first premiered on Netflix in October 2020. Fans went along for the ride as Emily Cooper, played by the ever- in-vogue Lily Collins, moved from her marketing executive job in Chicago to Paris. Just as the charismatic character fell in love with the sights and sounds of the City of Love, streamers were also drawn to the French capital and all its splendour. From fashion, food and romance to art, history and Paris’s most famous sites, the hit comedy-drama provides the perfect cinematic escape. It also celebrates femininity as it shines a spotlight on the power of female relationships and women in powerful positions. As the show has continued to develop over the years, its emotional substance…

Four bodies were been recovered by firefighters while conducting search-and-rescue operations as they attended to a three-storey building on fire in Jeppestown, Johannesburg, yesterday. The abandoned building caught fire around 1am. City of Joburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) confirmed that three people were treated for injuries/smoke inhalation and were taken to the nearest health-care facility for further medical attention, with one patient in a critical condition. EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said the search and recovery operation continues. “At this stage, the cause of the fire incident is still a subject of investigations,” said Mulaudzi. At about 8am, he confirmed that the fire had been extinguished. Meanwhile, a woman in her mid-thirties died in a fire in a 10- roomed house in Lehae Ext 1 on Saturday. EMS said on…

Oupa Mvelase* (not his real name) works as a security guard at Palm Springs Mall and earns a monthly salary of R4 500. However, he said this money is not enough to make ends meet. The 38-year-old father of one said South Africa’s tough economic climate had only made his struggles worse. Mvelase said he usually lives on nothing after spending on basics. He spends R800 to R1 000 on food, which is not enough to last a month. “I also buy electricity and it does not last for the month. This salary is not enough to do anything,” he said. Mvelase said he and his colleagues were hired during the 2021 unrest, which saw multiple companies and malls forced to close following widespread looting and violence. He was hoping…

The legacy of internationally acclaimed playwright, singer and composer, Dr Mbongeni Ngema, is set to be honoured in a new documentary, This is My Story produced by former SABC presenter, Lindani Mbense. On Thursday, Mbense hosted an intimate screening of the documentary at Egrek Cinema in Parkhurst, where guests witnessed the life of one of the country’s top stage and big screen talents whose greatness is celebrated the world over. The Sarafina! and Woza Albert creator, who died in a car crash in the Eastern Cape in January, will sadly not see the film set to be formally launched in November. However, to his credit, the documentary shows off Ngema, also known as Madlokovu in his vintage story-telling self, in a story that flows like he composed his music and…

SOUTH Africans are increasingly seeking to enhance their AI (artificial intelligence) skills and qualifications, as Google Search trends show a significant increase in searches for AI in 2024, marking a record high in global searches for AI. The findings follow months after 88% of South Africans were reported to have expressed interest in learning more about AI in Google’s global study, “Our Life with AI”. According to the survey, 60% of South Africans were enthusiastic about artificial intelligence, and 76% of them agreed that it would probably improve society as a whole. It is reported that search trends in South Africa related to AI continue: searches for “how to use AI” nearly doubled (+70%), while searches for “what is AI” have increased by 20%. South Africans are looking to build…

The Sharks will get some heavyweights back for the final two rounds of the Currie Cup, while head coach John Plumtree will also take over the reins from JP Pietersen. After a fighting 31-23 win over Western Province in Cape Town this past weekend, the Durban side took one step closer to booking a play-off spot in the domestic competition. They will be in an even stronger position this coming week with a host of United Rugby Championship (URC) stars set to return to the playing side with a view of giving them some game time ahead of the start of the international club competition in under a month. Pietersen confirmed after his side’s win that he will be back in Cape Town with the Sharks’ junior side, while a…

THE FIRST 10 000 mpox vaccines are finally due to arrive next week in Africa, where a dangerous new strain of the virus – which has afflicted people there for decades – has caused global alarm. The slow arrival of the shots – which have already been made available in more than 70 countries outside Africa – showed that lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic about global healthcare inequities have been slow to bring change, half a dozen public health officials and scientists said. Among the hurdles: It took the World Health Organisation (WHO) until this month to officially start the process needed to give poor countries easy access to large quantities of vaccine via international agencies. That could have begun years ago, several of the officials and scientists…

Mahindra South Africa and Auto Investment Holdings Group (AIH) have started work on a brand-new assembly facility to be completed by June next year, the subsidiary of the India-based vehicle manufacturer said. The company, which began vehicle assembly in South Africa at the Dube Tradeport outside eThekwini in 2018 and produced its 20 000th Pik Up model vehicle last week, said the new assembly facility would cover 14 000m² and would double the group’s current investment in South Africa. “The new assembly facility will anchor Mahindra’s next growth phase in South Africa,” said Rajesh Gupta, CEO of Mahindra South Africa, in a statement. Mahindra South Africa first opened its doors in October 2004 when representatives from Mahindra & Mahindra opened an office in Pretoria and hired its first local…

SA CANEGROWERS warns that drier-than-normal conditions may force an early end to the season, though the association says domestic canegrowers are delivering enough sugarcane for the country. It said sugarcane crop yields so far this year were on par with previous years and sufficient to supply local demand. However, the unusually dry weather over the past months in growing areas would potentially shorten the season by up to a month, adding yet another concern to an industry that has had to contend with a range of concurrent challenges, including the rising cost of electricity. Higgins Mdluli, chairperson of SA Canegrowers, on Friday said small-scale growers who relied on irrigation were especially vulnerable to outrage- ously-high electricity tariff increases. “They already operate on thin margins as it is, and as such,…

THE NATIONAL Minimum Wage (NMW) has been a major victory for workers and a source of growth for the economy. When the NMW came into effect in 2019, Cosatu, which had driven it over many years, was condemned by many. Some employers and political parties claimed it would lead to retrenchments and collapse the economy. It hasn’t. Others on the populist fringes, including some trade union leaders, claimed it was a sell-out slave wage, while they were quietly signing agreements for far lesser amounts. Yet it has defied its short-sighted critics. In South Africa, just like in other countries that embraced a NMW, such as Brazil, the US and Scandinavia, among others, it has proven to be a powerful tool to tackle poverty and inequality. It has boosted the wages…

COLD STORAGE and logistics provider Commercial Cold Holdings (CCH) on Friday announced the acquisition of iDube Cold Storage, based in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), for an undisclosed amount as it continues its expansion within the temperature-controlled logistics industry. The acquisition expanded CCH’s national footprint, bringing the total capacity to 153 000 pallet positions across 11 facilities in South Africa and Namibia. CCH chief commercial officer Francois Roux said iDube would significantly enhance their capabilities in the region, increasing their total capacity in KZN to 25 000 pallet positions. “This new addition complements our already established and well-known Keystone Park facility,” Roux said. The transaction was said to represent CCH’s third deal after acquiring CCS Logistics and Sequence Logistics last year, a leading temperature-controlled warehousing, distribution and supply chain solutions provider…

Rapper Mandoza left an indelible mark on South African music before his death in 2016. Known for his iconic tracks like Nkalakatha, Tornado and Sgelekeqe, his influence continues. In August last year, a compelling six-part biopic, Nkalakatha: The Life of Mandoza, brought the musician’s story to life, shedding light on both his triumphs and personal struggles. This series offered viewers a glimpse into the heart of the man behind the music, portraying his rise from Soweto and his catapult to fame. The role of Mandoza was brought to life by Wiseman Mncube, who shared his experience with IOL: “The weight of portraying an icon was heavy on my shoulders. I felt a deep responsibility to honour his memory and pay homage to his legacy. I am honoured to have been…

Minister gives Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has granted lawyers who submitted fraudulent claims to the national Department of Health two weeks to withdraw their submissions. This directive follows a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigation that uncovered 44 potentially fraudulent medico-legal claims totalling R497 million, all filed by a single law firm over a five-year period with the Eastern Cape Department of Health. On Saturday, Motsoaledi revealed that an SIU investigation into alleged fraudulent medico-legal claims has saved the national Department of Health more than R3 billion while also revealing that Nozuko Nonxuba, of the Johannesburg-based Nonxuba Attorneys Inc, had over five years, submitted 44 suspected fraudulent medico-legal claims to the tune of R497m against the Eastern Cape Department of Health. “Failure to withdraw (these) in two weeks will…

A pothole in Kempton Park 14 years ago has come to haunt the Ekurhuleni Municipality after the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, ordered it to pay more than R750 000 to a motorbike rider who suffered serious injuries when he drove through the pothole in the road. Shortly after the accident, Marius Botes said the pothole was covered with water at the time and he had thought that he was driving through a puddle of water. He claimed more than R1.3 million in damages following the accident which occurred in July 2010 in Kempton Park, when he hit the pothole at night. His claim covered general damages, past and future hospital expenses and past and future loss of earnings. Botes has died since then and the claim is now pursued by…

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is under fire for alleged prosecutorial misconduct with prominent businessman Kishene Chetty accusing the NPA’s Investigative Directorate of improperly reinstating charges against him. Chetty claims the decision to revive charges, previously struck off the court roll in March 2021 in term’s of a 342A (3)(c), was driven by personal vendettas and were circumvented by the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) showing apartheid tactics rather than legal merit. According to the businessman, the reinstated charges were simply recycled from an earlier case, suggesting a pattern of procedural abuse. “During early January 2022, three new case dockets were registered by the investigating officer, who is also the complainant Sergeant Sunil Bellochun, advocate Tilas Richard Chabalala as prosecutor and lead investigator from ID, Dylan Perumal, as follows,…

A groundbreaking initiative that is aimed at improving road safety around schools has been launched in Mamelodi. The “Walking Safely to School” Watch project, a joint effort by the AA, ChildSafe South Africa, International Road Safety Charity and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Foundation, seeks to reduce road fatalities and injuries among children. The project, supported by the City of Tshwane and the Gauteng Departments of Education and Community Safety, will implement road infrastructure modifications and promote road safety awareness around 10 schools in Mamelodi. The modifications include improved traffic signs, road markings, speed humps, raised pedestrian crossings, and side walks. According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, children account for 10.2% of road fatalities in South Africa, with 7% of road fatalities occurring in Gauteng. This project aims…

In the fight against gender-based violence (GBV), Dis-Chem has partnered with the Kolisi Foundation, committing R3 million in the support of survivors and raising awareness. The collaboration will see the entities focusing on three projects towards a decline in GBV cases. With women and children vulnerable to most GBV cases, this partnership marked the third initiative of the #BetterTomorrowStartsHere project by Dis-Chem CEO Rui Morais, who pledged R12m shortly after the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup last year. The initiative aims to tackle some of South Africa’s most pressing challenges through 12 sustainable and measurable projects. The R3m will be allocated to three community projects that are tackling GBV and femicide cases. The Groote Schuur Hospital Trust and Mosaic are to receive R1.3m, aimed at improving screening and support…

AFTER setting the Playhouse stage on fire on Saturday with his show Winds of My African People, Lucky Cele, aims to empower aspiring artists to be successful in acting through his non-profit organisation (NPO) Ulozolo Youth Organisation. Cele started his career after matriculating at Isibonelo High School. He registered at Isivananda Technical College, where he did his N1 and N2, and could not finish the diploma, because he was “madly in love” with the creative and cultural industry. Cele toured countries like China, the US, France, and Sweden and London where he learnt most of his choreography skills, and returned home with a vast knowledge and understanding of the creative and cultural industry. He then launched the NPO with his industry colleagues, which was aimed at allowing artists to create…

JWANENG Galaxy are looking to defy the popular saying that lightning does not strike in the same place twice by sending Orlando Prates tumbling out of the CAF Champions League at the second preliminary stage like they did last year. The two teams confirmed their meetings with victories over African Stars of Namibia and Madagascar’s Disciples at the weekend and will now meet over two legs next month to decide who makes it to the money-spinning group stage of the continent’s premier club knockout competition. Shock victors over the Buccaneers via a penalty shoot-out last time around, the club from Botswana said they are ready to repeat the dose. And their coach Morena Ramoreboli, a South African, accepts they have a mammoth task ahead of them. “Eish, Orlando Pirates…

Financial heavyweight Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group, has urged the US Federal Reserve (Fed) to deliver a 50-point rate cut in September in a bid to avert recession. This comes as market speculators are now anticipating a 70% chance of a 25 basis points cut and a 30% chance of a 50 basis points cut by the Fed next month. Recent minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting showed that risks to the inflation forecast were still seen as tilted to the upside, albeit to a smaller degree than at the time of the previous meeting, and that there had been some further progress towards the committee’s 2% inflation objective. Green, who is at the helm of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory and asset…

The GLOBAL Threat Intelligence Report for the first half of 2024 has revealed that the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors, followed by government services, were the industries most targeted by cyberattacks, with small and medium businesses bearing the brunt of attacks. The report was published by Mimecast Limited, a leading global human risk management platform, on Friday. Brian Pinnock, VP sales director Emea at Mimecast, said this report, along with many others, revealed that cyber actors were increasingly targeting SMEs rather than just big businesses. “We are also seeing a rise in cyberattacks on agriculture, forestry, fishing, and government services, as more governments in the region turn to the food economy to foster economic growth, reduce poverty and improve food security,” Pinnock said. According to the report, file share abuse…

Over MILLENNIA, human beings have observed other animal species that congregate around the waste food disembowelled from the intestines of their species. They will stop and cry in sounds that express deep pain. They know that the existence of such contents mean that their species is no more. We are gathered here as part of that animal kingdom to pay our last respects. Re tlile ho lla mosoang. But as we do so, we remind ourselves of the great deeds of this giant, when he acted these out wisely and deliberately in favour of humanity. Professor Muxe Nkondo, who recently passed away, leaves us with a wealth of philosophy, politics, culture, history, science and archaeology, to mention but a few of his interdisciplinary pursuits. But above all – because he…

GRINDROD, the JSE-listed freight logistics company, reduced its interim dividend by a third to 23 cents per share after core headline earnings fell a percent to R562 million in the six months to June 30. Nevertheless, said chief executive Xolani Mbambo, the group did well to sustain the performance of its core businesses given the myriad of challenges they faced, which included poor market conditions, lower commodity prices, high interest rates, supply chain disruptions and geopolitical tensions. Cash generated from operations was up 13% to R425m. The growth in volumes handled at the Port of Maputo’s dry-bulk terminals increased by 3% to 8.4 million tons. Richards Bay volumes rebounded to 1.6 million tons, a 20% growth on the prior period. The continuing negative impact of logistics…

THE LEGAL process against those implicated in what is the biggest corporate scandal to have hit South Africa so far – Steinhoff’s accounting disgrace and subsequent liquidation – has not resulted in any court cases. Steinhoff International was liqui- dated last year after it was found that some executives were involved in corporate fraud amounting to €6.5 billion (R129bn), which was explained as an accounting error. The deception also cost the Public Investment Corporation close to R21bn in investments. Several people have been named in allegations surrounding Steinhoff’s implosion. One of them is former CEO Markus Jooste, who allegedly killed himself before any real action could be taken against him. Jooste had been embroiled in court cases in Germany, where Steinhoff was also listed, and, at the time of his…

Victoria Beckham, who turned 50 in April, has led an eventful life. She first rose to fame in the 1990s and the early 2000s as Posh Spice, one of the members of the Spice Girls. During that time, she also began a high-profile relationship with football icon David Beckham. The couple were married in 1999 and have four children – Brooklyn, 25, Romeo, 21, Cruz, 19, and Harper, 13. Following her music career, Victoria launched the globally recognised fashion brand Victoria Beckham, and in 2019 she established her own beauty and skincare line. Now, she’s giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at her career, family and inner circle with a new Netflix documentary. The streaming giant has revealed the series will delve deep into her fashion brand and chronicle her journey…

Ekurhuleni businessman Bongani Nhlapo is in hiding after a hitman threatened him over the municipality’s waste tender project. Nhlapo said he was threatened after he demanded to be paid by the Waste Partner company, which owed him more than R2 million. “The main contractor Waste Partner sent his goons to threaten me, after we blocked his truck at the waste depot. “He and his ‘hitman’ came out guns blazing, threatening to shoot us. When we demanded that he pay us, he simply told us that he was also not paid by the municipality,” the businessman said. Nhlapo told the publication that he had informed the city’s municipal public accounts committee (MPAC) chairperson Mziyanda Mketsu. Mketsu confirmed to The Star yesterday that he had met both Nhlapo and the Waste Partner…

FIVE suspects believed to be members of the notorious construction mafia gang that have been disrupting construction sites in and around Pietermaritzburg are due in the Camperdown Magistrate’s Court today. The five were arrested on Saturday by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Reaction Task Team established to curb construction mafia-related activities. They face charges of intimidation and disturbance of infrastructure. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the task team responded to reports of a group disturbing activities at a construction site where a bridge is under construction in uMsunduzi. “On arrival, police arrested the five and they were charged with intimidation and disturbance of a construction site. The five suspects, aged between 28 and 44 will appear in court today.” Last week, another government construction site was disrupted when “business forum”…

Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink has vowed to fight against the massive electricity hike by 36% increase proposed by Eskom to Nersa for the 2025 financial year. The proposal was along with an additional 4% from its regulatory clearing account. This week Brink wrote to Nersa to formally object to Eskom’s proposed 40% increase in electricity tariffs. Nersa is yet to make a determination on whether to grant the power utility its wish for increases. Tshwane’s objection comes as the nationwide online petition spearheaded by the DA against Eskom’s proposed tariff increase continued to gain momentum yesterday with more than 45 000 signatures from public members rejecting it by noon. The DA expressed concern that Eskom wants to hike your electricity bill by 40% in the middle of a cost of…

RESPONDING to the Principal and Vice-Chancellor’s call for partnerships and the institution of working relations through memoranda of understanding with Brazilian universities, a Unisa delegation led by the Executive Dean of the university’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology recently set out on a collaboration visit to Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil. On August 13 to 17, a Unisa delegation visited Universidade de São Paulo (USP) to identify and cement common areas of research interest and undergraduate programme offerings between the two institutions. USP is one of the oldest public universities in Brazil, with its origins dating back to 1934. The talent and dedication of its staff and students has been recognised by various world rankings. Currently, USP is responsible for more than 20% of the Brazilian scientific…

The Proteas Women are fine-tuning their skills at a six-day camp in Durban ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, kicking off their final preparations for the showpiece event. South Africa hosted the last T20 World Cup last year, losing by 19 runs against six-time winners and defending champions Australia in the final in Cape Town. Laura Woolvaardt led a resilient Proteas side to their maiden Women’s T20 World Cup final and the hope will be to go one better later this year. Interim coach Dillon du Preez had a full-strength squad available for the camp that started yesterday, with the tournament starting on October 3. Last week, the International Cricket Council (ICC) moved the tournament from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to political instability…

McLaren’s Lando Norris ended Max Verstappen’s unbeaten home record with a commanding Dutch Grand Prix victory and second win of his Formula One career to breathe new life into the championship yesterday. Red Bull’s triple world champion finished 22.896 seconds behind, after seizing the lead at the start but being passed on the 18th of 72 laps, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc taking the chequered flag in third place. It was the first time since the race returned to the calendar in 2021 that Verstappen had not triumphed at Zandvoort and extended his losing streak this season to five races. His lead over Norris was cut to 70 points after 15 of a record 24 rounds, with McLaren also cutting Red Bull’s increasingly vulnerable advantage in the constructors’ championship to 30.…