Inhoudsopgave van 2025-09-15 - Cape Times

A recent report from the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre has spotlighted growing concerns regarding the impact of dominant global commodity traders on food prices, particularly in the grain sector. Released on Friday, this report sheds light on how a handful of companies control an overwhelming share of the global bulk grain trade, exacerbating issues of food affordability and availability worldwide. In an interview with Business Report, Alexey Ivanov, director of the Centre and a Professor of Law at HSE University, discussed the alarming concentration of power in the hands of traders commonly referred to as the ABCD group—Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge, Cargill, and Louis Dreyfus—as well as significant emerging players such as COFCO, Wilmar, and Olam, collectively termed ABCD+. Ivanov said this coalition now wields control over an…

The Accountant General has raised alarms over the increasing audit fees imposed on government entities and municipalities by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA). During discussions before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on the Auditor-General (PCOAG) on Friday, Accountant General Shabeer Khan revealed a staggering 13% increase for the upcoming 2024/2025 financial year, alongside a 7.2% rise observed in the current year. This escalation in costs raises serious concerns about its implications on critical service delivery across municipalities, particularly for smaller entities grappling with their constrained budgets. Khan articulated his frustrations over the AGSA's apparent disregard for mandatory consultations with government and parliamentary bodies regarding these audit fees. "Between 2023/2024 there has been an increase of around 13% and then between 2024/25 and the current financial year, there has been a 7.2%…

Botswana and southern African peers that built much of their prosperity on diamonds are scrambling for alternatives as cheaper, lab-grown stones threaten their economies. Diamond-dependent Botswana is leading the way and launched a sovereign wealth fund this week to lay the "foundation for a more resilient, sustainable and diversified future beyond diamonds". It is exploring other avenues too, like boosting luxury wildlife tourism, launching into the medicinal cannabis market and exploiting its abundant sunshine for solar power. President Duma Boko has even mooted taking a majority stake in industry giant De Beers and selling Botswana's diamonds independently. "Countries such as Angola, Namibia and South Africa are all exposed but not to the same degree as Botswana," economist Brendon Verster at the Oxford Economics Africa think tank told AFP. The stones…

On Saturday the 13th of September the inaugural lecture of a befitting to be Stan Sangweni Annual Memorial Lecture was hosted at Unisa under the joint authority of the Public Service Commission and the National School of Government. The lecture was addressed by a befitting President who in the words of Dr Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi said was the architect of the Public Service design with Dr Sangweni as the executor of the design. President Thabo Mbeki addressed the inaugural lecture. What made the lecture more contextual was the developments in the Northern Cape ANC NEC, Here the ANC leadership pledged that it will not protect wrong doers any longer. The declaration on this stance ironically corresponded with advice contained in “The Future We Chose Scenario.” One of the outcomes of this…

Accelerate Property Fund, with retail specialists Flanagan & Gerhard and the Moolman Group, are working on initiatives to elevate the shopping experience at flagship shopping centre, Fourways Mall. Fourways Mall is a super-regional shopping destination in the high traffic Fourways node, in Gauteng. It carries a value of R4.03 billion in Accelerate’s balance sheet, and it makes up by far the biggest component of its R5.59bn retail property portfolio, which comprises 8 other shopping centres. The retail component makes up 66.7% of the group’s revenue. Accelerate said in its annual report Friday the Fourways Mall continued to demonstrate strong performance in the year to March 31, with a year-on-year trading density increase of 6.1%. The enhancements underway include optimising tenant spaces, refining the tenant mix, and implementing sustainability initiatives, such…

All eyes will be on KwaZulu-Natal SAPS Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who is expected to be the first witness to testify as the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry prepares to hold its first public hearing on Wednesday. The hearing will be held at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria. The commission, led by retired Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, will investigate alleged corruption within the country's criminal justice system. KwaZulu-Natal SAPS Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is expected to be the first witness, testifying for three to four days. Mkhwanazi made explosive allegations on July 6 about political interference in the criminal justice system, implicating Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and Deputy SAPS Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya in allegedly conspiring to disband the political killings task team. Mchunu and Sibiya have denied the…

The pleasure of tucking into two chocolate bars purchased with money from her company's petty cash came at a high price for a sales manager, she lost her job because of the indiscretion. The two chocolate bars were the subject of legal scrutiny - first during arbitration proceedings during which a commissioner accepted her excuse that she was hungry and thus bought the sweet treats. It also formed part of the Labour Court in Johannesburg’s consideration. JDG Ltd, trading as Hi Fi Corporation, turned to the labour court to review the arbitration ruling which ordered it to reinstate the employee, only identified as MM. The arbitrator earlier found her dismissal to be substantively unfair. She was employed as the sales manager of the applicant’s branch in Jabulani Mall. Her dismissal…

Kaizer Chiefs and Sekhukhune United will meet in a blockbuster, top-of-the-table Betway Premiership clash at FNB Stadium on Tuesday night. The two teams are neck and neck on the standings, level on 13 points, with Sekhukhune on top on goal difference after the first five rounds. Both teams have won four games and drawn one so far. Having scored the most goals — eight compared to Chiefs’ five — Babina Noko will arrive at the Calabash as favorites. They’ll also be motivated by the fact that they’ve already beaten another Soweto giant, Orlando Pirates, at home this season. Coach Eric Tinkler emphasised that his troops will continue to improve as long as they minimise mistakes, work as a unit, and heed his advice. Keletso Makgalwa has adhered to the latter,…

Veteran sprinter Akani Simbine’s quest for a first major singles outdoor medal continues after a disappointing seventh-place finish in the men’s 100m final on Day 2 of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. National champion Gift Leotlela crossed the line in fifth. Leotlela, who set a personal best of 9.87 seconds in the first-round heats the day before, recorded 9.95 seconds in Sunday’s blue-riband event, while Simbine clocked 10.04. Jamaican Oblique Saville won gold in a personal best of 9.77, with countryman Kishane Thompson taking silver in 9.82. Olympic champion Noah Lyles claimed bronze. Simbine (9.96) and Leotlela (9.97) had finished third in their semifinals earlier in the day but still progressed to the final. SA champion Zakithi Nene won his first-round 400m race in 44.34, while Lythe Pillay took…

South African companies who were part of the 30-member business delegation showcasing their products and services at the Intra-Africa Trade Fair (IATF) held in Algeria have said that they are looking forward to doing business in Algeria and the rest of the continent. This comes after generating many promising trade leads during the fair last week. Dr Khulile Mtsetfwa, CEO of Swatek Defence and Aerospace, stated on Friday that the company signed three memoranda of understanding focusing on distribution lines in Algeria. The company specialises in the design and manufacture of quality wiring harness, military dashboards, battery boxes, dashboard test bench and providing innovative electrical solutions to defence, aerospace, aviation, rail and automotive sectors. “The plan is to make sure that we build relations and maintain the line of communication…

The latest cargo movement report released by the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) and Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) for the week ending 7 September reveals a significant surge in cargo handling across the nation's ports and transport networks. This increase comes amid ongoing operational challenges that have raised concerns among industry stakeholders regarding the fluidity of cargo movements. According to the report, South African container terminals recorded an average handling of 14 727 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) daily, surpassing the previous record of 14 487 TEUs set in the week ending 20 July by 1.7%. This represents a notable week-on-week increase from 13 842 TEUs. However, despite the record throughput, several operational issues hampered efficiency, including adverse weather, equipment breakdowns, and vacant berths. Cape Town experienced reduced…

During August, women are celebrated for their resilience and uniqueness through various commemorations, acknowledgements and pampering events throughout the world. As much as its important to celebrate women who build homes and organisation’s, its equally important to be mindful that a woman’s role to build through their resilient and unique leadership and thinking approach is a daily task that is ongoing. Therefore, in honour of the prime and nurturing role that women carry from the beginning oftime, a group of professional women namely Galetlolwe Semenya, Chef Noni, Wendy Mbalo, Barbra Lawrence Strydom and Andile Nkosi Schmidt joined hands to create a life changing and memorable experience for the African child. A full day unorthodox workshop was arranged with the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) astronomy scientists and engineers, in…

Equities on the JSE, precious metal prices and Rand on Friday ended stronger for the third consecutive week. Despite the higher-than-expected US inflation rate for August that was released on Thursday, sentiment on global markets remains that the Federal Reserve will decrease its Bank rate this Wednesday September 17. The US core inflation did increase from 2.7% in July to 2.9% August as was expected by markets, but is now significantly higher than the 2.0% inflation target of the Fed. Prices increased were felt mostly for food (3.2% vs 2.9% in July), used cars and trucks experienced a sharp annual increase of 6.0% against the 4.6% in July and the yearly acceleration for new vehicles was 0.7% against 0.4% the previous month. Evidence suggests that the…

Caxton & CTP Publishers & Printers' share price increased by 4.7% on Friday afternoon after it reported a 16% increase in annual dividend to 70 cents for the year to June 30 off the back of a resilient financial performance. Normalised headline earnings a share for the publisher of regional newspapers, printer, packaging & stationery manufacturer, and digital asset delivery company increased by 12% to 178.9 cents. Cash and its equivalent balances ended the year 20.7% higher at R3 billion. The share price traded at R12.25, slightly below the R12.70 it traded at a year before on the same day. “We delivered commendable results in difficult operating circumstances, characterised by little to no growth and subdued consumer spending in a highly competitive environment,” CEO Terence Moolman said in the results.…

Ahead of a roll call of over 6000 ANC councillors and mayors set to gather in Johannesburg today, ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled the party's Action Plan to make local government work better for the people. This comes as the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) met over two days in Boksburg to assess the state of local government, with a key focus of the gathering being to find solutions to widespread service delivery failures in municipalities across the country. On Saturday, Ramaphosa urged municipalities to take decisive action against corruption, adding that even though corruption is most prevalent within municipalities, there is often a lack of political will to hold officials accountable for maladministration. According to the President, the meeting will culminate in a Roll Call meeting of the party's…

SEVERAL minibus taxi routes and ranks in Khayelitsha, Mfuleni, Lwandle, Nomzamo, and Somerset West, will be closed from Wednesday, following weeks of deadly clashes between rival associations Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta). Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku said the decision, taken at a provincial Cabinet meeting on Friday, was “exceptionally difficult” but necessary to protect lives after repeated negotiations failed to resolve the impasse. “Following careful consideration and a decision taken at Cabinet, the Western Cape Government has resolved to invoke Section 91 of the National Land Transport Act,” Sileku said. “This empowers us to impose extraordinary measures in areas where violence, unrest, and instability in the public transport sector have placed lives at risk.” From Wednesday, the following routes will…

Eight suspects from KwaZulu-Natal who were arrested in the Eastern Cape for the manufacturing of illegal alcohol are expected to face charges linked to the contravention of the Liquor Act and the Counterfeit Goods Act. Eastern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa said a Crime Intelligence-driven operation with the help of Public Order Policing, Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) and local police members led to the arrest of eight suspects and confiscation of illegal alcohol manufactured in a local site at Amalinda, outside East London. Mawisa said information regarding suspicious activities at an Amalinda residence was received by Crime Intelligence members, who then initiated observation. This intelligence was quickly relayed to Public Order Policing members, along with a search warrant. “On Saturday, September…

The Springboks will savour their victory over the All Blacks for a little while, switch off, and recover with family when they land in South Africa this week before returning to training in preparation for back-to-back Tests against Argentina. After dismantling the Kiwis 43-10 in Wellington on Saturday, the world champions retained the Freedom Cup for a second consecutive year. They also kept their hopes of defending the Rugby Championship title alive with a six-try, bonus-point win at the Cake Tin. The triumph also lifted the Boks back to the No 1 spot on World Rugby’s rankings, leapfrogging both Ireland and the All Blacks. “We knew scoring those last two tries was important to keep us in contention for the rest of the Championship,” said Bok utility back Damian Willemse.…

Springbok Women coach Swys de Bruin believes “a giant has awoken for women in South African rugby” after his team’s inspired performances at the Rugby World Cup in England. Although the Boks ultimately went down to the mighty Black Ferns in their quarterfinal on Saturday at Sandy Park in Exeter, De Bruin’s charges were monumental during the competition. Glass ceilings were shattered over the last month, including winning a first-ever match at the Rugby World Cup against Brazil (66-6) before following it up with a victory over higher-ranked Italy (29-24) to book a maiden place in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals. And if that wasn’t enough, they surprised friend and foe with a Herculean first-half display against the four-times champions by holding the New Zealanders to 10-10 at halftime. Although…

Ratings agency affirms SA’s long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating at ‘BB-’ outlook stable Fitch Ratings has affirmed South Africa’s long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating at ‘BB-’ with a stable outlook, citing weak economic growth prospects, rising government debt and high poverty and inequality as the country’s main credit constraints. In its latest review published on Friday, the ratings agency said South Africa's sub-investment rating was also constrained by the rising government debt/GDP ratio and a rigid fiscal structure that hampers budget deficit reduction. South Africa slipped further into below investment grade in 2020, with foreign currency ratings reaching a bottom of BB- under Fitch. However, Fitch said the ratings were supported by a favourable government debt structure with long maturities and mostly local-currency-denominated, strong institutions and a credible monetary policy…

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) will be convening its Central Committee this week where delegates, from the leadership of the Federation and its Affiliates, to shop stewards and workers from across the country and its economic sectors will gather. Cosatu’s Central Committee is a platform for members to reflect on the many challenges facing the working class, the Federation’s successes and obstacles tackling these and most critically what is to be done to improve the working and living conditions of workers. It is a workers’ parliament and a chance for their voices to be heard by government, business and society. Workers are the backbone of the economy. Their lived experiences need to be understood and their aspirations be provided a path to realisation. The Central…

The share price of Gemfields Group, the JSE-listed miner of valuable coloured stones, shot up 0.5% on Friday afternoon after the company said a decision to reopen its Kagem mine had been vindicated by a successful emerald auction. The company announced that 38 lots of high-quality emeralds were offered for sale at an auction between August 25 and September 11, all of which were sold. The share price traded at R1.50 on the JSE, with the higher price providing a meaningful respite considering it traded at R2.77 a year previously. Total revenues of $32 million were realised at the auction. The average realised price was $160.78 per carat. The group has generated over $1.12 billion in revenues through the 52 auctions of Kagem gemstones held since July 2009. Gemfields owns…

Elon Musk may be trying to pivot Tesla away from electric vehicles and toward humanoid robots, but to skeptical investors there’s no hiding from its stagnating sales and eye-watering stock market valuation that leaves little room for error. Eager to transform the carmaker into an artificial intelligence powerhouse, Musk earlier this month declared on his social-media platform X that about “80% of Tesla’s value will be Optimus,” referring to the company’s robot initiative. But that’s for the future. In the here and now, Tesla’s 2025 earnings are expected to sink nearly 30%, while its robotaxi business is still years from turning a profit and faces stiff competition from Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo, among others. “You can pin any kind of valuation to robots at this point,” said Thomas Thornton, founder of…

As World Suicide Prevention Day, with the theme Changing the Narrative, was commemorated last week, there have been widespread calls on us to re-examine how we approach a topic that has long been shrouded in silence. The traditional narrative, often steeped in stigma and misunderstanding, has done a great disservice to those struggling and to the loved ones left behind. It's time to build a new conversation that is both informed and compassionate. The question of "why?" is an agonising one, and it's a question my own family knows all too well. A beloved family member took his own life, leaving no note, no explanation. The grief was immense, but it was compounded by the unanswered questions that still echo in our hearts. "Why did he do it?" "What could…

THE Kraaifonten community was reeling in shock after three men were killed, one injured and a woman raped in Wallacedene in three separate incidents in the early hours of yesterday morning. This comes after six people were killed in the span of 24 hours last Monday and Tuesday, and three men accused of criminal activity killed in a vigilante style attack and set alight on Wednesday night by community members. Police confirmed a 35-year-old man was shot and killed in Mhongqo informal settlement around 1am yesterday. Between 2am and 3am, another man was shot and wounded and his female companion raped just metres away from the first scene. Also, not far from the two scenes, two men between the ages of 25 and 30 were shot and killed. Police…

LIBERTY in the land of the free is in peril when discussion of religion, gender and politics is not only dangerous but fatal. That is the conclusion to draw from the murder of Charlie Kirk for exercising his first amendment rights to challenge narratives that are contrary to the values and principles upon which the United States was founded. His death is the result of the subversion of morality and common sense propagated by education institutions, the mass media and the Democratic Party. Charlie Kirk’s murder is the harvest of their lethal toxins of hate which radicalised and poisoned the minds of many like Kirk’s murderer, Tyler Robinson, who condemned Kirk as a “fascist” and a “nazi.” Therefore, it is not only hypocritical in the extreme for Democrats to accuse…

Opposition parties have raised concerns following the Western Cape High Court’s ruling declaring a police raid on the offices of two Cape Town Mayoral Committee (Mayco) members unlawful, unconstitutional, and invalid. The High Court ruling follows litigation brought by Mayco members JP Smith and Xanthea Limberg after a SAPS Commercial Crimes Unit raid on their offices on January 24 this year. The court’s ruling, which came from a settlement agreement among all parties, declared the search and seizure warrant inconsistent with the Constitution, unlawful, and invalid. The court ordered that all seized devices be returned and the Minister of Police pay the associated legal costs. National Coloured Congress president Fadiel Adams said his party respected the court’s findings but questioned the equal application of the law. “We respect the findings…

Christianity’s centre of gravity has shifted from North to South. In the 20th century, the majority of Christians lived in Europe. Over time, this shifted to the Americas, and by 2050 most Christians are expected to live in Africa. As the Ghanian theologian Kwame Bediako noted, it was unexpected that Africa would become the ‘heartland of Christianity’ again. Christianity in Africa is ancient. Despite the claim of Christianity being the religion of the West, it was first North African before it was European. Indeed, Christianity is now perhaps the most salient force on the continent but this time in sub-Saharan Africa. It has been argued that Christianity – as a source of norms and beliefs – shifted the culture and, in turn, the political structures of Western civilisation. Samuel Huntington,…

IT is simply not bluster from Aiden Markram when the captain speaks of a bright future for his young Proteas T20 team. They are a side blessed with the modern gifts and innovation of teenagers Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Kwena Maphaka along with ultra-talented 22-year-old Dewald Brevis. And while they have yet to put together a string of performances across three tours - Zimbabwe, Australia and now England - to earn white-ball coach Shukri Conrad his first T20I series win as yet, captain Markram feels they are on the right path building up to next year’s T20 World Cup. “We’re still looking at options. We’re still giving opportunities, which is exciting with the young, fearless crew that we have coming through,” Markram said after the Proteas drew the series with England…