Inhoudsopgave van 2021-12-08 - Star

A BRIGHT burning candle of our revolution has flickered and faded but its light will forever glow in our hearts. Described as gentle and courageous, quiet yet brave and wise yet humble, comrade Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim (Ebie) represented the quintessential best of what our movement stands for and the personification of the character South Africa, as a nation, needs in these difficult times. His life was the living embodiment of the values that shaped the ANC over its 107-year history. Those of us who grew up in the ranks of the Struggle are familiar with the theory of the new man but, in comrade Ebie, we could all witness its living manifestation. He was a light unto others. His example is much-needed today in order to build a new…

Gerry Cupido geraldine.cupido@inl.co.za SOMEONE recently asked me which part of my body I was most uncomfortable with. My immediate response was: “My tummy!” The fact that I don’t have a six-pack or even a remotely toned tummy isn’t the reason I’m self-conscious about this part of my body. In fact, I would be happy to show off my belly rolls. But it’s the skin on my tummy that I find too hideous to look at or even bear to touch. After three beautiful children my belly is covered in stretch marks. I should be celebrating the fact that my body carried life inside me for nine months and brought another human being into the world. Instead, I hide the dark, striped markings – an outward sign of the internal changes…

Betzi Pierce | CEO of Nicro Nicro is rolling out a nationwide action campaign of GBV awareness and intervention, to mark the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence. We are hosting events and programmes to educate our communities about GBV and the lasting wounds that it leaves. Our goal is to lower the level of tolerance of GBV at community level, as well as to break the cycle of violence. Working with perpetrators is key to preventing GBV. The solution to intimate partner violence is in working with perpetrators to change the root of their behaviour through intensive therapeutic intervention. This is the only way to break the cycle of violence. Although Nicro works with offenders, we cannot neglect the victims. Victims of GBV are left with…

Dr Thabisi Hoeane | Pretoria SOUTH Africans who are optimistic the Zondo Commission will not only get to the bottom of the ravages of state capture but also deter its continuation, should revise their views. What is becoming clear is that commissions, are never going to stop corruption. It is the political will of those in charge of the government and state that will deal with this problem. Take Prasa for example. This entity is in dire straits and needs to function effectively again. But those who are in charge of it seemingly appear to be focused on sabotaging that objective. Two members of management are being chased all over the place by the board for having appeared at the Zondo Commission – despite them having won an…

Kate Elliott IF YOU’VE ever broken down or been involved in an accident en route to holiday, you will relate to the feelings of frustration in trying to find a dealer who can assist you without compromising your car’s warranty. Before the December holiday rush, the good news for holidaymakers is the new Competition Guidelines which has opened the market to include all accredited independent service providers. Under the guidelines, you have the right to choose your service provider. An independent service provider can service and perform maintenance and repairs on cars during the in-warranty period and after. This makes life easier for motorists who find themselves in a bind. You just need to make sure you use an accredited workshop. If you’re involved in an accident, you will…

The United Arab Emirates is slashing its working week to four-and-a-half days and moving its weekend from Friday and Saturday to Saturday and Sunday, officials said. This is aimed at improving work-life balance and economic competitiveness, state media said yesterday. “The UAE is the first nation in the world to introduce a national working week shorter than the global five-day week,” it reported. The UAE will become the only Gulf country with a Saturday-Sunday weekend that will start at noon on Fridays. | AFP…

As Barcelona and Spanish champions Atletico Madrid scrap for a place in the Champions League last-16 this week, the Premier League's four participants can take it easy knowing their places in the knockout stages are already guaranteed. Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United have all secured top spot in their groups with a game to spare, while defending champions Chelsea will join them with victory over Zenit Saint Petersburg. The success of English clubs this season continues a worrying trend for the rest of Europe. Two of the past three Champions League finals have been all-English affairs, contested by four different clubs. If results on the field were not galling enough for the rest of Europe, the Premier League's ability to attract record-breaking TV rights deals from around the globe…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za Bio-secure environment requirements mean the Proteas Test squad is a big one – 21 players – but in reality there is only one major question to be asked about the composition of the starting XI for the first Test against India. Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada will start provided they are fit. The question for selection convener Victor Mpitsang and his panel is: Who will be the third frontline seamer in the attack? Logic dictates that the selectors back form, and there is no bowler in better form now than Duanne Olivier. He is the leading wicket-taker in the domestic Four-Day Series, with 28 wickets at an obscene average of 11.14. He’s a different bowler to the one most South African – and even Indian – fans…

Scarlets announced yesterday they had forfeited their European Champions Cup pool game against Bristol, saying there was “too much risk” to players who have been locked in Covid-19 quarantine. The Welsh team have 32 players isolating at a hotel in Northern Ireland after returning from South Africa, which is on the UK ’s Covid-19 red travel list. They had been due to play two United Rugby Championship fixtures in SA, but those were postponed due to an outbreak of the new Omicron variant. The Scarlets’ 10-day isolation period is due to end a day before the Bristol game, which had been scheduled to take place on Saturday. A statement from European Professional Club Rugby said: “EPCR have been informed by Scarlets that due to player welfare concerns and the club’s…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za Kaizer Chiefs are hellbent on only honouring their matches this month when it is safe to do so after confirming that they’ll be a ‘no-show’ for tonight’s scheduled Premiership clash against Golden Arrows amid an outbreak of Covid-19 at the club. On Friday morning, Chiefs confirmed that they had closed the gates at their base after 31 personnel tested positive for Covid-19. As such, they had appealed to the league to postpone their matches as a safety measure. But the Premier Soccer League has been quiet on the matter, despite its executive committee convening that morning. Chiefs, though, opted to forfeit their match against Cape Town City on Saturday, despite the visitors pitching up at FNB Stadium. However, with the PSL exco reconvening on Monday morning, light…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za ESKOM needed to have a freer hand to make decisions on parts procurement, as maintenance is often bogged down just waiting for National Treasury decisions on the parts, Chief Operating Officer Jan Oberholzer said yesterday. Oberholzer said at a virtual panel discussion on “Reliability maintenance for boilers and associated power generation plant” that boiler leaks, excessive need to use the diesel of open cycle gas turbines (OCGT), an Energy Availability factor of only 64 percent rather than the ideal of 85 percent, and other unplanned maintenance and breakdowns, were throwing a spanner in the works of efficient power production. He said Eskom’s maintenance parts procurement was often bogged down by delays from the National Treasury. Generation performance from all power plants had dropped to about…

Tawanda Karombo Harare KEY ECONOMIC sectors in South Africa – including retail pharmacy, gambling and fishing rights – have remained highly concentrated, a new study by the Competition Commission shows, further flagging the failure by certain licensing processes to spread ownership across the sectors. The report, “Measuring concentration and participation in the South African economy: levels and trends”, notes that out of 144 sectors examined, about 69.5 percent were “highly concentrated”, with 40.3 percent of these classified as “highly concentrated with a presumptively dominant” firm. Only about 9.7 percent of the surveyed sectors “were found to have unconcentrated” markets. Licensed industries such as gambling, retail pharmacy and others were highly characterised by merger and acquisition activity which has only served to increase concentration in the sectors.…

The Washington Post and Buhle Mbonambi | The Washington Post By Nora Krug, Stephanie Merry and Buhle Mbonambi Ah, summer! The one time in the year where you can leave your phone on silent, where Teams and Google Meets notifications are muted for three weeks. You get to soak in the sun’s rays, while getting a bit of love from family members you haven’t seen in a while. For most of us, it’s also a time to escape the distractions and dive into an alternate universe created by the skills of some of the best writers. Here are our picks of some of the best books to read this summer. Billy Summers, by Stephen King King’s latest stars a killer-for-hire whose final assignment involves moving to a small Southern…

Gerry Cupido geraldine.cupido@inl.co.za While men wearing nail polish is popular right now, it certainly isn’t something new. David Bowie’s flaming orange mullet and shimmering blue nails were his signature look. Kurt Cobain did the grunge chipped black nail polish image long before the Millennials did. Even Johnny Depp dipped into the nail polish and Kiss by a Rose singer Seal had a green nail polish moment. Therefore, it’s really not that big a deal that more and more men are getting in on the male-mani action. Rappers like ASAP Rocky, Lil Yachty and Tyler, the Creator, are often spotted wearing colourful nails. Late fashion designer, Virgil Abloh, kept his nail polish subtle yet bold, while Post Malone takes his nail inspiration from Cobain’s grunge era. However, what we are seeing…

EVEN though mandatory vaccination may surely be implemented and proved to be effective, the aftermath of all the contradictions and excitement to dictate for a moment will linger. Moreover, for our context as a so-called constitutional democracy, mandatory vaccinations, no matter how well-crafted the persuasion within the pro-vaccination arguments, there shall surely be a justification for separate development and oppression on religious, race, and other grounds. Let us keep in mind that Apartheid was globally considered a crime against humanity but the theological and ethical justifications for it were the same as the ones driven by the selfishness of the previously untouchables and heartless to protect themselves from a contagious virus. For that is the main reason for a universal call for mandatory vaccination, the once privileged and out of…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za FAMOUS poet Ntsiki Mazwai has come out guns blazing to correct and tell off Jub Jub’s family who used her name as a reference to send a point across in events she claims are not the same. This past weekend, Jub Jub’s family issued a statement addressing all the sexual allegations lodged against Jub Jub, using Mazwai’s case as an example that she believes it is a scare tactic to victims. Mazwai spoke out about how her name was used unfairly as it intimidates women from telling their stories. Mazwai, pictured, issued a statement on her social platforms weighing in on the matter. “I would like to correct something. “I lost my case because I posted about an alleged victim and she did not come forward to…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za AS the holiday season is getting closer, the SA Post Office said it was prepared for a substantial increase in applications for fishing licences in a bid to streamline the process. Fishing is one of the safest activities during a Covid-19 wave, as it can only take place in the open air and at a reasonable distance from other people. South Africans are also known for their love of fishing. The Post Office said the demand for fishing licences was always highest at the coastal branches. However, many holiday makers from the inland areas got their fishing licence from Post Office before leaving their hometown. For this reason, all branches nationally have stocked up on licences. The highest number of fishing licences sold during any month was…

Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are suing Meta Platforms Inc, formerly known as Facebook, for $150 billion over allegations that the company did not take action against anti-Rohingya hate speech that contributed to violence. A US class-action complaint, filed in California, argues that the company’s failures to police content and its platform’s design contributed to violence against Rohingyas. More than 730 000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar’s Rakhine state in 2017 after a military crackdown. | Reuters…

Pakistan, the US State Department warns, has more than a dozen serious human rights problems, from “extrajudicial killings” to “forced disappearance by the government or its agents” to “political prisoners” to “severe restrictions of religious freedom” to “trafficking in persons”. But tomorrow, Pakistan will join about 110 other countries at a two-day “Summit for Democracy” convened by President Joe Biden, with the goal of rallying the nations of the world against the forces of authoritarianism. In creating an invitation list that seems to divide the world into good guys and bad guys, despite a strong denial by the White House of any such intent, the administration has prompted tensions and anger from various countries, while highlighting that the globe is hardly binary. Some of the invitees have undisputed democratic credentials,…

From human rights to coronavirus and tennis star Peng Shuai, February's Beijing Olympics have been overshadowed by several controversies. With under two months until the Games begin, the US on Monday reacted by announcing a diplomatic boycott. Here, we look at the issues hanging over the Olympics. Peng Shuai There was grave international concern for former world No 1 doubles player Peng after she made sexual assault accusations on social media against a former top Communist Party politician. The 35-year-old - a three-time Olympian - was not heard from for nearly three weeks and her claims were rapidly censored. The UN, US and Peng's fellow tennis stars all voiced fears for her whereabouts. The WTA suspended tournaments in China. Peng later appeared on state media in several videos and held…

English Premiership leaders Leicester Tigers yesterday announced the signing of South Africa’s World Cup-winning flyhalf Handre Pollard, who will join the club ahead of the 2022/23 season. The 27-year-old, who was in the Springbok team that beat England in the 2019 World Cup final in Japan and helped South Africa secure a Test series victory over the British & Irish Lions earlier this year, will join the Tigers from French club Montpellier. His arrival will fill the flyhalf vacancy created by England international George Ford’s move from Leicester to Sale Sharks next year. Leicester head coach Steve Borthwick said: “Handre is a world-class flyhalf who brings with him a wealth of experience from Super Rugby, Top 14 and international rugby. “He is a World Cup winner who has been highly…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za Swallows FC interim coach Fani Madida will be looking to navigate his club away from the relegation zone when they clash with Baroka FC at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane today (5pm kick-off). New Swallows coach Dylan Kerr will be on the sidelines for the game as he finalises his paperwork to take up his new position at the club and as such, Madida will take charge of the encounter against Bakgakga. The Dube Birds enter the game in poor form and rooted to the bottom of the Premiership standings, having lost three out of their last five league games. They have also won just one out of their 13 league encounters to date. However, given the erratic nature of their campaign, a win for Swallows could…

The 21-man Proteas squad to begin preparations to face India in a three-Test match series was named yesterday. It might be a squad bigger than usual, thanks to ‘bio-bubble’ requirements, but it nevertheless has a handful of interesting selections. Here, Stuart Hess, looks at five players and the reasons they were picked for the upcoming series against the second best Test team in the world currently, starting on Boxing Day. Ryan Rickelton The 25-year-old has had a terrific start to the season, with two centuries that have stood out for the Lions, who top the Four-Day Series log. The jury is still out on Rickelton’s ability against spin, but all he can do is put the runs on the board and hope for recognition, which has now come his way.…

Given Majola given.majola@inl.co.za THIS YEAR’S agricultural sector’s poor performance in the third quarter, which surprised on the downside with a 13.6 percent seasonally adjusted contraction quarter-on-quarter was likely to be a temporary blip, according to the sector’s economists. Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) revealed yesterday that the country’s real gross domestic product (GDP) shrunk by 1.5 percent in the third quarter, following downwardly revised growth of 1.1 percent in the second quarter. Agriculture’s poor figures were said to be expected as the third quarter was a relatively quiet period in agriculture, with much of the harvest activity distributed in other quarters of the year. This contraction was also reflected in the recent agricultural jobs data, which fell by 4 percent quarter-on-quarter in the year's third quarter (employment…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za TOMORROW sees the listing of Afine Investments on the JSE, a new real estate investment trust (Reit) that holds a portfolio of income-generating properties focused on the petroleum sector in four of the nine provinces. In South Africa, petrol service station properties are controlled by the oil companies and a small group of petrol service station property owners. High property prices, complex legal structures, environmental legislation, licensing requirements, among other challenges, create high entry barriers for the ordinary man in the street to participate in a petrol service station property as an investment opportunity. The listing is in line with international trends where investors increasingly favour specialised Reit investments over generalised Reit companies. Afine was founded by Peter Todd, with input from Mike Watters, both of whom…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za THE spaT between acrress Amanda du-Pont and Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye has escalated with Macgyver Mukwevho now joining in. The famous radio DJ, popularly known as MacG, has served Amanda du-Pont with a letter of demand, asking her to apologise and retract all references to him seen by millions of her followers. However, things did not quite turn out the way MacG ordered them as Du-Pont responded through her attorney claiming that she would not apologise to him. This after after Jub Jub, appeared as a guest on MacG’s podcast, where he aired hurtful and degrading remarks about Du-Pont publicly. As a result of this, Du-Pont responded by speaking out on a video about the alleged sexual, mental and physical abuse that she had endured while in…

AS WE commemorate Human Rights Day on December 10, it is timely to reflect on the link between justice and the observance of human rights. Maintaining peace, and avoiding major conflicts and wars on our planet, are among humanity’s main concerns. Peace, in the Bahá'í view, is closely related to justice and the observance of human rights: it is the requirement of justice that everyone is treated equally and with dignity. However, this is not often applied in the treatment of people of other backgrounds or social status than ourselves. In addition, inequality of men and women and gender-based violence – the theme we reflected on for the past 16 days – is an abuse of human rights, an injustice toward half the world’s population, and a hindrance to peace.…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za The battle of the ice cream played out in the high court in Johannesburg. It involved giant ice cream manufacturer Paul’s Homemade (Pty) Ltd taking on some fellow ice cream outlets in a bid to stop them from competing with it unfairly. The Gauteng-based gourmet ice cream manufacturer, which stated on its website that its ice cream was “cheaper than therapy”, turned to the court to obtain an interdict against a former employee as well as some franchise outlets. The ice cream retailer applied for a permanent interdict prohibiting them from opening a competing ice cream store in the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre. As the applicant in the case, it asked that its “competitors” be interdicted from operating the Summa Sundae Bar located in the Mall of…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za MEDIA influencer and content creator Mihlali Ndamase was in a celebratory mood after she bagged an award at the South African Social Media Awards as the social media personality of the year in Sandton this past weekend. The social media awards recognise the best campaigns, individuals and digital tools in social media. The awards also feature 18 categories, covering every aspect of social media, across major social media channels and celebrating and allowing all creatives to shine and enjoy the fruits of their hard work. After finding out about her win the social star went on to thank the organisers for giving her this great opportunity and those who voted for her, including the judges and the public. “Big mood as the Social Media Personality Of…

Sonri Naidoo sonri.naidoo@inl.co.za BOOYSENS residents have been left in limbo and are seeking justice after they were illegally evicted earlier this year. The former tenants say they did not receive notice when building owners changed; instead some of them say they were met with violence which forced them to leave after staying in the building for years. “This owner hired izinkabi (hitmen) and shot at our homes on several nights. Six bullets were shot at once, luckily no one was hurt. We were humiliated and our property was damaged before the evictions,” said Steven Ndlovu, a former tenant. Ndlovu lived at Janelyn Heights, corner Chamber and Melville Street in Booysens for eight years with his wife and four children. On February 7 he received a phone call from one of…

The World Health Organization (WHO) in Europe yesterday cautioned against making Covid vaccines mandatory, while urging better protection of children among whom cases are high. Europe is battling a fierce surge in the pandemic, with the WHO registering 120 000 Covid-related deaths on the continent since November 23. It said compulsory vaccines should be “a last resort”. It also expressed concern about rising cases of the Omicron variant, but said the fight should still focus on the dominant Delta variant. | AFP…

Injuries will force Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann to make changes for tonight’s Champions League match at home to Barcelona behind closed doors. Bayern are already into the last 16 of the competition as group winners, but want a sixth victory from as many games in the group stages when they host Barcelona, who they trounced 3-0 at the Nou Camp in September. Barcelona are second in Group E, but need a win at the Allianz Arena, which will be without supporters due to high numbers of Covid-19 cases in Bavaria, to guarantee a last 16 spot. Nagelsmann still plans to field “the best available” Bayern team, but at least two of his stars are carrying knocks. “Leon (Goretzka) broke off training again, he probably won’t play, Serge Gnabry as…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za AmaZulu FC coach Benni McCarthy has not shied away from the fact that his team risk turning into another Swallows FC if they continue with their current run of results. Usuthu will have a good opportunity to prove that they are not just draw specialists when they host seventh-placed Orlando Pirates in a Premiership encounter at Jonsson Kings Park in Durban today (5.30pm kick-off). McCarthy’s charges head into the game on the back of four successive draws, with the most recent being against Royal AM in their first-ever top-flight Durban derby against the league newcomers. They have also drawn nine league games so far which is the most of any team in the Premiership this season. The biggest problem for AmaZulu has been their inability to convert…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi says that if they converted their scoring chances, they would be able to turn their fortunes around after a roller-coaster performance in the first half of the domestic term. Pirates currently occupy seventh spot on the Premiership standings with 19 points, 11 behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns. But that wasn’t part of the script, considering that they were tipped to be one of the title contenders this season. The Buccaneers’ season got off to a chaotic start, with coach Josef Zinnbauer resigning after one match. Enter Ncikazi and co-coach Fadlu Davids, who have tried to stabilise the Sea Robbers’ ship but have come up short so far. Sure, they’ve reached the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup, but a lot of injuries…