Inhoudsopgave van 2022-02-09 - Star

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za THE AGITATED waters of KwaZulu- Natal’s biggest bulk water supplier, Umgeni Water, with its board woes, were somewhat calmer yesterday after the entity appointed Thamsanqa Mkhwanazi as its chief financial officer (CFO) and debt officer. “The board confirms it has considered and is satisfied with the competence, qualifications and experience of the newly appointed debt officer. “Mkhwanazi is an experienced chartered accountant and has extensive experience in leading finance teams. He is the executive responsible for interacting with stakeholders going forward on all finance related matters,” the board said. Mkhwanazi takes over the position from Kajal Singh, who was appointed the acting CFO in November 2020. The entity has had tumultuous times recently with apparent political fights between former KZN Premier Senzo Mchunu reversing fiery initiatives of…

RESIDENTS who reside near the Klipspruit Colliery mine in Mpumalanga have expressed their frustration with the damage and harm the underground explosives are causing to their homes. The mine is believed to be owned by businessman and football club owner Sandile Zungu. In 2018 the Department of Mineral Resources monitored the mine to ensure that all measures were in place. Following the recent complaints from the residents, the department conducted a pre-house survey as part of its investigation. Findings concluded that the mine did not consider the impact of blasting and that some houses were already damaged, while others were not built properly. The department has since issued the Klipspruit Colliery mine with a notice of orders and suspension for unlawfully extending the mine on October 21, 2020, which was…

ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za THE OUTDATED law that gave the children of married couples more rights than those of unmarried couples has been declared unconstitutional. The groundbreaking judgment for children’s rights was made by the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg. Under the ruling, the Mediation in Certain Divorce Matters Act of 1987 is unconstitutional. This act relates to the process of approaching the Office of the Family Advocate in family disputes involving children. In most matters involving children the courts will require a report from the Family Advocate to ascertain what is in the best interest of the children, before the court makes a ruling that affects the children. Under the outdated act, married couples simply submitted the required form to the Office of the Family Advocate, which would then…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za Fifteen goats trapped on rocks in the middle of the rapidly flowing Umzinyathi River in Nquthu were rescued by police search and rescue units. Nquthu is in the Umzinyathi District Municipality in northern KZN. A statement by police yesterday said members of Empangeni Search and Rescue and Newcastle and Vryheid K9 Search and Rescue were involved in the operation. Police said the 15 goats were brought to safety after they were found stranded on a rock formation in the Umzinyathi River in Nquthu.…

The election of Nkosikazi Nosandi Mhlauli as the first woman chair- person of the National House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders has been one of the most defining historical moments for South Africa. To put this moment into context, the National House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders has never been under the leadership of a woman since the formal recognition of traditional institutions in South Africa in 1993. This simply means that the traditional House of Leaders has been, for the longest of times, occupied by men and, since its inception, led by men – a demonstration of the extent to which patriarchy continues to entrench itself, not only in our society, but in institutions that govern us. Against this backdrop, Nkosikazi Mhlauli’s appointment comes at a crucial time…

Two Iranian ex-prisoners who were once in debt have opened a successful “jail restaurant” to help raise funds to free convicts languishing behind bars for unpaid debts. More than 11 000 Iranians are behind bars for failing to pay their debts – almost 5% of Iran’s total prison population. Two years after their release, Benyamin Nakhat and Arman Alizadeh opened Cell 16. Part of the restaurant’s proceeds are used to help free prisoners and they also launch campaigns for help from donors or clients. | AFP…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za BANYANA Banyana coach Desiree Ellis says their friendly against Zambia on Saturday will help them to gauge their readiness for back-to-back Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (Awcon) qualifiers against Algeria in the final round. After thrashing Mozambique 13-0 in the second round of the Awcon qualifiers, away and at home, Banyana will be eager to book their ticket to the finals when they face Algeria at home on February 18, and away on the 23rd. Qualifying for the continental showpiece would ensure that the South Africans hit two birds with one stone: They would upstage their men counterparts Bafana Bafana, who failed to qualify for the recent Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Cameroon; and qualifying for Awcon would mean that Banyana will get a chance to…

DAY two of the Cricket South Africa T20 Challenge got under way at St George’s Park yesterday with the North West Dragons surprising the Lions, while the Dolphins crushed the Knights by eight wickets in the afternoon match. Here, Zaahier Adams picks five ‘Plays of the Day’ from yesterday’s matches… The ‘other’ Jansen Part of Proteas rookie Marco Jansen’s claim to fame is that he has an identical twin brother, Duan, who is also a promising first-class cricketer. Well, they are indeed a spitting image of each other. Duan certainly has plenty of potential too, as he played a match-winning knock of 32 not out off just 18 balls, while also impressing with the ball at the death, to spearhead the Dragons’ victory over the Lions. Youth beats experience Dragons…

Asian News American actor Awkwafina returned to Twitter after a two-year absence and responded to long-standing criticism that she uses a fake “blaccent” in her comedy while announcing that she would be leaving the micro-blogging platform. According to Fox News, Awkwafina, born Nora Lum, has long faced criticism for her use of African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). Some have spoken out on social media to accuse the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star of doing a voice that’s a caricature of a black person in order to be funny. In a lengthy note on Twitter, the actor addressed the situation. She acknowledged the “sociopolitical context” of the issue and acknowledged the accusation of stealing from or parodying a community that “is disproportionately affected by institutionalized policies and law…

BONGANI NKOSI bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE judge in the trial of Ntuthuko Shoba, the man accused of orchestrating his pregnant lover’s brutal killing, has lashed out at the prosecutor after he forced the postponement of the case. Acting Judge Stuart Wilson expressed disappointment that prosecutor Faghre Mohammed failed to indicate earlier that the State’s next witness would not be available for yesterday’s proceedings. The trial, continuing at the high court in Joburg only heard the brief testimony of Tshepiso Tsita, a friend of the slain Tshegofatso Pule. She spoke to Pule over the phone the night she was killed. While she was brief and both the State and the defence had no further questions for her, Mohammed’s postponement request and the reasons for it dominated proceedings. Mohammed asked that the matter be…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za LOCAL rising star Sello Motsie, fondly known as Beezet Poison Ink, has shared his journey of making considerable effort to pursue his career in music and acting. Hailing from the Free State, Motsie came to Johannesburg in search of greener pastures and to build a lasting name for himself in the entertainment industry. He shared with The Star that growing up, he had always had a knack for music and acting as he had a great interest in performance subjects at school. When asked what kind of an artist he aspires to be, the music sensation detailed having a burning desire to have his own label in the long run. “I aspire to be the unique and best artist and businessman I can be in the industry,…

Rapula Moatshe rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za SAINT George Hotel and Conference Centre, which was for years used by the ANC to host its political functions, has closed shop after over 30 years of doing business. Hotel management broke the news yesterday, citing constant power outages and the negative impact of Covid-19 on the business. “It is with some sadness that I must inform you that effective February 7, the hotel and conference centre will cease its operations,” the management said. Located in Irene, outside Pretoria, the facility has been doing business for more than 30 years, and has in recent years been known to be one of the venues of choice for ANC events. Last October, the hotel was in the news after some members of the military veterans held Cabinet ministers hostage…

Inclusion of MPs in the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) defeats the separation of powers doctrine. The JSC interviews, in its quest for the country’s next chief justice, clearly indicated that there is a flaw in the way the commission is constituted. The JSC is comprised of 23 members and I am of the view that members who represent the two houses of Parliament must not be part of the commission at all, as this reduces the dignified JSC to a political circuit and embarrasses candidates who want to develop South African jurisprudence and transformative constitutionalism. The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, as a member of the executive, from time to time reports to Parliament in relation to checks and balances between the branches of government and that would be…

Richard Calland After a fraught and fractious week of public interviews that shed heat but little light on the four candidates eligible to become the next Chief Justice, South Africa’s Judicial Service Commission has recommended that President Cyril Ramaphosa appoint Mandisa Maya, who is currently the head of the Supreme Court of Appeal. Legally, the president should ignore the recommendation. But politically, he probably can’t. He should ignore it because the Judicial Service Commission made a number of very serious procedural mistakes that severely undermine the legitimacy and credibility of the appointment process. The commission is a constitutional body responsible for judicial appointments and accountability. It’s composed of a delicate balance of lawyers and politicians. But politically, he can’t ignore the recommendation on two grounds. Firstly, it would delay even…

Canada’s capital is long used to hosting protests. But the self- described Freedom Convoy has been an unusual and intimidating presence in Ottawa since it rolled up nearly a dozen days ago with its snowballing list of grievances, from opposition to vaccine mandates and lockdowns to antipathy toward recently re-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Big rigs and other vehicles continue to block crucial downtown arteries, snarling traffic, blaring their horns and fraying residents’ nerves. The protest has had the effect of forcing several businesses to close because of safety concerns. Yesterday, truckers were blocking the busiest crossing with the US yesterday. Canada sends 75% of its goods exports to the US and trucks play a crucial role. The bridge usually handles around 8 000 rigs a day. Ottawa Police Chief…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za Cricket South Africa’s board chairman Lawson Naidoo told the parliamentary portfolio committee on sport that a detailed plan to implement the recommendations of the Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) report will be presented next month. Senior administrative officials from CSA appeared before the committee yesterday to outline how the organisation was dealing with various issues related to the SJN’s findings, including the legal proceedings related to Proteas coach Mark Boucher. CSA informed the committee that the board had assigned various topics highlighted in the report to different sub-committees. CSA’s cricket committee will deal with player remuneration and selection, the social and ethics committee with allegations of racism and racial slurs, and the nominations committee with women’s cricket, with an emphasis on creating a women’s committee. Naidoo said…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za OUTGOING chief executive of the Land Bank Ayanda Kanana has vowed that the embattled financial institution will plug the holes that led to a qualified audit outcome this past year. Addressing the parliamentary standing committee on finance yesterday, Kanana said the Land Bank had been let down by one of its intermediaries that did not submit financial statements, resulting in a scope limitation. In December, the Land Bank received a qualified audit outcome from the Auditor-General (A-G) for the year ended March 31, 2021. Kanana said the qualified outcome was an “improvement” from a disclaimer the bank had received the previous year. “The qualification that we’ve got, sadly, is not a representation of where we should be. We should be sitting at an unqualified audit opinion with…

Zainul Dawood zainul.dawood@inl.co.za The official unemployment rate was 34.9% in the third quarter of 2021. Officials are still compiling the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the fourth quarter of last year. The number of employed people decreased by 660 000 to 14.3 million people, said Nozipho Shabalala, the acting deputy director-general: population and social statistics at Statistics SA. The number of unemployed fell by 183 000 to 7.6 million compared to the second quarter of 2021. The number of discouraged work-seekers increased by 545 000 (16.4%) and the number of people who were not economically active for reasons other than discouragement increased by 443 000 (3.3%) between the two quarters resulting in a net increase of 988 000 in the not-economically active population. Yesterday, Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas…

ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za “PLEASE Call Me” inventor Nkosana Makate was happy yesterday after the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria ordered Vodacom to recalculate what his invention was worth. This week, the court found that he was short-changed by Vodacom and that the cellphone giant must go back to the drawing board to come up with a suitable amount. Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub was given a month to recalculate what was owed to Makate, using the guidelines issued by the court. Judge Wendy Hughes made it clear that the earlier calculations Joosub used in offering Makate R47m, for what she called a brilliant invention, was by far too conservative. While the judge said Vodacom was in a better position than the court to calculate the true worth of the invention, she…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE bid by 60 former employees of the looted VBS bank to claim R230 million from global audit firm KPMG has suffered a second major setback in months. In September last year the Constitutional Court dismissed their application to convince it to hear their appeal bid against an unfavourable judgment delivered by the North Gauteng High Court in May. And now, the former bank workers who wanted KPMG held accountable for allegedly misstating VBS’s financial statements have lost a second appeal application against the May judgment. They had brought up parallel appeal applications at the apex court and the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. The Constitutional Court ruled that they failed to make a case for a direct appeal. This left them with the option to…

Jonisayi Maromo jonisayi.maromo@inl.co.za Police officers in central Johannesburg apprehended a 38-year-old man for allegedly contravening the Film and Publications Act after he was found with pirated DVDs worth about R50 000. Captain Xoli Mbele, a spokesperson for the Joburg central police, said the suspect was arrested at the Regent House building in the CBD. “Police were busy with their routine crime prevention duties when they saw a suspicious male standing at the entrance of the building carrying a plastic bag. When he saw them he went inside the building and the police followed him,” said Mbele. “He tried to close the door of his room, but police were right behind him. Inside his room they confiscated fake DVDs worth R50 000, computer towers for downloading and DVD multirecorders.” Mbele said…

Thabile Mange | Mogale City I DO understand the fact that Cabinet ministers are not guided by labour laws. However, I have a problem with the fact ministers don’t have a retirement age. There are 80-year-olds who sleep in Parliament. The age factor needs to be reconsidered. How old is Bheki Cele? If I am not mistaken, he is in his early 70s. Since Cele took over, criminals are doing as they please. They are bold and not afraid to attack police stations and steal guns. Clearly, the minister of Police has nothing to offer. Recently, a group calling itself Operation Dudula (consisting of members of military veterans) went to Baragwanath Taxi Rank and chased away foreign national hawkers. They told them not to come back. Where are…

John Whitlock | Germiston IT’S good to see that the Bakubung community have got their ancestral land back, even if it is a half-century later. It will now be interesting to see what they’re going to do with the land, and the help they’ll be getting from provincial and federal government. Farming on a large scale will no doubt be tackled by the community and we, in future, will see a phenomenal change in the landscape. There is also the prospect of mining in the area. Their dignity has now been restored. I’m sure Julius “Son of the Soil” Malema will be on hand to give his expert advice on farming. After all, he ran a lucrative cabbage farm in Limpopo at some stage. He will also, no…

An Indonesian crocodile that has swum around with a motorcycle tyre stuck around its neck for six years, has been freed by an animal lover on the island of Sulawesi. Residents in Palu feared the tyre might choke the 4m reptile as it grew in size. But it had proved very difficult to capture. In 2020, authorities offered a reward for anyone who could remove the tyre, but local resident Tili, 35, whose wildlife skills are self-taught, said this was not his main motivation. “I can’t stand to see animals hurt,” he said. | AFP…

AT long last! The All Blacks will travel to South Africa to take on the world champion Springboks in Mzansi for the first time since before the 2019 World Cup. Yesterday’s announcement that the Rugby Championship will see New Zealand playing a double-header against the Boks in South Africa was a welcome development, after Siya Kolisi’s team had to endure a nightmare trip to Australia for the same competition last year, due to Covid-19 protocols. They had to face the Wallabies twice and the All Blacks twice in four consecutive weeks of Test rugby, and despite the two defeats to Australia, the Boks restored some dignity with a two-point loss and a two-point win over Ian Foster’s New Zealand team. So, now we’ll see just how good the Kiwis really…