Inhoudsopgave van 2022-07-05 - Star

Two sets of twins aged 8 and 13 were burned beyond recognition in a fire that engulfed their small shack in the early hours of Monday at Hendrina, Mpumalanga. The Mpumalanga police expressed shock and sadness at the incident. According to the information at police’s disposal, they were called to the scene where two shacks were on fire, including the one in which the twins were all sleeping, at Marikana informal settlement in Hendrina. Mpumalanga provincial SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said that on arrival, “police found that it was true”, and firefighters were also called to extinguish the fire. “Unfortunately, two sets of twins (boy and girl, and boy and girl) were certified dead on the scene. “It is not yet confirmed what might be the cause of the…

The lives of most citizens, especially the working class, unemployed, homeless and less privileged, are being impacted by the slow rate of economic development and progress as well as the poor level of municipal services. Citizens are struggling to meet basic needs. Municipalities are mandated to provide decent quality services. The power struggle within the ruling party is harming service delivery, nation building and economic progress. Even though the government introduced the Batho Pele (people first) principle, the pace of service delivery has been poor, slow and, in some instances, non-existent. The spirit of Batho Pele is to make government services more accessible to the people, with a professional service ethos, fulfilling the human rights of South Africans and implementing the articles charted in the Constitution. In order to tackle…

Has the will to govern escaped the ANC? When the ANC was doing its damnest to gain political control of the country, it made promises that seemed realistic and attainable. Mandela, a formidable presence and spokesperson for the party, made good sense, presenting a roadmap that was inclusive and exciting. After the 1994 elections, the future looked bright –the ANC had arrived, like manna from heaven, to save us from our political incoherence. Twenty-eight years later, those of us who hung onto Mandela’s every word, have been traumatised, our psyche pummelled, by the horrors of mismanagement perpetrated by people who clearly know not what they do. It is time for the president and his immediate team to acknowledge that they don’t have what it takes to govern a country like…

Around the middle of 2013, a series of stories appeared in the South African press about a new phenomenon called “plasma gangs”, presented as the latest iteration of the country’s crime crisis. Journalists, broadcasters, police and government spokespeople, social media users and local residents shared tales online and in mainstream media of the frightening exploits of these gangs, said to be located in Alexandra (Alex) township in the north of Johannesburg. Alex, like other South African townships, is an underdeveloped and sometimes precarious area blighted by the inequality and racial segregation that were central to apartheid spatial engineering. Developed in the early 20th century to house around 30 000 people, it is now home to an estimated 700 000. This density creates intense pressure on infrastructure and resources,…

BEIJING: China yesterday rejected as an irresponsible smear a warning from the chief of Nasa that China might “take over” the moon as part of a military programme, saying it had always called for the building of a community of nations in space. China made its first lunar uncrewed landing in 2013 and expects to launch rockets powerful enough to send astronauts to the moon towards the end of this decade. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said China’s space programme was a military one and that it had stolen ideas and technology from others. “China has always promoted the building of a shared future for humanity in outer space and opposed its weaponisation and any arms race in space,” the Chinese foreign ministry said. Nasa plans to send a crewed mission…

Tehran: Iranian officials closed government offices, courts, schools and universities in Tehran yesterday after a severe sandstorm hit the capital, state media reported. Visibility was severely limited in Tehran, a city of more than eight million people. The neighbouring province of Alborz, located west of the capital, also announced the closure of all offices, banks and scientific and educational centres. It reported an “increase in the concentration of atmospheric pollutants and dust” in the air. The trend is linked to climate change and associated with overgrazing. | AFP…

Nasty C and Ami Faku stole the show at the HollywoodBets Durban July marquee, Boomtown. The two were the closing acts in a night that featured a star-studded list of performers at the marquee. Rapper Nasty C performed several of his biggest hits, including songs like King, Jack, Ye x4, and fan favourites Juice Back and Hell Naw. Ami Faku closed the show with a performance that had the crowd singing along to her biggest hits like Asibe Happy and Into Ingaw. The other performers were Shekinah, Sjava, Nelz, Culoe De Song, PH, Kevin Momo, Kyeezi, Mzulu the Maskandi King and Josiah De Disciple. Musician and producer Tresor, credited as an additional vocalist on several songs on Drake’s new album: Honestly, Nevermind – Currents, Down Hill, and…

THE government task team investigating complaints about the stench experienced over parts of Gauteng and North West last month has determined that a combination of weather events and emissions from industry were probably responsible for the sulphurous smell. The task team comprises environmental and air quality officials from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and the provincial departments in Mpumalanga, Gauteng, North West and the Free State. The task team’s interim internal report, handed to DFFE Minister Barbara Creecy, reflects that the sulphur smell may have emanated from industry operations in the Secunda and Mpumalanga regions and as a result of unusual air circulation patterns that saw the smell being blown over Gauteng and parts of the North West between June 5 and 12. “The task team’s…

LEGAL Aid South Africa has scrapped more than 100 posts from its establishment due to budget cuts in 2021/22 financial year. This was revealed by Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola when responding to parliamentary questions from IFP Themba Msimang. Msimang said the justice and correctional services portfolio committee was recently informed of the dire situation faced by Legal Aid SA due to budgetary constraints. He asked Lamola to furnish him with a detailed breakdown of the number of vacancies at the entity. In his written reply, Lamola said Legal Aid SA had 221 vacancies out of 2 669 budgeted positions on March 31. He said the number of vacancies was dropped to 176 out of 2 699 posts in May. “This translates to a 93.5% staffing…

We all admire and praise noble actions and good deeds and would like to be treated well by others. However, recognising what is moral and ethical is not enough. This knowledge must be put into action. Some people think that spirituality and daily practical life are separate issues. Moral and spiritual behaviours, should be practised at home and at work as much as in a temple or a place of worship. According to the Bahá’í Writings, “the foundation of success and salvation is the knowledge of God, and that the results of the knowledge of God are the good actions which are the fruits of faith”. There is a tendency to promote a passive concept of a moral person: to be good meaning to keep out of trouble. But to…

At the heart of many modern technologies is electricity, but in South Africa the inconsistent supply of electricity is at the heart of many problems. The country’s economy is on its knees due to inconsistent electricity supply. Eskom continuously cautions the public that it will still take a few weeks for the power generation system to fully recover to pre-strike levels. In Durban, contractors working for eThekwini Municipality downed tools over several grievances. Contractors, in some instances, take days to replace stolen cables or repair electrical faults. With the country reluctant to explore renewable and sustainable energy, the citizens have no option but to swallow the bitter pill of sitting in darkness. Striking Eskom employees have exacerbated the problem, forcing the utility to implement stage 6 load shedding at various…

Russian troops were yesterday holding the strategic Ukrainian city of Lysychansk after Kyiv’s forces retreated, in a major boost for Russia’s campaign to seize the entire Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. With the war well into its fifth month after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, governments and organisations gathered for a conference in Switzerland to launch a plan to rebuild the country even as the conflict shows no sign of abating. The loss of Lysychansk over the weekend prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to step up calls for an increased supply of weapons from the West so Kyiv can keep up the resistance and regain lost territories. After giving up on its initial war aim of capturing Kyiv following tough Ukrainian resistance, Russia has focused its efforts on…

TRIPOLI: Libyans angered by rising prices, chronic power cuts and political deadlock planned further demonstrations yesterday after angry protests across the capital. Masked youths set alight car tyres and blocked roads, including a major coastal highway between central Tripoli and its western suburbs, but security forces did not intervene. A youth movement calling itself “Beltress” is demanding elections and the dissolution of the country’s rival governments and their two houses of parliament. Public anger has been fuelled by power cuts that often last 18 hours despite Libya sitting on Africa’s largest oil reserves. | AFP…

Mecca: Saudi authorities have arrested and fined nearly 300 people caught trying to perform the Hajj without permits, an official said yesterday, as the kingdom prepares to receive 1 million people for the annual pilgrimage tomorrow. About 288 “citizens and residents were arrested for violating Hajj regulations”, said Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Basami, head of Hajj security, adding they were each fined 10 000 Saudi riyals (about R44 000). Officials have also imposed a security cordon around Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, and barred nearly 100 000 people in more than 69 000 vehicles from entering, he said. | AFP…

Ethan Brooks, 20, will head into his second consecutive Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup tournament in as many years, but will be required to take up a leadership role among a very youthful Bafana Bafana squad. Assistant coach Helman Mkhelele named his final 23-man squad on Friday – a group that is made up of national Under-23 players as they look to prepare for next year’ s Olympic qualifiers. Brooks, who recently earned himself a move to Durban-based side Amazulu FC, believes the tournament is a great tool as they look to gain experience against all kinds of competition. He understands that he will probably have to take up a different role this time round, playing with teammates in the same age group. “It was a great experience for me, last year…

CONFEDERATIon of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe confirmed on Sunday the launch of the Caf Super League with R1.6-billion in prize money on the line. Motsepe revealed Caf’s plans to launch the tournament this year, with the first match to kick off in 2023. “The decision has now been taken to implement the Caf Super League. It will start in August 2023 and we will launch it during Caf’s 44th Ordinary Assembly in Tanzania on August 10,” Caf said in a statement. “We have been inundated with investors and sponsors, who are anxious to partner with us on the Caf Super League. It has huge potential to significantly uplift African football and to make it even more powerful.” Motsepe shared his excitement about this never-before-seen tournament on African shores,…

South Africans have a long tradition of loving to hate some of their sportsmen and currently, Elton Jantjies is top of the pops. Boy, did social media go to town on Sunday with some entertaining memes – unless you are Jantjies, of course – and his recent performance on an overseas flight only gave the joke writers some explosive ammo. But I am going to buck the trend and suggest that Jantjies should not be put on an Emirates Airline plane out of the Springbok camp. Jantjies undeniably had a horror first half at Loftus Versfeld but I agree with his former coach at the Lions, Swys de Bruin, who has questioned why Jantjies was “thrown under the bus” after having played just 13 minutes of rugby all year because…

After suffering defeat in their opening Women’s Hockey World Cup match on Sunday, South Africa will be desperate to win their next Pool D clash today against Japan. The 16th-ranked South Africans went down 4-1 to Belgium, the world No 5, and the outcome of their showdown today will be a huge step towards qualifying for the knockout stages. Japan will be equally desperate to win after going down 2-0 to Australia in their opening Pool D fixture. With two more pool matches remaining, time is running out for the South Africans to reach the next phase of the tournament. The SA squad’s technical staff would have noted that the game against Belgium was a clash of penalty corners, as four of the five goals in the game came off…

HIGHER Education, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Blade Nzimande congratulated two young Wits University researchers for taking leading roles in the Atlas experiment collaboration of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Cern). Dr Edward Nkadimeng was appointed by the management of the Tile Calorimeter Group of the Atlas experiment at Cern to lead the team for the Low Voltage Power Supply project. Nkadimeng leads a community of physicists and engineers from the US and Europe. This international team will be delivering on critical electronics for the upgrade of the Tile Calorimeter of the Atlas detector. Ryan Mckenzie, a Wits PhD student, has been chosen to undertake the roles of deputy run-co-ordinator and then run-co-ordinator of the Atlas Hadronic Tile calorimeter. “The appointment of these young researchers comes as the world…

INGREDIENTS ½ cup chopped onion ½ cup chopped celery ¼ cup butter, cubed 2 garlic cloves, minced ½ cup all-purpose flour 2 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp dried basil ½ tsp pepper 4 cups chicken broth 1 pack frozen green peas 4 cups cubed cooked chicken Dumplings: 2 cups biscuit/baking mix 2 tsp dried basil 2/3 cup 2% milk METHOD Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a large saucepan, sauté the onion and celery in butter until tender. Add the garlic; cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt, basil and pepper until blended. Gradually add the broth and bring to a boil. Cook and stir until thickened. Reduce the heat. Add the peas and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the chicken.…

After the 2024 general elections, a new political axis will be born. The probable partners will be the ANC, the DA and the EFF. The likely results, according to the trajectory, will see the ANC garner about 40% of the vote, the DA 24% and the EFF 19%. A marriage of convenience will be consummated by the three. In the long run, it could transform into a marriage of inconvenience. The three potential partners have opposing ideologies on virtually every aspect of sound governance. In our shaky political environment, trust has become a rare commodity. We are in turmoil, from power outages to dysfunctional state institutions. Fiery statements from all the political actors are reasons for concern. The dangerous rise of populist parties has disrupted systems across our fragmented politics…

Certain events seem to make the course of current affairs pivot, to open up possibilities for large-scale human advancement, for an enlargement of freedoms and for the enactment of inclusive, progressive ideals. The election of Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama are cases in point. But we are also all too familiar with events that are malign in their impacts and pernicious in their longer-term effects, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its devastating impact on human security both near and far. No doubt many in Africa will regard the recent US Supreme Court ruling which struck down the constitutionality of abortion as regrettable, but distant – unlikely to be felt by Africans. But I believe that in addition to the immediate harm it will cause to American women, it…

NEW DELHI: Twelve people died and others were injured when their bus fell into a deep gorge in India’s northern hilly state of Himachal Pradesh yesterday, officials said. There were around 20 people on the bus when the accident occurred in Sainj valley in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district. The death toll may rise as some of the injured are in a critical condition, and rescue work was under way in the hope of finding more injured people inside the bus. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that the accident was “heart-rending”, expressing grief over the loss of lives in the tragedy. | Xinhua…

LondoN: Cereals giant Kellogg’s yesterday lost a High Court challenge against new UK rules limiting the prominence of sugary foods in English shops to tackle child obesity. At a hearing in April, the Frosties and Rice Krispies maker argued against the government’s strategy to calculate fat, salt and sugar content of cereals when eaten dry, not when taken with milk. But in a ruling yesterday, Judge Thomas Linden said 54.7% of Kellogg’s cereals would be classed as less healthy under the new regulations that take effect from October. Kellogg’s claimed the change would hit annual profits by about £5 million (R98m). | AFP…

Former Kaizer Chiefs defender Lorenzo Gordinho has joined Danish second division side HB Køge. The 28-year-old joined the club on an 18-month deal and will now be playing his football under the guidance of former Liverpool defender Daniel Agger. Gordinho most recently played for Viborg FF. “Lorenzo fits the criteria we have been looking for in a new centre-back this summer,” stated Køge director Per Rud. “He is strong and aggressive in his defensive game but can, at the same time, lead the ball forward and help build our offensive game. “He has lots of experience from the highest level in South Africa, where he has also been on the national team, and at the same time he knows Denmark and the Danish culture from Viborg. “We are sure he…

The Tour de France gets back underway today after a successful three days in Denmark with a series of testing stages that will shape the destiny of the 2022 yellow jersey. Here, we look at five things worth watching out for. Van der Poel’s yellow jersey bid With three hilly stages, two mountain days and the treacherous cobbles, attack-minded Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin will be straining at the leash to once more claim the overall leader’s yellow jersey after a fine run in 2021. He can probably not do it in the mountains, but the one-day specialist sits just 20 seconds off Wout van Aert’s lead and may even go for the gun between Dunkirk and Calais today. Cobbles could shake up pecking order The Tour takes on…