Inhoudsopgave van 2022-09-21 - Star

Number of factors such as severe power cuts left economists speculating SOUTH Africa’s economic outlook deteriorated in the third quarter due to a number of factors such as severe power cuts, leaving economists speculating that the country’s economy will not grow by the expected 2% this year. The composite leading business cycle indicator in South Africa slipped by 1% month-over-month in July as load shedding intensified during the month, subduing employment creation as job advertisements fell. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) said yesterday that this was the biggest decline in 10 months, which bodes poorly for the outlook as power outages reduced average hours worked per factory worker in manufacturing. It also affected other activities such as the number of building plans approved. The composite leading business cycle indicator…

THUNGELA Resources yesterday signed a three-year wage agreement with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), a move that provides labour stability for the thermal coal exporter amid record high coal prices. NUM is the recognised labour union across Thungela’s operations, and which represents 86% of unionised employees. In a statement, Thungela said the agreement enabled the implementation of a new wage agreement across Thungela’s operations, other than Mafube, which runs an independent wage negotiation process. “The agreement is effective from June 1, 2022, and covers a period of three-years through to the end of May 2025. The wage agreement increases salaries and salary-related allowances and is expected to increase the total labour cost-to-company, on average by approximately 6% per annum over the three-year period," it said. The agreement entails that…

THE NUMBER of commercial property owners and occupiers selling or relocating premises in the third quarter due to financial constraints has picked up slightly, an indication of the end of the post covid-19 economic recovery, a survey of property brokers views in the six major metros showed. FNB Commercial Property Finance property strategist John Loos said in a statement yesterday that this driver of the commercial property market, financial pressure, had previously been diminishing in significance, but in the third quarter survey, a “stalling” in that declining trend had been detected when it reached a level of 32.45%, which could point to an approaching increase in financial pressure in the market. Respondents were polled on their perception of the major drivers of ‘movement and sales activity’ in the owner-serviced property…

Ingredients For the crust: 1 packet coconut biscuits, crushed 125g butter, melted For the filling: 1 litre (4 cups) long-life milk 250ml sugar 45ml corn flour 45ml cake flour 4 eggs Pinch of salt 5ml vanilla essence 30ml butter Cinnamon powder, for dusting Method For the crust: Crush the tennis/coconut biscuits into fine crumbs. Mix in the melted butter well. Line the crust into a milk tart bowl, press to compact and place in the freezer to set. For the filling: In a microwave-safe bowl combine the milk, sugar, corn flour, cake flour, eggs and salt and mix well. Place in the microwave on high for 5 minutes and mix well. Microwave again for 5 minutes and mix well. Add the butter and microwave for another 2 minutes. Add the…

For the first time in 40 years, South African music living legends Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, Babsy Mlangeni, Abigail Kubeka, PJ Powers, Soul Brothers the duo Pappa and Blondie will share the stage at the newly renovated iconic Jabulani Amphitheatre. Taking place on Sunday, the Legends Tribute Concert is a reflective music journey of South Africa’s music legends by legends, paying homage to other musical icons, alive and departed. IOL Entertainment spoke to Ntate Babsy Mlangeni, Mam Abigail Kubeka and Ntate Hotstix Mabuse who insisted the event is “no ordinary show, it's an experience of an era, legacy and history” of the South African music. “I’m looking forward to a great experience. I'm looking forward to curating something that has never been done before ... The opening part of this show…

A temporary ban on using saliva to shine cricket balls was made permanent by the International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday. And the running out of the non-striker will no longer be classed under “unfair play” after a raft of rule changes from October 1 were endorsed by a meeting of the ICC chief executives’ committee, which ratified recommendations from the Sourav Ganguly-led men’s cricket committee. Next month’s T20 World Cup in Australia will be the first major tournament to be played under the new playing conditions. The ICC said the ban on saliva to shine one side of the ball to help it swing, brought in in May 2020 as a temporary measure to prevent Covid transmission, would stay. “The ban on saliva use has been in place for over…

Luke le Roux wore a bright smile that could have lit up Dobsonville Stadium amid a blackout when he reflected on his first Bafana Bafana call-up. “It’s the biggest achievement of my life so far, getting a Bafana call-up. We are going to work hard to prepare for the two games,” Le Roux said. “The past is behind us now. We are looking into the future. It’s the proudest moment of my life, and an unbelievable and best feeling that I can’t explain.” Bafana are currently in camp as they are prepare for friendly matches against Sierra Leone and Botswana at FNB Stadium on Saturday and Tuesday. And coach Hugo Broos has kept to his belief, calling more youngsters and fresh faces into his squad, even though Themba Zwane, who…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has lamented the impact of intensified power cuts on business confidence in South Africa, saying that solving the electricity crisis was necessary to realise the potential of the economy. Eskom yesterday reduced the intensity of load shedding to Stage 5 as several units were returned to service even though a generating unit at Duvha was taken down due to a boiler tube leak. This followed a heightened level of loadshedding to Stage 6 on Sunday as Eskom had to shed 6 000MW from the grid following the collapse of a number of generation units. The situation was made worse by the depletion of emergency generation reserves such as pumped storage and diesel turbines and the need for these to be replenished. Ramaphosa yesterday said…

THE WORLD is heading for Net Zero Emission Day, which is becoming more evident as each day passes. Those arguing that it is a fallacy have lost the debate. Newton’s Third law states: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Newton published his laws of motion in 1687. Albert Einstein added more wisdom: “With every action, there is an equal opposite reaction. With every problem, there is a solution: just a matter of taking action.” The CO2 emission action is worldwide enormous and so is the reaction thereto. South Africa needs close to 60 000MW of electricity to function. Coal production is responsible for just more than 48 000MW. South Africa is the 12th largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world and the worst sulphur…

A NEW musical, Third World Express, is a theatre masterpiece that draws inspiration from the iconic poem of the same title by Dr Mongane Wally Serote and it’s on at the Joburg Theatre until Sunday. For Shadrack Bokaba, the show producer, the journey started in 2016, when he first posed the question of the possibility of staging the Third World Express to Serote. In his response Serote said: “We need inspiration and discourse that will move us forward as Africans here at home and in the diaspora. We need to develop the ability to innovate and to regenerate the energy of our continent with a cultural renaissance that will be informed by our music. We have no choice but to do that.” At the helm of this melting pot of…

FORMER acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane is in hot water yet again, after the police yesterday swooped on his Kameeldrift, Tshwane, home and arrested him for allegations related to a tender – estimated at R54 million – while he was still in office. It is alleged that Phahlane was instrumental in the payment of millions of rand which benefited a Durban-based company, Brainwave Projects 1323 CC, trading as I-View Integrated Systems, contracted for social media monitoring of #FeesMustFall protests. The Star was reliably told that Phahlane was nabbed yesterday at his home. Another suspect arrested for the alleged crime was businessman Inbanathan Kistiah, who is in charge of the implicated company. Kistiah was arrested on Monday. The pair were expected to appear at the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court…

On Monday morning, the Mi7 National Group received information that a white Ford EcoSport, allegedly used in a robbery in the Msinga area near Greytown, was headed towards Pietermaritzburg on the R33. Mi7 director Colin David said the occupants of the vehicle were believed to be armed. He said the Mi7 control room operators conducted an investigation on the vehicle’s registration plates and found it may have been used by the suspects in a string of other robbery cases, including in Wartburg and uMhlali. “Additionally, the plates were cloned – the registration actually belonging to a vehicle still parked in the showroom of a Johannesburg car dealership,” said David. David said operators notified police and armed response teams, comprising reaction officers and Strategic Threat Response Unit officers, were immediately…

THE countdown has begun for the prestigious Miss Heritage Global 2022 pageant that is set to bring together beauty queens from across the globe in Limpopo on Saturday. Miss Heritage Global is an edutainment presentation that not only entertains but also educates on global heritage and diversity, helping to embrace culture and diversity globally. Popular and much-followed media personality Khanyi Mbau and comedian Mpho Popps will be at the helm as hosts with local artists taking the centre-stage. The Star spoke to chairperson of the pageant Nhlanhla Shabangu who revealed how significant it was for SA to host the event. “It is a great opportunity, and one of the biggest milestones to be able to host this event. Especially on the basis that South Africa has been found fit to…

Western nations could lose their grip on South African foreign trade down the line. The current global geopolitical situation between Russia and Ukraine has both solidified BRICS as well as exposed a number of its weaknesses. While some BRICS members, and in particular India, are taking full advantage of discounted commodities prices offered by Russia, South Africa has done very little to shield itself from the global fallout, let alone benefit from its status within BRICS. The question remains, why are South Africans not being spared from high commodity prices, which are essentially being driven up by Western sanctions? As Western sanctions on Moscow tighten, commodity prices globally are soaring. This is having a negative global impact, particularly on European nations dependent on Russian gas for industrial operations. South Africa,…

Merry-go-round football coach Dan ‘Dance’ Malesela has struck once again after he sensationally returned to Marumo Gallants yesterday. Malesela left Gallants late in June after his contract was not renewed, even after guiding the side to the Nedbank Cup final, where they lost to Mamelodi Sundowns. Malesela was replaced by Romain Folz (32), who came with a lofty billing after a stint at Township Rollers, while he was appointed as Royal AM’s co-coach. Life didn’t get off to a go start for Folz and Gallants as the French-born coach failed to inspire his side to a victory in their first five league matches. It then later emerged that Folz has resigned following the interference of the club’s management ahead of their league game against Swallows FC. In a twist, speculation…

The Springboks will approach Saturday’s Rugby Championship match against Argentina in Durban as if it is a World Cup final, according to coach Jacques Nienaber, who adds that the team’s focus is on winning the game and not worrying about permutations to win the title. In what is the tightest Rugby Championship going back to 1996, all four teams have a realistic chance of winning the title on the last day of the competition. Early on Saturday, New Zealand host Australia in Auckland, and then it is the turn of the Boks and the Pumas at Kings Park. By the time the South Africans and Argentinians kick off at 5.05pm, they will know what is required in terms of log points or points difference, but Nienaber says the Boks are…

FITCH Ratings announced yesterday that it revised its metals and mining price assumptions lower, reflecting evolving economic growth expectations and demand and supply dynamics. Data from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) yesterday showed that mining output plunged by 8.4% in July year-on-year following a downwardly revised 7.1% decline in June. This is bad news for South Africa’s domestic mining industry, with its hefty contribution to the country’s gross domestic product and which is now facing the added Eskom load shedding challenge. Data from StatsSA earlier this month showed that mining output plunged by 8.4% in July year-on-year following a downwardly revised 7.1% decline in June as analysts said at the time mining activity would probably be depressed for the remainder of the year, and drag economic growth even lower. Fitch said…

LOCAL is not lekker for businesses operating in some municipalities in terms of service delivery. North West’s Ditsobotla muni- cipality whose poor service delivery prompted the uprooting of Africa’s biggest cheese making factory by dairy group Clover last year, came up as a class act in the roll call of governance failures in the province yesterday. An update to Parliament’s portfolio committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs was presented on an exercise started in 2019 to clean-up rampant corruption, poor governance, unqualified personnel, cronyism, violence, poor service delivery and political instability. The provincial Treasury Department and the South African Local Government Association (Salga) briefed an incredulous committee about the interventions which seemed to have borne minimal fruit. The parliamentary committee heard that of the 43 municipalities dissolved and…

CONGRESS of the People (Cope) in the City of Joburg has dismissed claims that its chair of chairs Colleen Makhubele has been suspended from all council activities. Makhubele was allegedly served with a suspension letter on Monday after she voted for a successful PAC-sponsored motion to remove DA speaker Vasco da Gama last month. Yesterday, Cope’s Joburg region and Makhubele issued a joint media statement in response to a letter of suspension sent by the party’s provincial interim co-ordinator in Gauteng, Mxolisi Ntombela. Cope’s Joburg region secretary Ariel Mokete said: “We would like to dismiss reports of Makhubele’s suspension by illegitimate, unconstitutional and parallel interim provincial structure, established by national spokesperson Dennis Bloem. “We would like to put it on record that Makhubele is not suspended and that she…

Jina, the loggerhead turtle bitten by a tiger shark on the South Coast earlier this year, is a step closer to a possible release. The South African Association for Marine Biological Research (Saambr), in its monthly update on Jina, said: “We are delighted to report that she is now one step closer to possible release. She has become an adept swimmer, despite the partial loss of both her front flippers. This is evident whenever she thinks about being offered food or sees an opportunity of pinching some food from her carers.” According to Saambr’s Ann Kunz, Jina is one of the most food-driven turtles they have cared for and loves squid, as can be seen in the under- water image taken by Bryan Hart. “She has been moved…

The Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court has sentenced “two illegal immigrants” – Azara Josea Nyungele, 36, from Mozambique and Tatenda Tupudza, 22, from Zimbabwe – to 26 years’ imprisonment collectively for housebreaking and being in the country illegally. Lumka Mahanjana, Gauteng regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, said Nyungele was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, while Tupudza was slapped with six years. They were both declared unfit to possess a firearm. Nyungele was found guilty of 11 counts of housebreaking and being in the country illegally, while Tupudza was found guilty of one count of housebreaking and being in the country illegally. The offences happened between May 2019 and January 2022. The duo were arrested after breaking into a house in Annlin, Sinoville, in Pretoria on January 27. Each count…

LOCAL musician Sbahle, whose real name is Sbahle Cele, has made switching to different music genres effortless after moving from Afro-pop to hip hop introducing her newest drop titled Ipiki. She says her use of isiZulu in the song pays homage to her culture, family, and the people of KwaZulu-Natal where she hails from. The Emlanjeni hitmaker also reveals transitioning to hip hop was smooth sailing because she has always been fond of it. “I knew that hip hop stretches you when it comes to writing, so it was not hard. Afro-pop is a quarter of the work,” said Cele. With multiple Afro-pop hits under her belt and millions of views, Sbahle says she is ready to take on the competitive genre, where every lyric is used to hold the…

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says he won’t replace his first assistant Cedo Janevski, given that he has complete confidence in Helman Mkhalele. On Saturday, Safa held their first National Executive Committee meeting post the National Elective Congress, where chief executive Tebogo Motlanthe broke the news that the Macedonian had resigned, taking up a coaching post in Cyprus. Janevski joined Bafana alongside Broos last year, with the pair having formed a bond, including off the field, in Belgium during their respective careers. During his Bafana stint, Janevski helped the team to four wins, three draws and three losses in all competitions, including World Cup qualifiers. However, he got offers in the last few months, such that Broos didn’t have an option but to give him his blessings to go and…

At the age of 34, Cornal Hendricks has almost seen and done it all on a rugby field. But despite the Bulls going all the way to the United Rugby Championship (URC) final last season, a loss to Edinburgh in Scotland is still being felt by the utility back. “Looking forward to Edinburgh, because the last time we played them, it wasn’t a good outing for us as we lost that game. But looking forward to that, playing them at two ’o clock, so it’s going to be lekker hot … I think we owe them one!” the veteran wing said after practice at Loftus Versfeld yesterday ahead of Saturday’s rematch with the Scottish outfit (2.30pm kick-off). “It’s a different game in Europe to South Africa. We’ve got physical and…