Inhoudsopgave van 2023-05-15 - Star

THE RAND tanked to an all-time low on Friday, reaching R19.52 against the US dollar, surpassing the R19.35/$1 achieved at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, on the back of a diplomatic fallout between South Africa and the US over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The currency tumbled as reports of South Africa potentially supplying military equipment to Russia added to a slew of bad news, including escalating electricity outages and the negative effects this is having on economic growth and the health of state finances. The US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben E Brigety II, accused South Africa of having “uploaded weapons and ammunition” to a Russian vessel called Lady R that docked in Simon’s Town harbour in December. “We are confident that weapons were loaded on to that…

THE COMPETITION Commission has given the green light to the merger of Takatso Aviation and national carrier South African Airways (SAA) with part of the conditions being that Global Aviation and Syranix completely divest from Takatso to limit the lessening and prevention of competition in the domestics airlines market space. The Competition Commission’s decision, which is still to go before the Competition Tribunal for consideration, allows Takatso to acquire 51% of the issued share capital of SAA from the South African government as represented by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) while the remaining 49% shareholding in SAA will be retained by the DPE. In a statement, Siyabulela Makunga, spokesperson for the commission, said the approval first hit a snag on the parties’ rejection of the divestiture and employment…

ANGLOGOLD Ashanti plans to shift its corporate domicile and primary listing away from South Africa. AngloGold Ashanti said on Friday in its results for the quarter to March 31 that it was on track to meet its guidance for the year. However, after disposing of its remaining South African operating assets in 2020, it did a review of its domicile and listing structure. “The review concluded that the most appropriate corporate structure for AngloGold Ashanti group is a UK corporate domicile, with a US primary listing on the New York Stock Exchange and secondary listings on the JSE and A2X Markets in South Africa and the Ghana Stock Exchange in Ghana,” it said. The change in domicile and listing structure was aligned with the transformation of AngloGold Ashanti’s asset…

The main concern for South African financial markets remains the sharp depreciation of the currency. In last week’s report I mentioned that the rand started to weaken after the unexpected decrease in US unemployment and sharp increases in wages. This data set the platform for yet another increase in the US Federal Reserve’s bank rate next month. This led to rand’s depreciation of more than 50 cents to R18.60 to the dollar. Since last Monday, however, geopolitical factors also started to play a major role in the freefall of the rand. Various reports on the domestic and international fronts on the desperate situation at Eskom, indicating that load shedding stage 8 or higher were seemingly looming, set the negative tone. The news that US inflation in April…

When Adulting started steaming on Showmax, one wouldn’t have been wrong if you thought it was a night out with the gents in Joburg. However, it ended up being a deeper look at some of the issues men experience in the world today. Adulting is the first Showmax Original from multi-award-winning production company, Tshedza Pictures. The eight-part 18SN drama follows four varsity friends, whose strong bond has held them together even as their journeys in life have taken them in very different directions. As they try to find love and success in Johannesburg after university, they turn to each other for support. Bonga, portrayed by Thembinkosi Mthembu, is the leader of the group and the one who keeps them together. “He’s at a stage in his life where things are…

MAKRO recently trended for having a go at Checkers for its R40 PRIME hydration drinks. They advertised six Energade drinks for R40. “Want to perform at your Prime? Then don’t settle for just any sports drink – choose Energade! With a variety of delicious flavours to choose from, there’s something for everyone,” they wrote in the caption. The advert went viral, with users flooding the comments section of the post with hilarious jokes in reaction. One user wrote: “This must be the most personal ad I’ve seen by far.” A second user wrote: “Did you have a Nando’s this morning? I see what you did there.” A third commented: “Nando’s vibes.” On May 1, Checkers South Africa launched PRIME hydration drinks at R40. “It’s here - 1 May 2023! LET’S…

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who currently occupies a hot seat, bears the blame as many blast him for not presenting viable solutions to the ongoing power crisis that continues to wreak havoc in South Africa. While many South Africans had a glimmer of hope with his appointment, Ramokgopa has revealed that this winter will be challenging. He said Stage 6 outages would continue almost indefinitely as the system continued to be under strain. In a media briefing where he was detailing the implementation of the country’s energy plan, he said: “These unplanned outages resulted in Eskom being forced to implement Stage 6, and as Eskom’s communication has been saying, it is Stage 6 almost indefinitely.” Ramokgopa, who has been off to a rocky start, has faced objections as different organisations…

MAMELODI flood victims are planning to take to the streets in protest against government’s promises to relocate them. The residents were forced to leave their homes and move into a local community hall after their dwellings were washed away by a raging rain storm in February last year. About 150 despondent shack dwellers were moved to the Nellmapius Community Hall in Mamelodi, after the flooding at Mountain View, Mavuso and Willow Farm informal settlements. In February last year, the river overflowed and washed away their homes. According to the residents, they were promised relocation two years ago, and the City of Tshwane has since failed to communicate with them. They said they felt stuck and hopeless at the hall. At the weekend, one of their leaders, Simon Sekhale, said that…

SCHOOLS in Mamelodi township often have to grapple with the problem of girl learners playing truant because of the lack of sanitary towels during their periods. This was highlighted by community activist Dikeledi Moabelo during an event at Nellmapius Secondary School, held to motivate learners and assure them that they can achieve their goals in life against all odds. Moabelo, who is the founder of a non-profit organisation, House of LeBron Foundation, also used the opportunity to donate sanitary pads to needy learners. At least 680 girls, who were part of more than 1 600 learners, were recipients of the donation aimed at restoring their dignity. Moabelo said the donation would go a long way in discouraging learners from skipping schooling because they were short of sanitary towels. “We…

A new analysis-based study by the Northwestern University of Illinois has found that the majority of Covid-19 patients put on ventilators may have suffered secondary bacterial pneumonia. The study seems to suggest that a high percentage of people who required help from a ventilator due to a Covid-19 infection also developed secondary bacterial pneumonia. It has been reported that this pneumonia was responsible for a higher mortality rate than the Covid-19 infection. According to Science Alert, a medical newsletter, Northwestern University pulmonologist Benjamin Singer is quoted as saying that while Covid-19 may have been responsible for putting these patients in the hospital, it was actually a secondary infection brought on by the use of a mechanical ventilator that was more likely to be the cause of death when this infection…

One of the arguments put forward by Prophet Shepherd Bushiri regarding his escape from South Africa to Malawi is that he feared losing his life in South African prisons. And in light of what has come up regarding the escape of a prisoner from a Bloemfontein prison through the assistance of a gorgeous and educated black woman, the claims and fears of Bushiri become more valid. Added to this is the horror that befell an innocent victim who was killed, burnt to ashes and used as a way to cover up this evil, where officials were part of the crime. The least the government and South Africans can do is listen to Bushiri and be open to a balanced approach or dialogue concerning his reasons, in the same way we…

As we celebrated Mother’s Day, to honour all moms out there and those mothers who are watching their children from heaven above, let us delve into the psychology of this long-celebrated day. It is said, to describe a mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Since early development, a mother is with her child as a shadow. While sitting down to write this article, some of my sweet childhood memories come to mind as my mother arranges my clothes while she dresses me for school. Reminding me, my hair styled in two plaits remained neat for the day. She would hold my hand tightly while walking me to and from school. My meals after school – I realise the days when the meal felt tastier…

The ugly scenes that erupted in Rustenburg on Saturday after Kaizer Chiefs’ season-defining result has given them a lot to think about ahead of their final game of the campaign. The sleeping giants of South African football took a belated breath in the penultimate round of the Premiership season at the weekend, and they will need serious resuscitation next season. Chiefs’ fall from grace was confirmed at Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace after they lost 1-0 to SuperSport United, ending any hopes of qualifying for continental football next season, which would have saved their season. Already, the dark clouds had started to hang over Amakhosi after they lost to arch rivals Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals last weekend to claim an infamous eight-season barren run without a trophy. But…

Responsibility of protecting the national grid put in the hands of electricity users, while government scrambles to avert a grid collapse ESKOM has placed the responsibility of protecting the national grid in the hands of electricity users, while the government scrambles to avert a grid collapse on the back of deteriorating generation capacity. This comes as the National Rationalised Specifications Association finalises the new national rationalised specifications document – NRS048-9 Revision 2 – which proposes load shedding schedules of up to stage 16 following Eskom’s application. The struggling power utility on Friday said it had opened applications for the demand-side management programme, which provides a financial incentive for demand reduction by commercial and residential customers. Through the Demand Side Management (DSM) programme, Eskom has so far been able to avert…

THE AGRICULTURAL sector needs more money for its own power generation than what the government presented in the Agro-Energy Fund, said Agricultural Business Chamber chief economist Wandile Sihlobo. He said on Friday that any assistance would help. “Our wish is the amount would have been larger, and we continue to engage with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (Dalrrd) about this. “Still, we understand the fiscal constraints, and welcome this intervention of the Agro-Energy Fund,” he said in response to a Business Report question. Delivering the Dalrrd’s budget vote last week, Minister Thoko Didiza said she had established a task team comprising sector partners which had engaged with Eskom on solutions to mitigate the impact of energy cuts on the sector. Didiza said: “We are setting…

Business Report's (BR)’s content editor Philippa Larkin in conversation with the new president of the Black Management Forum (BMF) Dr Sibongile Vilakazi. Vilakazi has been gracious enough to agree to run a column in BR. When I met her I was bowled over by her eloquence and vision. So I am really grateful that she has agreed to share her voice, not only in BR, but with our readers and South Africa. DR VILAKAZI, who was appointed last month, is the first woman president in 17 years of the organisation and only the second woman to lead the organisation since its inception in 1976. She is the first woman in 17 years to lead the BMF since Nolita Fakude, who held office between 2003 and 2006. Vilakazi takes over…

The new cast for MTV Shuga Down South 3 has been revealed and it also features familiar faces, including Ayanda Makayi who plays the controversial character Sol, and Dee Rasedile, who plays Thuli. Seasoned actors Nimrod Nkosi (as Blessing), Seiphemo Motswiri (Robert Mosimane), Thuli Thabethe (Nomazizi Mkhize), Josias Moleele (coach Sono), Lerato Mvelase (Mam’ Grace) and Leera Mthethwa (Nurse Keitu) also join the series for the third season. “We’re excited to introduce the new cast for MTV Shuga Down South 3,” said Tshireletso Yvonne Diogo, country director of MTV Staying Alive Foundation. “Their talent and passion for story- telling brings fresh energy to the multi-award-winning TV series that addresses important social issues experienced by young Africans as they navigate their way through adolescence and young adulthood.” Below is a quick…

ACTOR Michael J Fox “broke his face” due to Parkinson’s. The Back to the Future actor, 61, has battled the disease for 30 years and has detailed the litany of injuries and broken bones he’s sustained while enduring the degenerative disease. He said in a cover interview for next week’s issue of Variety magazine, due out on Wednesday: “I broke this shoulder – had it replaced. I broke this elbow. I broke this hand. “I had an infection that almost cost me this finger. I broke my face. I broke this humerus. And that sucked.” Fox, who has four children with his wife, Tracy Pollan, 62, and retired from acting in 2020, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991, a year after Back to the Future Part III was released. He…

The MMC for Transport, Kenny Kunene, is now the acting mayor for the City of Johannesburg until the end of business today. Kunene will be filling in for the mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Kabelo Gwamanda, who is attending government business in Cape Town. Kunene expressed his gratitude for being given the duty of managing the nation’s economic centre. “I am humbled by the confidence the mayor has in me to give me such a mammoth task. What makes it easy is that we work well with the mayor and the other MMCs; we understand issues and administration, so I am humbled.” While the mayor is away, he promised to try his best to keep the city’s services running smoothly. Since he was appointed as Roads and Transport MMC,…

The ANC believes that the disbursement of social grants to 28 million people would work in its favour in the next year’s general elections. Speaking in a by-election campaign trail in Chatsworth, south-west of Durban yesterday, the party president, Cyril Ramaphosa, listed the provision of social security and school nutrition programme as two of the party’s greatest achievements, arguing that it was only in South Africa where a government was making sure that 28 million people went to bed with a full stomach. The president welcomed more than 100 DA members to the ANC who had joined, together with former DA ward 73 councillor Devaraj Ronnie Pillay, who resigned in March to join the ANC. The by-election is on May 24 and the ANC has fielded Pillay as…

Millennials now comprise up to 42% of all property purchasers, especially in the main urban areas, according to data from Lightstone. Lightstone, a company that provides information, valuations and market intelligence on properties across South Africa released data showing while Cape Town was more expensive, millennials were investing, making up over a third of all sales over the last year. Seeff Property Group estate agent Ross Levin said the millennial buyer’s market was predominantly below R1.5 million and they usually fell in the under-35-year age bracket. Levin, Seeff’s Atlantic Seaboard licensee said: “You can even find the odd apartment in the sought-after CBD area for between R1.2m and R1.5m.” He said deeds office data showed some 39% of sales over the last year in the Cape Town CBD were to…

THE Gauteng Department of Health’s Tshwane District Nurses Forum commemorated the International Nurses under the theme “Our nurses, our future” on Friday at the Tshwane Leadership and Management Academy. The day is celebrated annually around the world on the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is considered the founder of modern-day nursing. The special day was granted by the International Council of Nurses, and has been observed officially since 1974. It is a once-a-year chance to define what needs to be done to provide more efficient health-care services. In addition, this day plays a crucial role in making nurses well informed, advanced, encouraged and supported to deliver better services.…

A few weeks after clearing the air about her involvement with the Facebook rapist Thabo Bester, the flamboyant socialite MaMkhize finds herself in another saga involving her football team, Royal AM. Before it was revealed that Simz Ngema was the celebrity who visited Bester in prison, the affluent business mogul’s name was dragged into the story. Shauwn Mkhize, fondly known as MaMkhize, did not hesitate to clear her name from the disgraceful subject, revealing she did not know Bester. Royal AM FC’s MaMkhize has again addressed the ongoing claims that she failed to pay her players their salaries. In a statement, she said that she always ensured that all her employees – including her players – were paid within the stipulated time frame. “The article, titled Royal Mess at MaMkhize’s…

Trusting in himself, being trusted by his coaches, and blocking out all the external noise that can be distracting is how Manie Libbok got his kicking groove back. Since he showed a slight dip in kicking form against Munster, he’s gone from strength to strength, leading the Stormers with his prowess on attack and his aim at the posts to a second successive URC final. On Saturday, Libbok scored 23 points via two tries, five conversions, and a penalty as he helped the defending champions overcome a spirited Connacht 43-25 at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium for a place in the May 27 final. Thanks to Munster defeating favourites Leinster in Dublin, Cape Town will host a second final in two years. Libbok, vying for a place as one of the…

A first-lap incident compromised Brad Binder in the French Grand Prix at Le Mans yesterday as the Red Bull KTM rider survived a chaotic and exciting race to finish sixth. Starting MotoGP’s 1 000th Grand Prix in 10th place, Binder was pushed down to 16th after a four-bike tussle forced him wide during the initial stages of the GP, while a long-lap penalty with eight laps to go put paid to the 27-year-old’s chances of a podium. Coupled with his second-place finish on Saturday in the sprint race, the haul of 19 points over the weekend kept Binder third in the world riders’ championship on 81 points, 12 behind race winner Marco Bezzecchi. The Italian produced his second win of the season to slash fellow Italian Francesco Bagnaia’s championship lead…

SOUTH Africa has been plagued by severe load shedding for the past few months. Winter is fast approaching and Eskom is proposing load shedding schedules of up to stage 16, with load curtailment for industries up to stage 4, the highest. Business Report spoke to some retailers to find out how they are preparing themselves should stage 16 take place. Retailer Pick n Pay, which released its results this month and had spoken extensively about the impacts of load shedding on its performance, said it took the view that the power crisis was a permanent new reality. “Our priority is to provide uninterrupted service for customers in our stores, whatever the level of load shedding. “We will keep adapting our plans and our operations…

RICHEMONT would likely continue to face economic volatility and political uncertainty in the new financial year and it would remain agile so as to manage fluctuating demand levels, chairperson Johann Rupert said on Friday. Commenting at the release of the results for the year to March 31, he said their Maisons were well positioned to meet strong demand, such as that driven by a significant resumption of Chinese travel, following the lifting of Covid restrictions and a significant increase in sales there in the final quarter. Over the past year, “the group has drawn on the strength of its Maisons and the resilience of luxury consumers in an environment characterised by geopolitical volatility, economic uncertainty and high inflation,” said Rupert. The luxury watches and accessories group with brands such as…

Ronald Reagan is known for Reagan- omics, Margaret Thatcher is known for Thatcherism, and this fundamentally-flawed economic thought leadership for free market fundamentalism, which destroyed public services. The government of South Africa, however, shall not be bested by these two former heads of state: President Cyril Ramaphosa has introduced a new theory of economics, whereby supply destroys demand and demand as a consequence destroys supply. The question is, what does this imply for supply-based demand? Is Say’s Law about to be unseated with Ramaphonomics? In classical economics, Say’s Law, or the law of markets, claims the production of a product creates demand for another product by providing something of value which can be exchanged for that other product. So, production is the source of demand. To engage this topic, we…

Living in a child-headed household can be a heavy burden for children, robbing them of the opportunity to truly experience childhood. These children take on adult responsibilities, such as caring for younger siblings and managing household finances, which can impact their mental health and well-being. Moreover, they are often exposed to the harsh realities of poverty, social isolation, and violence which can lead to depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. This crisis is particularly prevalent in South Africa, where many children have to fend for themselves without parental care. While these children demonstrate remarkable resilience, they often lack the necessary support and resources to thrive. According to a report by the South African Human Rights Commission (2019), an estimated 3.7 million children in South Africa live without parental care,…

CHEF Gordon Ramsay is as famous for his culinary skills as he is for expressing his displeasure to contestants competing on cooking shows. The British chef also starred in the series Hell's Kitchen, and his stint of being a hard-to-impress chef spawned several memes and jokes as well. Now, a video shared by Ramsay has gone viral on the internet. The video starts with him showing the “best burger recipe ever”. Ramsay starts by sautéing some onions in butter and then proceeds to cook the meat. As the video goes on, he can be seen slicing pickles, melting cheese on the meat, and toasting the burger buns. But in all these steps, he is seen adding a substantial amount of butter and oil. “Let’s make a delicious Australian Wagyu Burger…

Durban snake catcher Nick Evans and two of his friends came across a couple of pythons but Evans said the best sighting was a 2.8m specimen. Evans said that this Wednesday was a busy but cracking day of research for him. “My favourite kind of days. I find such days as exciting as a day of snake rescues. Learning more about one’s study animal, collecting data, getting results, is more fun than it may sound.” He said two friends assisted him on his southern African python monitoring project at an undisclosed location. “We came across a couple of pythons, but the best sighting of the lot was this 2.8m± specimen,” Evans said. “As you can see, it was enjoying the sun, which was giving the snake the energy needed to…

WHILE the world celebrated International Nurses Day on Friday, a nurse with a passion for assisting children on their path to recovery spoke about his challenges, coupled with the joy the profession brings to him. “Nursing must be from your heart; it is challenging, and it can be emotional, but it is an extremely rewarding career that is about so much more than just the money,” said Sibusiso Xhakaza, 33, a highly skilled member of the paediatric ICU team at Netcare Waterfall City Hospital in Midrand. According to him, to be a nurse, you need to have a passion for humanity and be gentle and strong when you are caring for someone who is fragile and frail, like the young children they look after in the paediatric ICU. “These tiny…

STEPS to fight crime at the Voortrekker Monument and the surrounding nature reserve are under way. To set the wheel in motion, the City of Tshwane has been cutting long grass in specific risk areas. This came after different stakeholders, which include the municipality, the monument and the Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge, raised the alarm that crime was on the increase in the vicinity after recent armed robberies targeting visitors and staff on two occasions. The MMC for Corporate and Shared Services, Kingsley Wakelin, said the City held a follow-up meeting with relevant stakeholders to address the crime and vandalism that plague the monument. “Working on the operational commitments made at the initial meeting to increase security to keep the monument and the surrounding nature reserve safe, I am…

To celebrate Mother’s Day, The Star newspaper readers were summoned to a delightful baking experience with flavoursome treats at Bakeology Studio in Melrose yesterday. While Mother’s Day is celebrated differently across the world, Bakeology Studio hosted the event, making the baking experience fun and memorable. Overflowing with elation, the guests described the event as relaxing and exciting. Sunaina Lalloo, patisserie chef and head recipe developer at the studio, said: “Today is a very special day because it is not just celebrating Mother’s Day alone; it’s also celebrating women. Whether we are mothers by choice or not, we are a symbol and role model to many people out there. And women are dynamic and strong, and we should remember our qualities and always lift others along our journey.” The patisserie chef,…

Mamelodi Sundowns dealt Wydad AC a huge blow after they failed to exploit their numerical advantage at their Stade Mohammed V fortress in Casablanca, where Saturday evening’s Champions League semi-final first leg ended goalles. After dismissing Neo Maema in the first half, Ghanaian referee Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea gave hosts Wydad a further advantage when he handed a second red card to Marcelo Allende late in tie. After his team came away unscathed, Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena was over the moon following a stout effort from his players. “I am proud of these players for their gallant performance in very difficult circumstances,” he said. “They showed an incredible work rate. They had tactical discipline, as well as adapting to a tough situation. “They need a lot of appreciation because these…