Inhoudsopgave van 2023-08-08 - Star

Company has worked for two years to formulate a sustainable empowerment scheme PPC, THE COUNTRY’S largest cement product manufacturer, has launched an employee share ownership trust to give its staff in South Africa a 10% shareholding, which will pay them a dividend almost immediately. PPC Cement SA MD Njombo Lekula said yesterday that they had worked for two years to formulate a sustainable empowerment scheme. The scheme is unique in that it relies on PPC’s dividends for its sustainability – the group’s previous empowerment schemes were largely reliant on the share price for their sustainability, and had to be unwound as they were under water. PPC’s share price has been low in recent years in line with falling construction and infrastructure activity in South Africa, and because the group…

SPUR CORPORATION’S shares jumped 4% after the group forecast juicy annual sales and double-digit earnings, which the market relished. The share closed 5.87% higher at R24.88 on the JSE yesterday as a result of the announcement. In a trading statement, it said for its annual financial results for the year ended June 30, 2023, the group was expecting to report earnings per share of between 256.91 cents and 264.12c, roughly between 78% to 83% higher, while headline earnings per share were forecast at between 256.70c to 263.91c, up 78% to 83% from the prior year. Spur reminded its shareholders that the profit for the prior financial year included the one-off income tax charge of R14 million and non-deductible interest on tax liabilities of R8.04m. These charges followed the…

As the second-largest country by population, China and its domestic market continue to be important for the entertainment industry. However, foreign and domestic companies are subject to the whims of the coutry, which has been tightening its regulatory grip on online entertainment over the past five years. Despite a slight ease in restrictions early in 2023, new proposals from China’s cyberspace regulator recommend further limiting children’s screen time. In November 2019, China imposed a curfew on online gaming for minors, banning gamers under 18 from playing online between 10pm and 8am. Additional restrictions were set on gaming time, limiting users to 90 minutes on weekdays and three hours on weekends and holidays. By 2021, the crackdown escalated, leading to a sharp decline in the gaming industry. Between August 2021…

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling’s fantasy comedy-drama film Barbie has now crossed $1 billion globally in just its third weekend. Taking to Instagram, the makers announced the news with a special post which they captioned, “Here’s to our incredible Barbies and Kens from all around the world for making our Barbie dreams come true. We’re excited to share that #BarbieTheMovie has hit $1-billion at the Global Box Office.” According to Variety, a US-based media house, this makes director Greta Gerwig the first-ever solo female filmmaker with a billion-dollar film. Barbie hit the milestone after 17 days of its release, becoming the fastest Warner Bros. release to join the $1bn club. Earlier the fantasy drama film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 held that record at 19 days. It’s…

THE mother of Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana player Senzo Meyiwa was left reeling (after learning) that her son’s BMW X6 was still being used days after his death. This was after State witness Tumelo Madlala told the court that Afropop singer Kelly Khumalo insisted on using Meyiwa’s car after he was murdered at her Vosloorus home on October 26, 2014. According to Madlala, a childhood friend of Meyiwa, Khumalo refused to use any other vehicle apart from Meyiwa’s BMW X6. Her sister, Zandile Khumalo, had earlier testified that the pair, who were in a romantic relationship, had co-purchased the vehicle. Madlala told the court that following the incident on October 26, 2014, he, along with Ntombi Khumalo, Kelly and Zandi, stayed at the Mulbarton residence, where Kelly and Meyiwa…

GWAKWANI Village lies near South Africa’s northern border, close to Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The Venda name means armpit, but thanks to the University of Johannesburg (UJ), and now the South African Jewish Boards of Deputies (SAJBD), it is well on its way to becoming a model village. Over the past three years, the village has become a pilot project, showing what public private partnerships can achieve for communities without basic services. Today, the village of 100 inhabitants has solar power which provides community lighting and running water, where it once had nothing, as well as a bakery. This has created job opportunities for entrepreneurs. On Friday, the SAJBD donated Nga Tshumisano (Let’s work together in Tshivenda), a fully equipped education centre with computers and uncapped WiFi to Hanyani High School…

Leading female stars, including songstress Brenda Mtambo, comedian Noko Moswete and Nthabeleng The DJ will lead the Women’s Month celebrations at the Birchwood Jazz Evening tonight. The much-anticipated event, which has been missing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, takes place at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre. The organiser, Jazzman Mahlakgane, said the event carried a poignant and exciting mix of some of South Africa’s most beloved male and female performers, whose rich repertoire of music not only inspires and delights, but embodies female empowerment. “True to form, guests will be treated to carefully curated women-friendly entertainment, delicious dining and award-winning hospitality that underpins the venue’s 25 years of rich history and exceptional service,” he said. Speaking to The Star recently, Mosweti, a self-taught comedian, said: “I…

What can we take away from the national dialogue on coalition government, given the nature of conversations and undertakings made? Let us reflect in one way, out of many ways many will offer in the coming days and weeks, I believe. This weekend, the majority of political parties with seats in Parliament, joined by many civil society formations, structures of indigenous leadership, religious formations, women, youth and student organisations, participated in what was dubbed the National Dialogue of Coalition Government. Opening the dialogue, the convenor, Deputy President the Honourable Paul Mashatile, suggested that the country should have had this “collective reflection” some years back as part of the continuous process of promoting consensus about our democracy. The need for this dialogue has been made even more urgent by recent experiences…

Brad Binder scored another impressive podium on Sunday, warding off the interest of former teammate Miguel Oliveira to claim an morale-boosting and important third-place finish. It was a thrilling conclusion to the British Grand Prix with the first four riders crossing the line within touching distance of each other. Oliveira’s Aprilla teammate Aleix Espargaro stole victory on the final lap from defending world champion Francesco Bagnaia, as the sparing for podium places finished in compelling action, compounded by the threat of rain. Binder started the afternoon in 10th place on the grid. Despite making light contact with another rider on the first corner of the race – which pushed him off track momentarily – and with the help of his medium compound tyres and the ferocious pace of his Red…

MORE THAN 720 000 Brazilians are suing BHP, the world’s biggest miner by market value, over the 2015 collapse of the Fundao Dam, which was owned and operated by the Samarco joint venture between BHP and Brazilian iron ore producer Vale. Vale yesterday lost a bid to block fellow mining giant BHP Group’s bid to have it share potential liability in a £36 billion (R846bn) London lawsuit over Brazil’s worst environmental disaster. More than 720 000 Brazilians are suing BHP, the world’s biggest miner by market value, over the 2015 collapse of the Fundao Dam, which was owned and operated by the Samarco joint venture between BHP and Brazilian iron ore producer Vale. The disaster killed 19 people as more than 40 million cubic metres of…

SOUTH Africa’s government has confirmed that the upcoming BRICS Summit will hold a discussion about a potential establishment of a new common currency, but no “major decisions” will be taken just yet. Heads of State of Brazil, India, China and South Africa will gather in Johannesburg later this month for the 15th BRICS Summit to reflect on all the elements of co-operation, regional and global economic and political developments, as well as the global governance reform agenda. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, however, will attend virtually, since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest if he visited South Africa. This will be the first BRICS Summit to be hosted in person since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent global travel restrictions. There has been considerable…

PAN AFRICAN said yesterday that despite the previously flagged challenges experienced at its underground operations, it had met its revised gold production guidance for fiscal 2023. In its operational update for the year ended June 30, 2023, the mid-tier miner said gold production was 175 209 ounces. For the 2024 financial year, production guidance was set at 178 000 to 190 000 ounces. Pan African CEO Cobus Loots said: “Despite the previously flagged challenges experienced at our underground operations, the group delivered a robust financial performance for the reporting period. “The continuous operations at our Barberton underground mines and other improvements are now positively impacting production, with increased production expected in the year ahead.” The group said Barberton Mines produced 64 586 ounces, Barberton Tailings Retreatment…

In the realm of technological advancements, Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands as the next uncharted frontier, poised to revolutionise the way we live, work, and interact. Many of the recent advances can be attributed to foundation models that contain deep layers of artificial neuron networks and deep learning. Recent deep learning models in generative AI can process extremely large and diverse sets of unstructured data, as well as perfrom multiple tasks. Foundation models thus gave rise to new capabilities including the generation of images, video, audio and computer code. AI can now classify, edit, summarise, answer questions, and create new content, to name just a few. The most recent generative AI applications have proven their competence in various mundane tasks, like organising and categorising data. However, it is their exceptional ability…

Mom in agony after her boy, 14, was forced to drink poison The family of the late Brian Ndlovu is demanding justice amid allegations that a group of school bullies forced him to drink poison. Ndlovu, 14, a learner at Queens High School in Roodepoort, died last week at Hillbrow Clinic after the alleged bullying incident, where perpetrators ambushed him in the school bathroom and forced him to drink rat poison. Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane visited the school yesterday and said police were investigating. Chiloane said because the incident had an element of suspicion, the police were part of the investigation. He said they were awaiting the post-mortem (report) of what happened to the learner. Chiloane confirmed that Ndlovu died on July 31 at Hillbrow Clinic. Gauteng police confirmed…

In the wake of disturbing levels of cyberattacks against the new direct payment system, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) will be investigating attempts to steal student data. NSFAS board chairperson, Ernest Khoza, told a briefing in Hatfield, Tshwane, yesterday, that the rationale behind the stringent authentication process they had implemented recently was to avoid situations in which undeserving students were erroneously paid allowances. Khoza said what was even more disturbing were the levels to which some individuals would go to discredit the system, especially through cyberattacks. The Information they had confirmed ongoing actions to discredit the system, he said. These included targeted cyberattacks on the websites where beneficiaries’ accounts were hosted. “There is no doubt in my mind that these attacks had the intention to steal student data,…

Residents of Lyttelton Manor in Centurion woke up to a large sinkhole on Sunday morning. Burger Street in the small suburb has been closed off due to the sinkhole that started as a small hole but later affected two properties in the area, making it it virtually impossible for cars to drive on the road. However, one of the property owners who was badly affected by the sinkhole was not fazed by the natural disaster. Speaking to the Pretoria News yesterday, the homeowner, who identified herself only as Anel, said the natural disaster had actually brought the people of Lyttelton together as they lend a hand to those who were affected. “Yes it’s a disaster, but to me this is a story of hope. How people from all walks of…

A SOUTH African chef is making waves in Vietnam as his passion for food has taken him on a culinary and hospitality adventure to this country. Chef Chang Sheng (Peter) Ye, 37, who grew up in Gqeberha, became interested in food when watching television shows such as Hell’s Kitchen. He chose to train in hospitality before making the life-changing decision to study the culinary arts part-time instead. “I already had a Diploma in Hospitality Management and was an intern at Radisson Blu when my passion for cooking really came to the fore,” Ye said. He then realised it was what he wanted to do with his life and that it would give him greater opportunities. “I asked the Radisson if they would sponsor me to study part time at…

Vusi Kunene’s debut on the popular drama series Shaka iLembe reminded viewers why he remains one of the great actors to grace South African screens. Kunene made an appearance as the king of the Tsonga nation, a role that showcased his acting aptitude. The award-winning actor is best known for his robust roles as Jack Mabaso in Generations and its continuation, Generations: The Legacy; Funani Zwide in House of Zwide; Bhekifa in Isibaya; and Jefferson Sibeko in Isidingo. He has been the centre of discourse since he made his debut on the popular and much-followed show. The actor was also lauded on social media for embodying versatility and brilliance on screen. “When it comes to dialogue (and this is not even about the fact that he nailed xiTsonga), Vusi Kunene…

Former Springbok backline coach Dick Muir says it is vital that the 33-man Bok squad announced today generates momentum over the course of their remaining warm-up games ahead of September’s World Cup. The Boks play Wales next weekend followed by New Zealand and then it is Scotland on September 10 in the opening round of the World Cup. The Boks have played four matches this year, winning three of them, but they have only been convincing against Australia, in their first match. “The performances are fluctuating too much,” Muir said. “I know that they have been giving players opportunities but you need consistent performances and that has not been happening. “It is dangerous to assume you can just turn up on the day and be successful. You need to be…

THE CONGRESS of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has raised serious concerns over the exclusion of organised labour from the task team of government and big business convened by the Presidency to deal with South Africa’s economic bottlenecks. This comes after senior business leaders last week resolved to collaborate with the government in tackling the country’s major bottlenecks in a bid to attract investment, create jobs and grow the economy by 3% a year. Leaders of Business Unity South Africa, Business for South Africa, and Business Leadership South Africa identified the energy crisis, transport and logistics challenges, and crime and corruption as three priority areas to turn the tide against the low growth trap. However, Cosatu said yesterday that although it appreciated the government had the right to meet with…

SOUTH Africa’s mining output has fallen further below pre-pandemic levels due to persistent electricity outages and rail disruptions, threatening dividend payouts to investors, industry data shows. South Africa is the world’s biggest producer of platinum and chrome and a leading producer of gold and diamonds. But the industry has been shrinking for years as ore grades decline and output was disrupted in 2020 when Covid-19 lockdowns impacted operations. Now severe power cuts since the end of 2022 are affecting output, while State-owned freight rail firm Transnet is struggling to haul minerals to port due to cable theft and vandalism of infrastructure. As a result, mine output and sales for the 12 months to May 2023 were down 4.6% and 4.2%, respectively, compared to the same period a year earlier, new…

IMPALA Platinum (Implats) expects to report a more than 20% drop in annual earnings as the operating environment in the 2023 financial year saw continuing headwinds and regional power constraints. In its production update and trad- ing statement for the year ended June 30, 2023, the group said yesterday that it was expecting headline earnings and headline earnings per share for the period to be at least 20% lower than those reported in the comparative period. Headline earnings and headline earnings per share for the comparative period were R32 billion and 3 853 cents, respectively, it said. Implats reported that sales volumes declined by 6% to 2.97 million 6E ounces, with limited destocking of refined metal inventories from an already reduced 2022 financial year base. “Softer…

Township-based businesses suffered the most during the Covid-19 pandemic. Technology enabled established and city centre based businesses to still trade. The pandemic changed the adoption of e-commerce in South Africa. As a result, a number of businesses have greater appreciation for e-commerce as another avenue of doing business. Last week, Uber Eats announced a partnership with the Gauteng government to enable township-based businesses to trade via the platform. The company announced that it would invest R200 million to expand its food delivery service to townships in Gauteng, with the aim of creating 2 000 jobs for delivery people and adding 700 more restaurants to its platform. In practical terms, this means when you browse for food providers, some of them will be based in a township. Consumers will…

THE Lion King producer Lebo Morake, known as Lebo M, has become the talk of the town after he announced that he is divorcing his wife, Pretty Samuels-Morake. Earlier this year, the couple celebrated a year of marriage and this is Lebo M’s fourth wife. He has now been married five times, to Viveca Gibson, Nandi Ndlovu, twice to Angela Ngani-Casar, and engaged twice to actress Zoe Mthiyane and Malefu Ntsala. The Grammy-award winning producer released three statements via his management addressing him issuing Samuels-Morake with divorce summons. In his last statement, Lebo M addressed speculation about the authenticity and veracity of the statements issued. “We also confirm that Mr Morake instructed his public relations team to issue press statements on his behalf in relation to the intended divorce proceedings,”…

Right2Justice and the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) have welcomed Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande’s decision to place Unisa under administration. Yesterday, Nzimande confirmed that he notified Unisa council chairperson James Maboa on August 4 of his intention to appoint an administrator. The decision by the minister comes after months of speculation on the future of the university battling issues of maladministration, bullying and supply chain challenges. These were flagged by independent assessor, Professor Themba Mosia, and the Ministerial Task Team (MTT), chaired by Dr Vincent Maphai, in a damning report. In June, the DA called for the institution to be placed under administration following allegations of mismanagement against Vice-Chancellor, Professor Puleng LenkaBula, the paralysis of the university council, and human resource challenges,…

International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor has dismissed suggestions that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will no longer attend the 15th BRICS Summit in South Africa next month. “The Prime Minister of India has never said he is not attending the summit. I’m in constant contact with the foreign affairs minister. Minister Jaishankar has never said it.” Pandor’s remarks emerged from a media briefing yesterday afternoon, where she reiterated South Africa’s readiness to host the summit, which will be held from August 22 to August 24 at the Sandton Convention Centre. She fielded a question about unconfirmed reports that Modi was no longer willing to travel to SA to attend the gathering and had allegedly indicated this in “a phone call with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.” Further remarking on…

I drove from home in Sandton to work in Rosebank this morning and made a survey of minibus taxi driving behaviour, probably more than normal, due to the taxi violence taking place in the Western Cape and all of the publicity this has received. This notwithstanding, as a regular commuter on Nicol Highway, I am very aware of the complete disregard for the rules of the road, which the majority of taxi drivers feel is their right. Every day we all see instances of close calls involving the bandit taxi drivers. This morning, I counted eight instances of taxis running red traffic lights, not just as they changed from green to red or red to green but right in the middle of the red light period. In many of these…

THE AREA in and around the Rooihuiskraal dumping site has become a sorry sight as a result of the ongoing strike by City of Tshwane workers affiliated to the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) two weeks ago. Scores of public servants took to the streets in protest over non-payment of salary increases. They were demanding a 5.4% salary increase. The strike affected service delivery, leaving waste removal among the services severely affected. The Rooihuiskraal dumping site is full and as a result residents are leaving rubbish on the road leading to the facility as well as Lenchen Road. According to the City, the strike, which has been deemed illegal and unprotected by the municipality, disrupted delivery in the metro including waste removal and denied patients life-saving health care after some…

“Did your mother not teach you to be on your best behaviour when you have visitors?” This was a social media post from local comedian and Good Hope FM breakfast show sports presenter Dalin Oliver over the weekend. It was, of course, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the taxi strike that engulfed Cape Town as the Netball World Cup was reaching its conclusion. Oliver has a point. Despite the many daily challenges facing our nation and its people, as the taxi strike has showcased, South Africa has traditionally been able to hide its problems from the global audience to stage spectacular and world class sporting events. From the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the 2010 Fifa World Cup, and all the way to the recent ICC T20 Women’s Cricket World Cup, the…