Inhoudsopgave van 2023-09-04 - Star

State freight rail business drops 13.6% for the 2023 year, from 173 million to 149 million tons PUBLIC Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has instructed the newly appointed Transnet board to look at methods to turn around the entity's woes, as the parastatal reported a R5.7 billion loss for its 2023 year. This comes after Transnet released its financial results on Friday, in which it posted a massive loss due to the volumes delivered by its freight rail business dropping 13.6% during the period from 173 million to 149 million tons. The group’s latest results show that earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation decreased 2.1% to R23bn, while operating expenditure increased 2% to R45.9bn. Revenue increased by just 0.6% to R68.9bn, from a previous…

THE NATIONAL Treasury said it would implement a number of cost-cutting measures to rein in government spending, including a hiring freeze, after a shortfall in revenue collection. The Treasury, in response to an ailing economy, said it had outlined the measures in a letter addressed to national departments, provinces and public entities. Weekend media reported hat the measures also included a halt in advertising new procurement contracts for all infrastructure projects. Responding to Reuters questions, the Treasury said the cost-cutting plan was “due to the weak performance of the economy and the shortfalls in revenue collection”. The Treasury added that it would work with all departments, provinces and public entities to identify further measures to consolidate budgets as “the measures articulated in the letter will not by themselves fully restore…

AS SOUTH Africans continue to deal with the high cost of living in the country, new vehicle sales fell to the biggest year-on-year decline in sales since December 2021. According to figures released by Naamsa, the Automotive Business Council, South Africa’s new vehicle sales fell 3.1% in August to 45 679, the biggest year-on-year decline in sales since December 2021. Naamsa said that the weak new vehicle sales performance underlined the ongoing stressed business and consumer environment in the country given that negative economic considerations still greatly outweigh positive ones. The council reported that aggregate domestic new vehicle sales in August 2023, at 45 679 units reflected a decline of 1 476 units, or a fall of 3.1%, from the 47 155 vehicles sold in August…

One of the successes of the apartheid government was its precision in planning and discipline in execution. A blueprint for structuring the living, housing, shopping and work areas was developed and replicated across the country. Such that you can go to any town in South Africa, the structure and layout is the same. Townships are a distance from the shopping and work centres. Small towns have a single long street, often called the Church Street that is an entry and exit point from that town. The spatial plan is so simple that it enabled the ease of both implementation and maintenance of control and security provision for citizens and government. Border control and movements in and out of the country were also diligently monitored. As such, the gathering of social…

In 2005, I joined the mining industry pushing a shovel underground as a general worker. My career grew organi- cally through the years, including me being a shop steward responsible for making sure our rights as mineworkers were protected. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the progression of this career would see me years later as the chairperson of mining company Arnot Opco. A coal mine based in Mpumalanga province which supplies coal through a historic supply agreement to one of Eskom’s power stations. I became chairperson of the mine as part of my partner’s and my 50% ownership of Arnot Opco. We lost our jobs at Exxaro in 2015 after the company was forced to retrench workers at its Arnot Mine operations because Eskom had come…

A whole new world of learning and fun opens up for kids on November 6 when Play Room launches on DStv channel 300. The show combines education and entertainment, with original local shows as well as international shows, dubbed in isiZulu. Thabile Ngwato, CEO of the Ngwato Nkosi Group which owns the channel, said they have dubbed the content to make it easier for children to learn their home languages. “The languages used will be conversational and accessible, with language switching taking place as we do in everyday speech. “Watching titles such as Cocomelon and Akili and Me in isiZulu empowers children to explore the world and their feelings in their own language. “For the pre-teen kid, our content reaffirms that the way they express themselves and experience the…

The much anticipated DStv Content Creator Awards ceremony is less than a week away and South Africa’s A-lister content creators are ready to walk the “Purple Carpet”. The event, launched last year, is held in association with Samsung Galaxy and will take place on September 9 in Sandton. And who better to lead the pack than the award-winning comedian and content creator, Donovan Goliath. Goliath was confirmed to host the evening’s proceedings. Goliath, who made it onto the stage last year to receive his DStv Content Creator Award has come full circle. He has also been nominated in two categories, namely the Sol Content Creator and Thumb-Stopping Awards. Other presenters who have been confirmed include Kim Jayde (last year’s winner of the Fashion & Style Award), one of South Africa’s…

ANC supporters converged on the Dobsonville Stadium yesterday for the 2019 ANC manifesto review delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa said they would take the manifesto review process to various parts of the country over the next two months. He touched on various subjects, including the National Health Insurance, sanitation, fighting corruption and promoting integrity. “We are going to have National Health Insurance whether they like it or not,” he said. In the previous five years, the ANC had collaborated with labour, business and civil society to tackle the enduring task of developing and expanding an economy that benefited all South Africans, not just a selected few, it claimed. Ramaphosa said the party had introduced and developed a constitution, policies, laws and programmes that sought to unite and build a…

The First Peoples Indigenous United Nations (FPIUN) NPO held a last-day event commemorating Women’s Day at the Castle of Good Hope. The group of women believe that even with 29 years into the country’s democracy the first nation people are still facing difficulties in governance, self determination with the current government. The women also believe that it is scientific knowledge that the Khoi and the Xam people were the first in the country, followed by the rest, and that is why the celebration was brought to life this year, marking their annual event. Furthermore, the concept was derived from the idea of 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings in 1956. FPIUN founder Esther Johnson said they were starting a “tradition” as the first nation people and it…

KAIZER Chiefs coach Molefi Ntseki is adamant that they are still on the right track despite their nail-biting 1-1 draw with Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday. Chiefs are gunning for their first trophy in eight seasons, and that ambition could have gained a huge boost at FNB Stadium if they had beaten Sundowns in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-finals. But it wasn’t to be, as Khuliso Mudau headed in Sundowns’ equaliser in stoppage time to cancel out Edson Castillo’s opener in the 61st minute. It was a huge result for Sundowns, who now have the advantage of an away goal heading into the second leg on September 23 in Tshwane. Amakhosi will have to score away from home to have any chance of reaching the final and possibly ending…

There was some fighting talk from Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker, who declared his team lost the battle but not the war after visitors Orlando Pirates ran out 2-1 winners in yesterday’s MTN8 semi-final first leg at the Athlone Stadium. Ten-man Stellenbosch battled bravely to defend a 1-0 lead after Ivorian defender Ismael Toure scored an epic header in first-half injury-time, against the run of play. Stellenbosch had earlier suffered a monumental setback when their central defender Thabo Moloisane was red-carded in the 33rd minute. In the second half Stellies buckled and Pirates’ Zakhele Lepasa and Deon Hotto scored away goals that will give the Buccaneers a big edge in the second leg. “When you play against a good team like Pirates, it makes it very difficult (to play with…

In a surprising turn of events, Vusumuzi Vilakazi, who was the co-coach at Golden Arrows, has parted ways with the club. The 40-year-old coach penned an emotional letter confirming his departure from the Durban-based outfit yesterday. “I am very grateful for the opportunity I received at Golden Arrows,” Vilakazi wrote on his Facebook page. “Thank you so much Mato Madlala (Arrows chairperson) for all you’ve done and the support you have given me in the 20 years I’ve been in the system. I will forever cherish the moments with Abafana Bes’thende. May Jehovah’s will be done.” The club’s media department did not respond to queries from Independent Media yesterday about Vilakazi. Vilakazi, a graduate of the Arrows Academy over two decades ago, went on to represent the club between 2006…

RUNAWAY Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen celebrated a record 10th win in a row by leading Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez one-two at Ferrari’s home Italian Grand Prix yesterday. The Dutch driver’s victory on a sunny afternoon at Monza’s ‘Temple of Speed’ outside Milan was also Red Bull’s 15th win in succession – a Formula One record previously held by Ferrari. Spaniard Carlos Sainz was third for the Italian team, in his first podium finish of the season cheered by the passionate fans, after starting on pole position and holding off Verstappen until the 15th of 51 laps. Verstappen stretched his lead in the standings over Perez to 145 points with eight rounds remaining. Red Bull lead Mercedes in the constructors’ championship by 310 points, with Ferrari moving up…

One hundred and eighty-eight days ago, the Proteas Women were going toe-to-toe with Australia, the best side to ever play this game – if not of the best sports team in history – in front of a packed Newlands. But here they are in Pakistan for the first time, playing before hardly anyone besides the hosts’ closest relatives and the Cape Town memory seems like a lifetime ago. It certainly is a backward step for a team who were pushing the mighty Australia to their limits to now having surrendered a series to Pakistan with a game to spare, after the hosts cruised home in the second T20 International by seven wickets in Karachi last night. Sidra Amin’s career-best 61 off just 44 balls was the bedrock of Pakistan’s successful…

OLD MUTUAL has announced that the four-year legal battle with its former CEO Peter Moyo has ended following the Constitutional Court dismissing his case. This comes after the Constitutional Court dismissed Moyo’s application to appeal against a High Court decision made in 2022 which dismissed the former CEO’s claim of R250 million in damages against the company. The spat between Old Mutual and Moyo started in May 2019 when he was suspended for an alleged conflict of interest. Old Mutual said the situation started because the former CEO violated the terms of his employ- ment contract by allegedly placing his private financial interests ahead of the company. “In flagrant disregard of the provisions in his employment contract designed to manage conflicts of interest between NMT Capital (a company Moyo…

SASOL said on Friday that across the world, the past year was one of significant volatility as the company was hit with lower overall production, which impacted profitability for the year. In its integrated report released on Friday, Sasol chairperson Sipho Nkosi said apart from the devastating humanitarian toll, the Russia/Ukraine war had contributed to stubborn inflation and high-interest rates, subdued economic growth, and disruption to the energy ecosystem and the pace and scale of the energy transition. “There is no doubt that the challenge of our time is to reshape the sector while maintaining the supply of affordable and sustainable energy to meet the needs of people while safeguarding the planet from environmental degradation. “In addition to the impact of global developments on South Africa’s economy, its weak performance…

EUROPE’S top copper producer Aurubis warned that it may face losses in the hundreds of millions of euros after being hit by a massive scam involving shipments of scrap metal that it uses in its recycling business. Shares in the company plunged as much as 18% after it announced it found a significant metal shortfall and said it no longer expects to meet its profit forecast for the year. Aurubis believes some of its suppliers have manipulated details about the scrap metal they provided and had been working with employees in the company’s sampling department to cover it up. The global metals industry has been rocked in recent years by a series of scandals, including the shock revelation by commodities trader Trafigura Group that it was the victim of a…

South African equity prices performed badly in August. Although most indices on the JSE recovered somewhat last week, stocks remain under pressure on further inflation concerns and rising interest rate threats. The rand also underperformed last month. Against the dollar, the local currency lost 104 cents from R17.84 to R18.88 to the dollar, depreciating by 106c against the UK pound from R22.87 to R23.93 to the pound and fell by 68c to the euro from R19.60 to R20.28 to the euro. On the JSE, share indices lost heavily last month as the all share index traded down by 4.36%, Resources lost 7.44% (RES 20 index), financials shed 1.4%, while the industrial board traded down 5.09%. On the capital market, the All-Bond Index gained a marginal 0.14%. The strong increase…

The International Monetary Fund’s First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath praised South Africa’s central bank for being proactive in raising interest rates, but said energy and logistics chal- lenges were restricting growth. Gopinath said in an interview that the strategy fol- lowed by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) was “appropriate”, pointing to the fact that inflation was now back within the target range. Inflation fell within the 3% to 6% band in June for the first time since April 2022. In July, the central bank paused its rate hiking cycle after raising the main lending rate by a cumulative 475 basis points to 8.25% since November 2021. The SARB has been criticised for its restrictive policy position when the econo- my has struggled to grow and inflation has been…

Former call centre agent Michael Moyo, who lives in an apartment building neighbouring the Usindiso Shelter building, said the night of the Johannesburg fire was traumatic, not only for him but for his family. On Thursday, 77 people were killed, while more than 30 were still being treated in facilities in Gauteng, as confirmed by the Gauteng Health Department on Saturday. Moyo said that at about 12.30am, he heard an explosion and rushed out to see what had happened. “When I saw the building was on fire, I went back home, dressed properly, and returned to the ground floor. I met people running from the building that was on fire, heading to our apartment building to seek refuge,” he said. Moyo said he had to wake his family because…

FORMER Hawks head Berning Ntlemeza, co-founder of the newly formed African Congress for Transformation (ACT) party, says he is confident that their new party will sweep up neglected communities and those fed up with the ruling ANC. Ntlemeza was back in the spotlight last week as he stood side by side with ousted (former) ANC bigwig Ace Magashule as he launched the new political party in Soweto. The former top cop has been out of the spotlight since 2017 after the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, ruled he had obtained the position unlawfully. Having since left behind his uniform for the political rat race, Ntlemeza said he and Magashule had taken the brave step of joining hands to do the work long neglected by the ANC. Ntlemeza claimed he had the…

It is believed that criminal syndicates have hijacked at least 50 state-owned buildings in the Johannesburg CBD. Angela Rivers, the chairperson of the Joburg Property Owners and Managers Association, has told news broadcaster eNCA that there were at least 57 hijacked buildings in the Joburg inner city. Over 200 families were displaced when the Usindiso Building in Marshalltown caught fire around 1am on Thursday morning. At least 74 people have died, and the cause of the fire is unknown at this stage. Rivers said most of the buildings targeted by criminal syndicates were city-owned or state-owned buildings. Rivers blamed “incompetent and arrogant” city officials. She said the lazy officials were hard to fire, were highly unionised, did not do their jobs, and took salaries every month despite not performing. Rivers…

DEVASTATED families of policemen and women who lost their lives in the line of duty are at pains to explain how it feels to lose loved ones. This was evident yesterday at the annual SAPS Commemoration Day where President Cyril Ramaphosa and the deceased’s families paid homage to them at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. In the past 12 months, between April 1, 2022 and March 31 this year, 34 families lost loved ones who died while working. The sombre event, officiated by Ramaphosa, saw various families and thousands of colleagues and Cabinet ministers coming out in their numbers to remember the fallen heroes. More than 1 000 police trainees were also in attendance. The names of the 34 policemen and women who died were imprinted on the wall of…

THE DA in Tshwane laid criminal charges against EFF councillors on Friday at Brooklyn police station after the party’s councillors were allegedly assaulted during an ordinary council sitting last week at Tshwane House. Party caucus spokesperson Kwena Moloto said the DA submitted video evidence to the SAPS showing DA councillors “being punched, kicked, pushed and hit with projectiles thrown by EFF councillors”. “This unacceptable display of vulgarity from the EFF shows that they clearly have no regard for our democratic institutions. “We condemn the violence and thuggery perpetrated by the EFF councillors in chambers pn Thursday. “Previously, we have expressed that the EFF’s call for the reinstatement of the 122 workers who were dismissed during this illegal strike is an endorsement of violence. “We now know that violence is at…

“I want girls to know they can be the next best thing in motorsport. Women are doing incredible things in South Africa and globally, which is such an inspiration,” karting enthusiast Taya van der Laan says. She is making huge strides on the motorsport platform and as Women’s Month has just ended, she encourages the fairer sex to test their skills. “That feeling of racing around the track so low to the ground is the most exhilarating feeling in the world,” said Van der Laan, 17, who was hooked on motorsport just five minutes into her first visit to a karting track. Her brother was barely 5 years old in 2017 when the family went to watch him try out karting for the first time. Van der Laan recalled standing…

Brace yourself. A massive fuel hike is on the cards when the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) adjusts fuel prices for September. Commenting on unaudited data from the Central Energy Fund (CEF), the Automobile Association (AA) said the hike in the petrol prices would be the highest since July last year, while the increase to diesel would be a record hike. “According to the CEF’s data, the price of petrol is expected to climb by between R1.59/litre for ULP 93 and R1.65/l for ULP 95. The wholesale price of diesel is expected to increase by a whopping R2.85/l. Considering these potential increases, the price of a litre of ULP 95 inland will rise from R22.83 to R24.48/l while the price of ULP 93 will increase from R22.43/l to…

Former member of Operation Dudula, 36-year-old Philani Ronnie Gumede, has been sentenced to a fine of R10 000 or three years’ imprisonment, half suspended for five years. This comes after he encouraged others – in a WhatsApp message – to chase all foreign nationals out of Durban in March last year. His sentence is based on his contravention of the Cybercrimes Act, which entails sending a data message that incites damage to property or violence. National Prosecuting Authority KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the plan to carry out the attacks was allegedly by entering businesses owned by foreign nationals, removing all the contents, and using chains to lock up the premises. “The message circulated on various WhatsApp groups and eventually reached the police. Gumede was called in. He confirmed…

Deon Hotto broke the hearts of a valiant 10-man Stellenbosch FC with a stoppage-time winner to claim a 2-1 triumph for Orlando Pirates in a pulsating MTN8 semi-final first-leg at Athlone Stadium yesterday. Hotto flicked the ball past Sage Stephens into the Stellenbosch goal after rising to meet Patrick Maswanganyi’s chip into the box in the 94th minute to complete Pirates’ comeback. The Stellies players slumped to the ground in devastation as they had given it their all, after being forced to play three quarters of this tough encounter without centre-back Thabo Moloisane – with the former Maritzburg United defender being shown a straight red card for a studs-up tackle on Maswanganyi. It was the second consecutive encounter that Stellies have completed a match without their full complement of players…

WORLD No 1 Carlos Alcaraz surged into the last 16 of the US Open on Saturday, as Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur kept her dream of a first Grand Slam title alive with victory in a three-set thriller. Alcaraz, looking to become the first man to successfully defend the title since Roger Federer in 2008, produced a flurry of magical shots en route to dispatching British 26th seed Dan Evans 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-3. It was another stylish victory for the 20-year-old Spaniard, who will face Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi in the fourth round today. The Spaniard kept Evans on the back foot with his booming forehand, while delighting the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd with several of his signature forehand drop shots. Alcaraz also conjured one of the shots of the tournament to…

Mamelodi Sundowns will go toe-to-toe with their hoodoo side Petro Atletico of Angola in the opening round of the inaugural edition of the African Football League (AFL). Two seasons ago, Petro Atletico kicked Sundowns out of the CAF Champions League in the quarter-finals. In the past, Petro Atletico have proved formidable opponents, and have only been beaten once by the South Africans in four meetings. Two matches ended in draws. All rounds will be played over two legs, starting on October 20, when Egyptian giants Al Ahly are away to Simba of Tanzania with the second leg played three days later. On the same day, Al Ahly of Egypt and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco – winners and runners-up respectively in the 2023Champions League – clash in another quarter-final. On October…

THE R4.8 BILLION investment pledge announced by the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturer (Naacam) last week reflects the “strong vote of confidence in the South African economy”, Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel said in a statement on Friday. Naacam CEO Renai Moothilal on Friday confirmed that the pledge was consolidated from a group of 16 exhibitors at the event and reflected committed investments to be implemented between now and the end of 2024. This group, coming from different regions and segments of component manufacturing, was a mix of large multinational and domestic component manufacturers as well as emerging black industrialists. Patel in a statement welcomed the investment pledges, saying it would support more than 10 000 jobs. Patel said he was…

Corinthians 15:55 to 57 asks thus, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”. A remarkable man of Indian nationality by the name of Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao retired from the Indian Statistical Institute after serving there for 40 years. He moved to the US in 1979 where he served the statistical community for another 44 years. His career spanned 84 years in the field making an incredible contribution to statistical theory and practice. On August 22 the world and the statistics community was robbed of Rao, at the age of 102. Fondly known as CR he was a member of faculty at Buffalo University until death cut the visible to the eye ribbon of his career. Yet death can only resuscitate to the living…

Manufacturing activity in South Africa shrank for the seventh month in a row in August, according to the Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). The seasonally-adjusted PMI rose to 49.7 points in August from 47.3 points in July, but it stayed below the 50-point mark that separates expansion from contraction. Market expectations ahead of the release predicted that the PMI would remain in contractionary territory for the seventh straight month. Absa said the main factors contributing to the contraction were the minibus taxi strike in the Western Cape, which prevented many people from going to work, and the rolling blackouts enforced by State-owned power utility Eskom. “Anecdotal evidence suggests that several manufacturing facilities were impacted by worker absenteeism associated with the strike,” it stated. The business activity sub-index saw a jump…

Quota-related decisions made at Opec’s 35th meeting last June in Vienna delivered a call to action for African member states to step up production through the remainder of the year and into 2024. Many of Opec’s African member states had been struggling to produce enough crude to meet the targets set for them last year. As a result, they found themselves accepting even lower quotas this year. Decisions regarding production cuts for African members Algeria, Angola, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria are summarised in the African Energy Chamber’s (AEC) newly released outlook report (https://apo-opa.info/44yiHiC), “The State of African Energy Q2 2023.” Our report also notes easing of the civil unrest that resulted in the exclusion of member state Libya from Opec cuts for the time being. Opec’s meeting, which…

IN WHAT seems to be an orchestrated “mistaken” identity in Eskom corruption, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) has denied knowledge of a man named Patrick Patrese Jones being linked to an alleged R14.7 million Eskom fraud case. “There is no known investigation on Jones as far as Eskom is concerned,” the Hawks said. This follows media reports last week that suggest Jones, an author and businessman, was accused of having disappeared into thin air amid reports that he swindled the power utility of millions through fraudulent means. Jones was not contacted by the Hawks and was not sighted in an Eskom investigation; however, a man on the Hawks radar is Jones Patrick, a 47-year-old white male from Centurion in Gauteng whose wife works for Eskom. Jones Patrick is…

The Brazilian and Russian governments have conveyed their condolences to the victims that were killed, injured and displaced after a fire broke out inside a five storey building in the Johannesburg CBD in the early hours of Thursday. IOL spoke to Brazilian journalist, Luis Boaventura, who shared a message that was sent out by the Brazilian government. “The Brazilian government learned, with regret, of the fire in a housing estate in the City of Johannesburg, which caused the death of at least 73 people, including seven children, and also left more than 50 injured. “In solidarity with the families of the victims, the Brazilian government expresses its condolences to the government and the people of South Africa,” Brazil said. The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin also called South African…

When will African politicians learn that they must put the interests of citizens above their own selfish personal interests and show political maturity? The recent coup in Gabon, where the leader claimed 66% of the vote in a recent election, is just one example. The Bongo family have been abusing the country as their personal fiefdom for decades. One of the richest countries in Africa has more than a third of its population living in poverty due to such behaviour. And the deposed president has the gall to appeal to the world to come to his rescue. The recent Zimbabwean elections are also shrouded in controversy, with many observers, including from the Southern African Development Community and AU, refusing to legitimise the results. For years, this has been happening in…

A 19th body has been found inside the lavish house in Makhado (formerly Louis Trichardt) were alleged cash-in-transit robbers were killed during a shoot-out with different police units on Friday. Provincial spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) in Limpopo, Lieutenant Colonel Matimba Maluleke, said the body of a man was found as law enforcement agents continued to comb the scene for clues this weekend. “While processing the crime scene, we found another body in one of the rooms, so it brings the total to 19 now. It is no longer 18. It was a man. “We also recovered three vehicles reported stolen in Gauteng – a Ford Ranger, a Mercedes-Benz ML and a Volkswagen Tiguan.” The house in the plush section of Makhado, was reportedly owned by…

Award-winning musician and media personality Vusi Nongxa, affectionately known as Vusi Nova, has revealed the thrilling news of the launch of his record label, Nova Sounds. After years of a successful journey with his former record label, Nongxa is embarking on a new trajectory with the aim of redefining the music landscape. He expressed gratitude to his former label for his immense growth since he started his journey with them. It is no secret that Nova has attained tremendous success during his time with Muthaland, delivering electrifying performances that have captured the attention of audiences. “I couldn’t be more grateful to Muthaland for the journey we have shared together. They have been an essential part of my growth as an artist,” he said. “With 2023 marking a decade since the…

On Friday, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) once again showed its solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine. Members of the union marched to the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria to demand that “the apartheid system, which has been imposed by the Israeli government on the people of Palestine, come to an end”. The march also sought to make demands for the removal of the Israeli Embassy in South Africa. It was spearheaded by the union and its members from the Hlanganani region. “We also demand that every square inch of land that has been unlawfully occupied by the racist, tyrannical apartheid state of Israel be returned to the people of Palestine,” Numsa said. In a statement, Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said this was in line…

It is safe to say that Mamelodi Sundowns walked off the happier of the two teams as coach Rulani Mokwena revelled in delight following their dramatic 1-1 draw against Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday. Khuliso Mudau silenced FNB Stadium with a 93rd-minute equaliser in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final between Amakhosi and the Brazilians. The defender leapt highest on the back post in stoppage-time to get the all-important away goal and cancel out Edson Castillo’s opener. The visitors dominated proceedings as expected but struggled to break down a Chiefs side determined to keep a clean sheet. Against the run of play, the hosts took a surprising lead in the second half and it seemed as if they had done enough to secure their first win over Sundowns since 2021.…

South Africa succumbed to Australia’s brute force in a five-wicket defeat in the third T20 International at Kingsmead yesterday in what became a 3-0 series whitewash that marked a painful start to the season. The Proteas registered 190/8 but the visitors chased it down with 2.1 overs to spare. With the T20I series already won by the Australians with one match remaining, the famous South African fighting spirit was eagerly awaited in the final match of the series in Durban. Leading up to the final match, the Proteas had been dominated by the visitors, and the only thing left to do was for Aiden Markram’s team to redeem themselves and entertain what was a sold-out stadium. “(The fans were) fantastic. Regardless of the weather, they’ve been here and packed out…

THE Springboks opted against a full-time kicking coach for the World Cup to accommodate all the kickers in the squad, because their coaches differ at club level. SA Rugby’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus said they took all of the kickers into consideration when deciding not to bring in someone for the duration of the tournament. It was the same in 2019, when South Africa won the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan without the aid of a dedicated kicking coach. Having done it successfully then is probably a big reason why Erasmus and Bok coach Jacques Nienaber decided to stick with what worked. Host nation France have SA kicking coach Vlok Cilliers. The Boks face Scotland on Sunday, Romania (September 17), Ireland (September 23) and Tonga (October 1) during the…

Declan Rice scored his first goal for Arsenal and Gabriel Jesus added the icing on the cake as Arsenal roared back from a goal down to beat Manchester United 3-1 at the Emirates last night. Marcus Rashford gave the visitors the lead against the run of play in the first half but Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard equalised seconds later. The Gunners had a penalty award overturned following a VAR check, and United were denied what could have been a late winner when substitute Alejandro Garnacho was ruled offside. The home side kept up the pressure in eight minutes of added time and were rewarded when Rice controlled a corner and shot past Andre Onana with the help of a deflection off Jonny Evans. There was still time for another goal…