Inhoudsopgave van 2024-04-30 - Star

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, has said the newly-passed Climate Change Bill will ensure a just transition and maximise the opportunities afforded to the economy by the global shift to a green economy. This comes after the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) passed the bill last week. Creecy said yesterday the bill was a landmark response that will provide the much-needed legal framework to regulate activities that contributed to climate change and ensure an effective response in all spheres of government. “Since 2011, when we outlined South Africa’s response to climate change in our National Climate Change Response White Paper, we have been putting in place the instruments for an integrated response,” Creecy said. “Now, this bill will integrate all of these components into a robust…

LOCAL farmers have remained cautious about the 2024/25 winter crop season after witnessing the damage of unfavourable weather conditions during the 2023/24 season. This is according to Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) chief economist Wandile Sihlobo as farmers of wheat, barley, canola, oats, and sweet lupines appeared to lack appetite to plant. The farmers’ intentions-to-plant data released by the Crop Estimates Committee last week signalled a 3% year-on-year decline in South Africa’s 2024/25 winter crop plantings to 798 800 hectares. Sihlobo yesterday said the decline in farming was primarily in wheat, which was down 3% year-on-year to 520 200 hectares. “The barley plantings could also fall 5% year-on-year to 102 000 hectares, and the oats plantings could be at 20 500, down 26% year on year, and…

THE FAKE AI video of Elon Musk, which was used to solicit investment is a classic example of bad use of artificial intelligence (AI) video technology by bad actors. Sadly, this has also raised concerns about what can be done to harm people’s reputation. Lately, I’ve been impressed by the same technology if put into good use. One great example in this regard has been shared by the founder of the LinkedIn platform, Reid Hoffman, who has also been an investor in OpenAI (creator of ChatGPT). He has been experimenting with positive uses of AI. At some point he co-wrote a book with the assistance of AI. However, what has caught my attention is the fact that Hoffman recently created a version of himself as an AI avatar. The coolest…

A VIENNA privacy campaign group said yesterday that it would file a complaint against ChatGPT in Austria. It said the “hallucinating” flagship AI tool invented wrong answers, which creator OpenAI could not correct. NOYB (None of Your Business) said there was no way to guarantee the programme provided accurate information. “ChatGPT keeps hallucinating – and not even OpenAI can stop it,” the group said. The company had openly acknowledged it could not correct inaccurate information produced by its generative AI tool and had failed to explain where the data came from and what ChatGPT stored about individuals, said the group. Such errors were unac- ceptable for information about indivi- duals, because EU law stipulated that personal data must be accurate, NOYB argued. “If a system cannot produce accurate and transparent…

Kanye West is being sued for racial discrimination from a former security guard. The 46-year-old rapper is the subject of a lawsuit filed by Benjamin Deshon Provo – who worked for the All Day hitmaker at both his Donda Academy school and a warehouse used as storage for Yeezy clothing – in which the former employee alleged the controversial star subjected black employees to “less favourable treatment than their white counterparts”. Documents obtained by People magazine alleged that West “frequently screamed at and berated black employees” and fired Provo for refusing to cut his dreadlocks. The security guard said he began working for West around August 2021 and after six months at Donda Academy, when the school moved locations, he was “assigned additional job duties as a result of…

Eminem is set to return with the album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce). The 51-year-old rap icon shared the news as he appeared at the 2024 NFL Draft in his home city of Detroit, Michigan. The musician appeared with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as they kicked off the Annual Player Selection Meeting. A trailer circulated of a fake reporter announcing the death of Eminem’s alter-ego, Slim Shady. They said: “Through his complex and often-criticised rhymes, the blonde anti-hero known as Slim Shady has had no shortage of enemies.” His rap peer, 50 Cent, said: “He’s not a friend, he’s a psychopath.” The reporter continued: “The same rude lyrics and controversial antics may have ultimately led to his demise. Join me as we recreate the events that led…

A DISPUTE over a cellphone number allegedly belonging to one of the five men on trial for the murder of Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa has stalled proceedings in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. As the murder trial of Meyiwa resumed in the high court, defence counsels requested the proceedings be postponed to afford them time to go through documents supplied to them by the State yesterday. Advocate Thulani Mngomezulu told the court that given how counsels had just received the requested documentation, they required time to thoroughly go through it and consult with the accused. The setback came after defence counsels on Friday requested further documentation from State witness and cellphone data analyst, Colonel Gideon Gouws. The defence had argued that it was not being provided with comprehensive access…

A STAGGERING R30 million has been injected into annual clear-up campaigns to address illegal dumping across the City of Tshwane. This was disclosed by Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink during the Tswelopele clean-up campaign in Pretoria North. The campaign is a mayoral initiative to encourage volunteers and instilling a sense of pride in communities. Its goal is to motivate communities and businesses to take charge of their environment. Brink said: “The City of Tshwane spends about R30 million a year on cleaning up illegal dumping. “As we achieve financial recovery, we will be able to spend more.” He issued a stern warning to those breaking municipal by-laws through illegal dumping, and threatened that Tshwane’s Metro Police Department (TMPD) would confiscate vehicles used for transporting waste to illegal dumps. “We shouldn’t have…

DJ Sophia is a breath of fresh air. If there’s one thing this dynamic young spinmaster wants people to know about her, it is that she’s energetic and they’d better be ready to party as she loves to entertain. The 10-year-old will be performing at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) free concert on Thursday at the Greenmarket Square. Music runs in this pint-sized dynamo’s genes, as she learnt her craft from her dad, a former DJ himself (DJ Iano), turned music manager. DJ Sophie explained: “I used to watch my dad play at home and one day when he left the room, I just started messing around with his tables. I was fascinated, and it’s just grown from there.” From a blossoming talent, Ian has helped coach his…

Kaizer Chiefs’ struggles are well documented, but they could have a huge say in when champions-elect Mamelodi Sundowns will officially be crowned. The Brazilians will make the short trip from Chloorkop to the FNB Stadium on Thursday with the chance of sealing their seventh successive crown by beating the Amakhosi, provided they beat TS Galaxy last night. Their championship could also be confirmed if Stellenbosch lose to Golden Arrows tomorrow. Despite the topsy-turvy season Chiefs have endured – having gone nine years without a piece of silverware – they’ll not want Sundowns to be crowned at their home, right? After all, Chiefs need points as much as Sundowns, as they could potentially miss out on the Top 8 next season if they don’t win their remaining matches. On Saturday night,…

Stocks on the JSE surged to a four-month high yesterday driven up by top-performing resource-linked stocks and financials, while the rand also firmed strongly to a two-week high. The JSE all share index rose more than 1.1% to 76 249 index points, its highest since late December 2023, tracking major global peers. MTN and Anglo American Platinum rose more than 4% while Discovery, South32, and Super Group were more than 3% higher yesterday. Traders have been monitoring more corporate earnings while awaiting the US Federal Reserve’s policy decision later this week, as well as crucial monthly US job figures. Meanwhile, the rand managed to gain back lost ground during trade on Friday in line with the softer US dollar. The rand strengthened by 0.7% to R18.68 against the dollar by…

IT’S OFFICIAL. RIP, MarketForce. MarketForce is the Kenyan B2B retail start-up behind the merchant “super app”, RejaReja, which enabled informal traders to directly procure goods, which offered hundreds of stock keeping units from manufacturers and distributors, conduct digital ordering and payment transactions, manage utility bill payments and land business loans. The Y Combinator-backed venture raised $40 million (R757m) in equal parts debt and equity in its Series A funding round publicised in February 2022, bringing total funds raised since its launch in 2018 to $42.5m. Public service announcement In a recent public letter, Tesh Mbaabu, one of the company’s co-founders, announced the end of MarketForce’s gutsy push for “RejaReja to empower one million merchants to harness the power and scale of technology and realise their maximum potential by 2030”,…

ASTRAL Foods’ share price shot up 6.73% yesterday morning after forecasting sharp increases in earnings and headline earnings per share for the six months to March 31, 2024. It said in a trading statement yesterday, that the company expected earnings per share (EPS) to increase between 465% and 475% compared to the six months ended March 31, 2023. An initial trading statement had forecast an increase in EPS of possibly up to 300%. The latest forecast would result in an EPS of between 913 cents and 930c per share. Headline earnings per share (Heps) was expected to increase between 435% and 445% when compared with the prior comparable period. This would result in a Heps of between 874c and 891c a share compared with 163c a share at the…

FOREIGN investors in South Africa have moderately positive impressions of public governance and the country’s business ecosystem, due to a number of positive attributes in the economy. This is according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Economic Outlook report for 2024 focusing on foreign direct investment (FDI) which was released yesterday. PwC said that South Africa’s economy attracted almost R100 billion in FDI inflows in 2023 – equal to 1.4% of gross domestic product (GDP), despite the country’s many challenges. It said while some might expect South Africa’s investment outflows to be larger than inflows, the country has seen a net FDI inflow every year since the global financial crisis in 2008. PwC reviewed the data and classifications from research by nation branding experts Bloom Consulting, which showed that the perception…

Author Melinda Ferguson’s new book When Love Kills: The tragic tale of AKA and Anele is currently is the talk of the town. The book details the story of hip hop icon, Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his fiancée Anele Tembe, pictured, prior to her tragic passing. Tembe fell to her death from the 10th floor of the Pepper Club in Cape Town in April 2021. Less than two years later, AKA was shot dead in Florida Road, Durban. Since the announcement of the book, Ferguson has garnered mixed reactions. AKA’s parents and “The Megacy” have slammed the release. However, in a recent interview with CapeTalk’s Clarence Ford, Ferguson urged people to read the book before making assumptions about its contents. “I think at the moment there are people who are…

Lowest paid judge in SA earns R1 million annually, but could go on strike, demanding more money Organisations representing magistrates across South Africa are in consultation with their members who are disgruntled over their salaries, which could see industrial action being rolled out by the judicial officers. Research revealed that a Government Gazette of September last year issued by President Cyril Ramaphosa on the determination of salaries and allowances of magistrates in terms of the Magistrates Act, pegs the lowest-paid magistrates’ salaries at R1 077 210 per annum as total remuneration. That of a special grade chief magistrate was pegged at R1 567 105 per annum; while a regional court magistrate or a chief magistrate receives R1 406 110. According to the Gazette, a senior magistrate gets R1 165 530.…

Three alleged criminals were shot dead on Sunday night during an exchange of gunfire with members of the SAPS in Gauteng. Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the three were part of the infamous criminal gangs terrorising motorists on the N3 between Villiers and Heidelberg. “Information was received during the evening of April 28 about a gang which allegedly commits blue light robberies on the N3 between Villiers and Heidelberg using a white Toyota Hilux. A multidisciplinary team was mobilised and traced the suspects to the N3 highway at Grootvlei, in Mpumalanga,” said Muridili. The Toyota Hilux with blue lights was spotted by the police. “The suspects saw the police and sped away, resulting in a high-speed chase towards Zonkizizwe, in Ekurhuleni. The suspects started shooting at the team…

THE City of Tshwane has been emboldened to challenge high court interdicts obtained by some body corporates barring the municipality from disconnecting electricity supply to them over unpaid accounts. This follows the recent Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgment overruling a high court interdict prohibiting the municipality from implementing its credit control measures at the Zambezi Retail Park. The interdict was obtained by a sectional title unit owner in the body corporate of Zambezi Retail Park who had approached the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, after the City disconnected electricity supply to the retail park in April 2022. The City successfully appealed against the high court ruling at the SCA. Finance MMC Jacqui Uys said the municipality intended to employ the ruling as a springboard for overturning previous verdicts in favour…

Preparations for King Charles’ funeral are under way at Buckingham Palace amid reports of his declining health. In February, Buckingham Palace disclosed that King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer following a procedure for an enlarged prostate at the London Clinic, causing concern among royal enthusiasts. Since then, the 75-year-old monarch has withdrawn from public appearances while undergoing cancer treatment. The UK Daily Beast reports that despite his determination to overcome cancer, King Charles is experiencing deteriorating health. Behind the scenes, Buckingham Palace officials were reportedly regularly updating a detailed document outlining the monarch’s funeral plans, known as “Operation Menai Bridge” – named after the suspension bridge connecting the island of Anglesey with the Welsh mainland. A source described as an “old friend of the royal family” told The…

Afrosoul singer Vusi Nova will be embarking on a tour of the country as part of the One Night Only with Vusi Nova and Friends which kicks off this weekend in East London. The Asiphelelanga singer will be performing at The Venue in Hemingsway on Saturday before taking his tour to the Soweto Theatre on June 28. Ahead of the tour, the singer, born Vusimuzi Nongxa, performed as part of the Metro FM Music Awards opening ceremony alongside Naked DJ and Kabza De Small. Last year, the former Muthaland artist launched his record label, Nova Sounds. The tour will feature some of his artists including 047, Stu, Kwanda Mahlombe, Lihle Baleni, Ndali Nundu and others. The singer revealed that during the tour, his fans should expect to be taken on…

“DON’T think about Oscars.” This is one of the tips former editor of the Calgary Herald Greg McLachlan gives to novice writers. This means that when writing a story, you should give it your all without expecting that you’ll win awards or be honoured for your work. The principle could be applied to various aspects of life. In fact, there are many who contribute to the betterment of society and the country without expecting to be rewarded. These people, from all walks of life, sometimes get recognition from the Presidency, various royal institutions (locally and abroad), and academic institutions, among many others. This takes me to the debate about the role of universities among academic institutions that recognise such work by individuals and confer doctorates or professorships. Some members of…

Oxford Economics Africa has said that the outcome of South Africa’s key election on May 29 was unlikely to jolt the rand, though inflation will creep up to 5.2% post the poll as a result of higher international oil prices and the El Niño-induced drought. The El Nino drought conditions have afflicted and negated food productivity in much of Southern Africa, with neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia worst affected. Although Africa – largely a surplus producer of grain – is likely to be less affected, countries such as Zimbabwe have already started to count the cost of the drought. Construction companies are also expecting that lesser government spending on infrastructure development to focus on humanitarian assistance will hit their order books for the current year. In a…

DR IQBAL Survé, the chairperson of Independent Media and Sekunjalo, says in his experience of staving off bank account closures for the Sekunjalo group on the basis of reputational risk, the banks don’t care if allegations are true or not. This as there is currently no just nor equitable appeal mechanism in South Africa available as regards bank account closures on the basis of reputational risk. Even if there is no evidence of any wrongdoing, collusion or corruption, your bank account can be closed due to case law and the contract aspect between bank and client. Talking about reputational risk in an interview yesterday, Survé said: “The banks have not defined reputational risk. When they presented it in court papers they referred to media articles in the Mpati Commission. “The…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) yesterday said Apple’s operating system for iPads must comply with tougher new rules that Brussels is imposing to rein in the world’s biggest digital companies. The European Commis- sion designated Apple’s iPadOS system as a “core” service under the landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA), which forces companies to modify their business ways to encourage competition between online platforms. It joins other Apple products that were already in he DMA net since Septem- ber: iOS for iPhones, the App Store, and the Safari browser. Under the DMA, digital firms and some products called “gatekeepers” have to abide by a list of rules, including allowing interoperability with rivals’ com-munication services and limiting how data is shared between products put out by the same parent company. Other designated gatekeepers…

Mi Casa feel blessed to be returning to the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF), which is set to be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre this weekend. “It’s always been a place to express our style of music,” they told Independent Media Lifestyle. The trio consists of lead singer and guitarist, J’Something – real name Joao da Fonseca – producer and pianist, Sipho “Dr Duda” Mphahlaza and trumpeter, Moshe “Mo-T” Kgasoane. While they have previously performed at the festival, they are now looking forward to once again serenading “Festinos” (attendees). “This feeling never gets old as we always prepare a world-class performance and of course, doing what we love on the big stage.” The Jika hitmakers are also thrilled to be sharing CTIJF’s stages with international stars…

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), known as the Hawks, has confirmed that it is investigating an alleged plot to kill Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. Motsoaledi claimed that a paid assassin who was contracted to kill him had confessed to the alleged plot against his life. The minister, who spoke to eNCA on Sunday, said he had received a call from the alleged hitman, who told him he was hired to kill him. Motsoaledi said he had received several threats from the hitman and had handed the matter over to the Hawks. “An individual has recently been phoning me six to eight times a day to tell me he has been sent to assassinate me. He added that he had already been paid, however, if I (Motsoaledi)…

Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi was due to lead a picket at the JSE offices in Sandton today, to protest against the sex-for-jobs problem in the mining and retail sectors. Zibi said the issue was rife in the private and public sectors, adding that it was equal to sexual assault and exploitation. “The picket at the JSE will call for the institution to acknowledge these heinous practices and to work with listed retail and mining companies to put measures in place to root out the practices run by syndicates,” he said. “Sex-for-jobs and cash-for-jobs are also prevalent in the public sector, in particular local government, therefore the memorandum of demands will also be sent to the South African Local Government Association. “Rise Mzansi is committed to working with all…

RESIDENTS of Ivory Park, a community grappling with a lengthy power outage since December 2023 due to a damaged transformer, find themselves in a frustrating predicament. With no resolution in sight and lacking communication from Eskom, they confront daily challenges living without electricity. This situation has led some residents to contemplate boycotting the elections, questioning the necessity of participating in a democratic process when basic necessities are not being met. The extended power outage has the community grappling with various difficulties, ranging from safety worries to financial struggles. Despite numerous requests for help and updates, residents claim Eskom has not provided any information about the damaged transformer. One resident, Pamela Shabalala, said that they have been living without electricity for months. “Why should we vote for leaders who don’t…

PLATINUM selling artist and Queen of Afrojazz, Judith Sephuma, will once more take to the stage for what is all set to be another stand-out Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF). “Performing at the festival is always amazing,” she says. “That’s besides the fact that performing in Cape Town is just something I love doing.” Taking to the festival’s Kippies stage late on Friday, Sephuma shares that festivalgoers can look forward to a combination of old favourites and new material. Like the consummate professional she is, she’ll gauge the audience on the night, and go with what makes them happy, because as she says: “Music is for sharing”. “For the past over 10 years, I’ve kept the same musicians because it’s better for me to just throw in any song,…

Award-winning record producer, Chicco Sello Twala, is set to lead a music royalty payment picket in Rosebank, Johannesburg, today. The artists are expected to march to the Universal Music offices in Rosebank over the non-payment of digital streaming royalties. Twala, who was Brenda Fassie’s producer, told The Star that the country did not respect the rights of artists, which was why the industry had decided to embark on the picket. He added that there would be more pickets after the elections next month. “Tomorrow’s protest is an introduction of musicians’ big protest after the elections. Musicians’ rights have been violated by institutions that administer our finances. Among the fundamental issue is digital royalties known as secondary usage in the 80/90 tees. “Musicians were promised 50% of digital sales but major…

Reeza Hendricks continues to defy the conventions of Twenty20 cricket, especially the version which is currently on show in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Perhaps that is why Hendricks, despite being ranked in the top 10 of the world’s leading T20 batters, is yet to make his bow in the show stopper of all franchise tournaments. But such is Hendricks’ class that you feel that it is much more their loss than his. For, in every other competition, most recently the Pakistan Super League and CSA T20 Challenge, Hendricks has shown that brute force and power are not the sole essential characteristics for success in the shortest format. His methods employing precision, touch, delicacy, timing and placement have proven to be equally effective. The fact that he performs his task…

BAYERN Munich manager Thomas Tuchel said yesterday his side were ready for the threat posed by “extraordinary” Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham in their Champions League semi-final first leg. Today’s clash at the Allianz Arena between 14-time winners Real and Bayern, with six Uefa Champions League titles, is the most played semi-final in the competition’s history. England midfielder Bellingham, still just 20, joined Real Madrid before the start of the season from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. Bellingham has since become one of Real’s most important players and is already considered among the world’s best. He is their top goalscorer in La Liga this season with 17 goals and has also netted four times in the Champions League. Tuchel said Bellingham was “a key player in a very offensive position” for…