Table of contents for 2021-07-05 in Star

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za FORMER president Jacob Zuma says going to prison may affect his precarious health and that old age and the Covid-19 pandemic would pose a life-threatening situation for him. Zuma’s sentiments are contained in his application to the Pietermaritzburg High Court. The former president’s frantic attempts to avoid jail time resulted in him filing two last-minute applications at the Constitutional Court and the Pietermaritzburg High Court over the weekend. While the Concourt has agreed to hear his case next week, the Pietermaritzburg High Court will tomorrow decide whether it is within its jurisdiction to hear his bid. Zuma’s lawyers filed an urgent application to interdict the police, including Police Minister Bheki Cele, from arresting him until the Concourt heard his application to rescind its decision. In his 27-page…

Dr Thabisi Hoeane | Pretoria IF any doubts still lingers that the public protector should be relieved of her duties, her recent public comments regarding the decision of the Constitutional Court to sentence former president Jacob Zuma to imprisonment for contempt of court should dispel them. Busisiwe Mkhwebane associates herself with the minority view of the Concourt in this case. This sounds innocuous but is seriously damaging and dangerous coming from the head of a constitutional body. By expressing this view publicly, she is indirectly undermining the integrity of the Concourt and her own office. Such wilful misinterpretation of reality can be understood when expressed by Zuma’s supporters. But she has no excuse to do this, unless she has descended into the political arena and is a…

Mpiletso Motumi mpiletso.motumi@inl.co.za NOXOLO Dlamini is a ball of high energy. The lead actress of Netflix’s latest South African hit JIVA! has been on cloud nine since the premiere of the series last month. The drama follows the life of talented street dancer Ntombi who, while juggling the demands of a dead-end job, family responsibility and a rocky love life, realises that her dance moves could be her ticket out of her working-class neighbourhood in Durban. But first, she must overcome her fears, beat her rivals and sort out the chaos that is her family. Dlamini didn’t initially audition for the lead role but for one of the supporting cast members. “I read the brief, but I couldn’t audition for the lead at that time because they were looking for…

YOUTH Month has just ended and given the dire state of youth affairs in South Africa, Charlotte Maxeke and the youth who died on June 16, 1976, must all be turning in their graves. One could say the government has dismally failed to preserve the legacy of those June 16 heroes. Ironically, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities launched the 2021 Youth Month (June) under the banner: “The Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke: Growing Youth Employment for an Inclusive and Transformed Society”. Yet, the youth are constantly locked out from accessing opportunities. The recent ministerial cook-off scandal hosted by the Department of Tourism, was one bitter pill for the youth to swallow. The event was promoted as a means to boost the local tourism industry yet instead…

The Taliban have captured a key district in their former bastion of Kandahar after fierce night-time fighting with Afghan government forces, officials said yesterday, sending scores of families fleeing from the area. The insurgents have pressed on with their campaign to capture territory across Afghanistan’s rural areas since early May when the US military began its final pullout of troops from the violence-wracked country. The fall of Panjwai district in the southern province of Kandahar comes just two days after US and Nato forces vacated their main Bagram Air Base near Kabul, from where they led operations for two decades against the Taliban and their al-Qaeda allies. The Taliban and Afghan forces have regularly clashed in and around Panjwai, with the insurgents aiming to seize it given its proximity…

Dhaka: A couple in Bangladesh were detained for the alleged brutal torture of their minor house help. Md Tanvir Ahsan, an NGO official, and his wife Nahid, a lawyer were detained at the weekend in Dhaka’s Topkhana Road area. The minor, 12, identified as Sweety from Kishoreganj’s Mithamoin Upazila, was rescued by the police and admitted to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Police said she had marks of severe injuries. Police rushed to rescue Sweety after a neighbour of the couple posted photos of the victim on Facebook and requested help. The post was noticed by a journalist who forwarded the information to the media and police. She was tortured by the couple on a regular basis over trivial matters, police said.…

Formula One leader Max Verstappen led from start to finish as he won the Austrian Grand Prix for Red Bull in front of an orange army of fans, powering 32 points clear of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in the championship yesterday. Seven-time world champion Hamilton was a distant fourth, behind Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas in second and McLaren's Lando Norris in third. It was the fifth win in a row for Red Bull. Verstappen, who started from pole position for the third straight race and has now won on three successive weekends, also set the fastest lap to take his tally to 182 points after nine rounds. Hamilton has 150 and Red Bull are 44 points clear of Mercedes in the constructors' standings. "The car was on rails," said Verstappen of…

The Sharks and Bulls shouldn't expect the same British & Irish Lions team that dismantled the Sigma Lions on Saturday night, that much coach Warren Gatland revealed. The tourists handsomely beat their counterparts 56-14 at Emirates Airline Park with a team packed with Test-match hopefuls, and Gatland revealed after the match that his selections will have a different look to it when they play the Sharks. "I think the players that haven't started will start on Wednesday," said Gatland. "We've got a day off (on Sunday) - the non-23 had a tough hit out (on Saturday morning) with some fitness and skill work, so we are trying to get everyone on the same kind of cycle. We will probably name the squad to the team (on Sunday). "Monday there…

FARGO S4 M-NET CITY, DSTV CHANNEL 115, 9.55PM An uneasy peace between two Kansas City crime syndicates is threatened by an untimely death. Meanwhile, the Smutny family is caught between a rock and a hard place. THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF BBC LIFESTYLE, DSTV CHANNEL 174, 8PM The signature round features plenty of alcohol, while the technical challenge sets the bakers the task of making pastry horns. Finally, for the Showstopper, they must use all the precision they can muster to construct a cake made entirely from smaller cakes. EMBARASSING BODIES: DERBY BBC LIFESTYLE, DSTV CHANNEL 174, 9PM The doctors meet Jerusha, who suffers from chronic vaginal pain, and Duane, whose copious penis tags are caused by excessive friction.…

Sonri Naidoo sonri.naidoo@inl.co.za The family of the slain 82-year-old disabled granny from Kuruman, Northern Cape, who was allegedly raped and murdered at her home, say they want justice. The grandmother, Kealebogo Moeng, was allegedly raped and murdered at her home in Cassel, outside Kuruman, on Friday at about 9pm after she refused to give the perpetrator money. Her granddaughter, Mmalesa Moeng, says the family is still in shock at the way her grandmother died. She says it was heartbreaking to hear that the cause of her death was murder and not old age or ill-health. “My grandmother suffered a stroke two years ago, leaving her unable to use the left side of her body. She could not walk without a walking stick and needed assistance to sit down or…

James Mahlokwane THE SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) is set to declare a dispute and request a strike certificate after wage negotiations collapsed. The union said salary and wage negotiations for municipal workers under the auspices of the SA Local Government Bargaining Council collapsed as a result of the continued “arrogance” of the SA Local Government Association (Salga), which represented the country’s 257 municipalities. With negotiations failing to yield results, Samwu said members had gone back to their original demands for a single year salary and wage agreement; a R4 000 salary increase for all workers under the auspices of the bargaining council; a R15 000 sectoral minimum wage and a R3 500 housing allowance for all workers. Samwu secretary Dumisane Magagula said the facilitator in the bargaining council did…

Since the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed in South Africa in March 2020, and subsequent variations of lockdowns implemented across Africa, life as we know it has drastically changed. The lines between home and work have been blurred and it has proven increasingly difficult to maintain work-life balance. As a single mother to a 5-year-old daughter, the difficulty in finding a balance between work and my personal life is something I understand all too well. As a leader in one of the largest diagnostics companies, I am confronted with the responsibility of prioritising the company’s growth but most importantly, prioritising the well-being of the company’s best asset – its employees. Lay the foundation for business continuity without employee burnout. As a leader, encourage your staff to think of these…

Neil De Beer IT IS said that history has a way of repeating itself, and that we as a nation are no doubt facing another Rubicon moment, in so many ways. While battling so many challenges as a nation, with a huge sword of a Covid pandemic, just not leaving its ice cold grip on the world and South Africa locking down, the roar of violence and calls for war, clearly now upstages the pandemic. As the country held its breath, awaiting the Constitutional Court’s decision to either ignore the protection of our justice system, or send former president Jacob Zuma to jail for contempt of court, the war mongers were preparing. How odd that I found the messages on social media, calling MK veterans to unite and defy…

IT TOOK 20 months but at long last the Springboks were back in action on Friday night when they beat a tough Georgia team in Pretoria, and the next day the British and Irish Lions played their first tour game, overwhelming the local Lions in Joburg. The Boks versus Lions series has been eagerly awaited for so long, and on a number of occasions it looked like the tour would be called off due to the global pandemic, so to see both teams in action over the weekend was a massive shot in the arm for rugby in this country. Many people said they would only believe this tour was on when they actually saw it, and at Loftus Versfeld we saw the Boks in their first action since the…

Abdulkadir Musse, a special representative of the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) to Libya, called for protection of child migrants who are rescued and returned to Libya. “The body of a child and a woman among 14 people drowned in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya washed ashore in Zawya, north-western Libya. In another incident today, at least 43 migrants drowned in a shipwreck off Tunisia,” said Musse. “Unicef calls for immediate action to protect the intercepted children by offering appropriate immediate care and durable solutions. “There must be collective efforts to provide safer legal alternatives to sea crossing,” he said. According to Unicef, since the beginning of 2021, a total of 529 children have been intercepted and returned to the Libyan shores, out of a total of nearly 15 000 people.…

NICOSIA: Four bodies were found yesterday as a huge fire raged for a second day in Cyprus, razing tracts of forest and gutting dozens of homes in a blaze one official called the worst on record. The blaze, fanned by strong winds, affected at least 10 communities over an area exceeding 50 square kilometres in the foothills of the Troodos mountain range, an area of pine forest and densely vegetated shrubland. “It’s one of the most destructive (fires) we have experienced, unfortunately, with victims,” Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said from the area. The state would stand by and support all those affected, he said. The area includes some of Cyprus’s most picturesque mountain villages. Witnesses said slopes of lush pine or fruit tree orchards had been turned to smouldering black…

As if the year couldn’t get better for Veli Mothwa. Fresh from being nominated as one of the best three goalkeepers in the Premiership last season, Mothwa was appointed as Bafana Bafana captain for the Cosafa Cup. Mothwa became a professional with Baroka FC in 2013. But due to limited game time he left the club in 2016 to join Gqeberha-based side Chippa United, where he failed to make a single appearance for the Chilli Boys in his first two seasons. His fortunes changed two seasons ago after the departure of Patrick Tignyemb. He played 21 matches as Chippa avoided relegation on the last day of the season. Last term, Mothwa’s outstanding goalkeeping earned him the No 1 jersey and captaincy role. But in December last year, Mothwa was…

SAMAOEN OSMAN | Cape Town Nelson Mandela dedicated his life to transforming South Africa, but he changed the entire world. He taught us that an unflinching devotion to hope can triumph over any tyranny, no matter how powerful. Let’s come together to celebrate his life with a giant message of gratitude – for the courage he embodied, the injustice he righted, and the gift he gave us all to believe that within each of us lies the power to make the world a better place. Then pledge to honour him by celebrating Mandela Day just as he’s taught us – through public service. This quote from Mandela has inspired many people in their fight for a better world: “I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature…

Study shows declining faith among South Africans in the handling of Covid-19 pandemic THE public has been overwhelmed by a surge in misleading and false information during the Covid-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) has decried this “infodemic”, which can lead to mistrust in health authorities and undermine the public health response. People often do not know which information to trust, making them vulnerable to disinformation. New research suggests that South Africans are more likely to trust scientific sources, such as doctors and the WHO, than their own government. Most disapprove of the government’s handling of the pandemic. These are the findings of an online survey we conducted to find out where people were getting their information about Covid-19 from and which sources they trusted most. We also conducted…

TOKYO: Rescuers in a Japanese holiday town hit by a deadly landslide were forced to suspend their search for survivors several times yesterday as more rain lashed the devastated area. Two women were confirmed dead after torrents of mud crashed through part of the hot-spring resort of Atami in central Japan on Saturday morning, following days of heavy downpours. Nineteen people have been rescued and around 20 others are still missing, the town’s disaster management spokesperson Yuta Hara said. “We are doing our best to rescue survivors while carefully checking the weather and other conditions,” he said, adding 387 residents had been evacuated. Hara said around 130 homes and other buildings had been destroyed as the landslide swept through the residential area, leaving behind a quagmire that stretched down to…

MANILA: At least 45 people were killed yesterday when a Philippines Air Force plane carrying troops crashed on landing and broke up in flames – the country’s worst military air disaster in nearly 30 years. The Lockheed C-130 transport aircraft carrying troops bound for counter-insurgency operations crashed with 96 aboard at Patikul in the Sulu Province. The army has been fighting a long war against Islamist militants from Abu Sayyaf and other factions. Forty five bodies were retrieved and 50 people taken to hospital, leaving 17 unaccounted for. “A number of soldiers were seen jumping out of the aircraft before it hit the ground, sparing them from the explosion caused by the crash,” an official said. The plane had “missed the runway”.…

JERUSALEM: Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has agreed to increase the amount of water Israel sells to Jordan in response to a request from the royal house in Amman. According to Yediot Aharonot newspaper, the water supply will be increased by 50 million cubic metres per year until the end of 2022. Bennet’s government reportedly made the decision after experts from the Water Authority assessed that water levels and conditions in the Kinneret – a freshwater lake in Israel – permitted the provision of this amount. Earlier in April, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also authorised Jordan’s request for additional water supplies which came almost a month after Amman made the request.…

Arthur Zwane has embraced his role of moulding youngsters at Kaizer Chiefs, so much so that emotions overwhelmed him when spoke about his journey and his proteges after they inspired the senior team to their first ever CAF Champions League final this month. “As you know our slogan is ‘Love and Peace’,” he said. “And that’s what we should be practising as coaches and players. Ever since I’ve been here - I’ve been here for 21 years - that’s what the team taught me: To love the players, myself, the fans and everyone.” He added: “God is amazing. He does things in a mysterious way. Here we are today - myself, (Nkosingiphile) Ngcobo and other development players - having taken the team to the Champions League final. That…