Table of contents for 2021-08-30 in Star

MaryAnne Isaac maryanne.isaac@inl.co.za IT’S thanks to the women of 1956, who have paved the way for the younger generation of females to thrive in what would have been a man’s world, that we can forge our own paths, step over stereotypes and shatter those glass ceilings. Today’s women bear many titles and not just those of homemaker, housekeeper, chef, teacher or caretaker – we are world-changers of our society. As society gradually makes strides to accommodate women in what would have been previously deemed “too risky” or “out of reach” careers or opportunities, they are now little- by-little supporting and bridging those gaps. Several women, and even men, may disagree and will argue that not much has changed, or there is still a long way to go. However, the world’s…

IT’S that time of the year when Grade 9s are expected to choose their subjects for matric. The Two Oceans Aquarium Education Foundation is using this time to remind this group of learners that marine science can be chosen as an eighth subject choice for 2022. Learners, teachers and others interested in learning more about marine sciences as a subject are invited to attend an online information session at 6pm on August 24. Visit https://www.aquarium.co.za | Zodidi Dano…

IF you are looking to buy academic books online at the best prices in South Africa, look no further than Loot. With safe, reliable delivery to your door and various payment options, this is the easiest way to shop. Loot also offers a large range of furniture. Computers and office accessories: Lenovo Ideapad 3 15.6" FHD Ryzen 7 Notebook Loot price – R11 699 While it may be priced as an everyday-use laptop, the IdeaPad 3, with an AMD Ryzen Mobile Processor. is bolstered by powerful memory, storage and graphics options. Whether you’re working on the family budget or preparing a spreadsheet, the numeric keypad will speed up productivity. Shop now while stocks last. College Originals bamboo laptop cooler stand/ riser tablet and phone docking stand combo Loot price –…

Debashine Thangevelo Even though DJ Zinhle (real name Ntombezinhle Jiyane) is a celebrity in her own right, she has grabbed headlines more for her romantic relationships than her successes as a DJ, producer and businesswoman. Sadly, this scenario prevailed for the longest time. But she is finally reclaiming her narrative with DJ Zinhle – Unexpected, her first reality show on BET Africa. In making the big announcement last week, she also confirmed her pregnancy and was showered with well-wishes on social media. Of course, in life, timing is everything. In a Zoom chat on Thursday, she explained her surprisingly bold move to do a reality show, more so as it’s such an invasive medium and a stark contrast to the low-key profile that she’s kept. Looking absolutely ravishing (that pregnancy…

Willem Phungula THE family of murdered Gauteng government official Babita Deokaran has praised police for the swift arrest of suspects. Seven men, believed to all be from KwaZulu-Natal, were tracked down on Friday. Deokaran family spokesperson Tony Haripersardh said yesterday the family was very happy to hear the news of the arrests. He thanked Deokaran’s neighbours for providing video clips from their CCTV cameras to help police trace the suspects. “We are grateful to the police for the swift arrest. “Although the arrest will not revive our dear aunt, we are happy that at least police have found people who will possibly answer for her death. We are now hoping that the men will be convicted,” said Haripersardh. Police said the men were due to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s…

African News Agency (ANA) Celebrating Women’s Month, the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) hosted a Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Africa webinar on Thursday. Keynote speaker Bineta Diop, from Senegal, is the Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the AU Commission on Women, Peace and Security. Diop is also the founder and president of Femmes Africa Solidarité, an international NGO dedicated to promoting peace, security and development in Africa. Diop has thanked UKZN for the opportunity to be able to celebrate Women’s Month with South Africa and says this month is fitting to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. She said by dedicating August to women, the government has demonstrated its commitment and taken leadership in the empowerment of women. Diop said the disproportionate impact of conflict…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE AUTHOR behind Showmax’s first original telenovela says she’s excited for her much-loved novels to come to the small screen following calls from her adoring fans. Last week, it was announced that African streaming service Showmax was set to release its first telenovela, The Wife, based on novelist Dudu Busani-Dube’s best-selling and popular novels Hlomu the Wife, Zandile the Resolute and Naledi his Love from her Hlomu series. Centred around the lives of eight Zulu brothers, a formidable crime family, from Greytown, KZN, the series tells African love stories through the eyes of the wives who the brothers marry. Busani-Dube told The Star yesterday that an on-screen adaptation of the Hlomu series had been in talks for a while, almost two years ago, until an agreement was…

Popular video-sharing social networking service TikTok has released a list of the most popular hashtags around the world, and let’s just say that all you need is love. The company also announced last week that it will pilot TikTok Shopping as it taps into the ever-growing e-commerce market, which has seen a boom during global lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic. These were the most popular hashtags on the network, according to the website TikTok Hashtags.com: #trending #viral #love #explorepage #fashion #like #follow #tiktok #explore #likeforlikes #followforfollowback and #trend. According to TikTok Hashtags.com, 39.5 million overall posts were recorded with these hashtags, with 312.3 billion overall views. The hashtags #Love and #Respect were the most popular, with billions of users globally tagging their posts with them. In Africa, the popular…

Thami Zwane | Edenvale A HOUSE built on a shaky foundation is bound to fall or be swept away when a storm breaks. South Africa too is built on a pernicious lie. The second quarterly labour force survey has confirmed that, 64.4% of our youth between 15 and 24 years are jobless, with blacks leading the pack. The government and elite often paint a rosy picture of our situation. We are expected to think of a land of blue skies and sunshine as well as sing along to the national anthem with verve and vitality. Now the same political party we put into power has failed to pay its own employees for two months. The stats released are conservative, people on the ground are in dire straits. Covid-19…

Matshelane Mamabolo THE second edition of the DStv Premiership began with somewhat of a whimper, the first two matches of the campaign dishing out unconvincing football and with no particular team giving an indication they’d be the ones to beat. Already, there’s no club boasting a perfect record, with all the 16 sides having dropped points and seven teams sharing the top spot on four points and just two winless. Of course, we can look at that and see ours as a competitive league with teams that are evenly-matched. It is the fact that a lot of the clubs appeared as if they’ve just been put together yesterday which is worrying. The refrain that such and such a team ‘is still trying to gel’ has littered the match commentaries so…

Manchester United set a Premier League record of 28 away games without defeat as Mason Greenwood’s strike 10 minutes from time snatched a fortunate 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers. The visiting fans at Molineux were euphoric even before kick-off in United’s first game since a deal was agreed to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford. Ronaldo was not present with the paperwork for his move yet to be completed, but United did hand a first start to their other two big close season signings Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho. But it was a teenager from their own academy who allowed the Red Devils to escape with the win. Amid the excitement over Ronaldo’s return to the club where he made his name as a world star, there have been…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za MASSMART said on Friday that it had put up 14 Game stores in east and west African for sale to focus on its core strengths as the group’s losses narrowed in the half-year to the end of June. Massmart has begun a formal process to divest of five Game stores in Nigeria, four in Ghana, three in Kenya, one in Uganda and one in Tanzania. During the group’s virtual financial results presentation on Friday, chief executive Mitchell Slape said the company was in discussion with potential purchasers to take over the stores. “We have reached the conclusion that the performance and complexity in running the 14 stores in five markets in east and west Africa is something, frankly, that we needed to address,” said Slape. The decision…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za STEINHOFF International Holdings share price on Friday closed 2.1 percent higher at R2.38 on the JSE after the group reported that the gradual easing of global lockdown restrictions had boosted its revenue. In a trading update on Friday, the global retailer reported a 15 percent increase in revenue to €6.81 billion (R118bn) in the first nine months of the 2021 financial year, up from €5.9bn in the same period, last year. The group said all operations performed well in the third quarter, while results in the comparative quarter reflected a period when significant lockdown restrictions were in force. Revenue rose by 16 percent to €3.03bn for Steinhoff’s Pepco Group in Europe as customer restrictions were progressively eased, following 18.4 percent total…

Quick camera transitions with muted trendy sounds, accompanied by Juliet Kane’s calming instructive voice characterise her captivating brief food videos. The 24-year-old lawyer has found success in her venture by showcasing her culinary skills in an educative and sensational format on the popular Chinese video-sharing app, TikTok. “I joined TikTok eight months ago, and ever since I started posting my food videos on a regular basis, I have seen my following grow considerably, impacting positively on my customer base. Most of my customers have found me online,” Kane said. TikTok, popular with the younger crowd, is fast catapulting individuals into their desired careers. Budding dance artists, comedians, and makeup artists here in Kenya as is across the globe have had a breakthrough in their ventures by presenting their work on…

Dr Bernadette Aineamani IT’S no secret that South African pupils have historically underperformed in the subject of maths. And, as the country heads into a digital future powered by the fourth industrial revolution, the need for higher maths acumen in our matriculants and graduates grows exponentially. However, we can never reach that stage unless, our pupils overcome their fear and anxiety of this subject. How do you tackle maths anxiety? It starts with understanding exactly where it comes from. What causes maths anxiety? When faced with a task that requires maths, many could perceive danger from: Social threats – such as humiliation, exclusion and being left behind Fear of failure – being asked to do something the pupil experiences as too hard through insufficient scaffolding, context or meaning. Research…

LEARNING to be smart when dealing with money is one of the best life skills, and the earlier you become financially literate the better. Little by Little, the second book in a series of illustrated picture books, does just that by teaching children about the importance of saving and investing. The book is available free. Launched by Foord Asset Management, it’s part of the Teach Your Child to Invest series to help children (and their parents) understand the basic concepts. |…

THE GOOD DOCTOR S4 M-NET, DSTV CHANNEL 101, 7.30PM An event-filled season premiere. When Covid-19 arrives at St. Bonaventure, the entire team struggles to contain the damage. FAMILY LAW UNIVERSAL TV, DSTV CHANNEL 117, 8PM Jewel Staite stars as lawyer Abigail Bianchi, a recovering alcoholic who has hit rock bottom. As a condition of her probation, Abigail takes a job working for her estranged father, Harry Svennson (Victor Garber), at his Vancouver law firm. Now she has to practice family law for the first time while also getting to know the half-brother and half-sister she’s never met, as dysfunctional families turn to help from a law firm with a dysfunctional family at its heart. FALSE IDENTITY 2 TELEMUNDO, DSTV CHANNEL 118, 10PM Victoria’s mission is made more complicated…

Thobeka Ngema OPPOSITION parties have slammed Premier Sihle Zikalala over the sanctions imposed on Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, for her surprise birthday lunch, where Covid-19 rules were flouted. Simelane’s punishment would be a 50% salary dock; and a public apology. The MEC had, last week, said she regretted the failure by some guests, including herself, to wear masks when they stood up to dance while eating. DA chief whip in the KZN legislature Zwakele Mncwango said the DA expected the sanction to be equal to the crime. He referenced then communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, who was suspended and her entire salary docked, and Carl Niehaus, facing charges for flouting Covid-19 regulations. He said the ANC could not ignore the fact that ANC leaders were at the party –…

Mayibongwe Maqhina THE GROWING unemployment in South Africa, especially among young people, has prompted the SACP to support the call by trade unions and other movements for the introduction of a universal basic income grant in the country. The calls for the income grant mounted after StatsSA announced that the figure of unemployment stood at 34.45%, and that the number is likely to grow following the violent attacks on businesses during unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Most of the affected businesses were forced to shut down. SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande said these dismal statistics must serve as a wake-up call, not least to those in government who continue in their blinkered way to impose ultra-orthodox, neoliberal austerity. “They do so at a time when much of the…

NOKWANDA NCWANE SISTER’S Keeper SA, a women empowerment movement, hosted its third annual Women Empowerment Charity event, on Saturday, to celebrate Women’s Month. The event was aimed at empowering women in personal growth, career choices and female-owned enterprises, through engagement sessions on economic and social issues. This prestigious charity event, held at the ANEW Hotels Capital, Pretoria, also benefited two adopted orphanage homes within the movement’s non-profit organisation, Greenlight Youth Development, with donations of sanitary pads they have been collecting throughout the year. Speakers included motivational speakers, such as media personality Dr Criselda Kananda, who spoke about breaking societal stereotypes and Lebogang Motau who addressed issues of gender-based violence (GBV). Vivian Mokome talked about empowering women on powerful business and finance strategies. The line-up also included author Leroy…

Shifaan Ryklief and Brenda Masilela AFGHANISTAN: With the deadline for evacuations tomorrow, tension between the Taliban and foreign troops is rising at the airport in Kabul. Taliban officials said there would be “consequences” if the US and its allies overstayed their welcome at Kabul airport. On Thursday, US President Joe Biden said evacuations would be completed as promised. Chaos erupted that day during attacks at the airport that were claimed by the Islamic State, and killed more than 110 people, including 13 US soldiers with more than 1 330 left injured. Tomorrow will be monumental as tough decisions will need to be made by international parties. Will the US stick to its promise? How will the G7 leaders respond in evacuating its citizens? What will China’s influence be…

Matshelane Mamabolo IT could be that I am suffering from nostalgia. But then again surely I am not the only one getting some 1992 vibes about Bafana Bafana’s upcoming Fifa World Cup qualifying clash against Zimbabwe, am I? I mean there’s this whole excitement about a new era for our national team following the appointment of Hugo Broos as coach. As if that was not enough, the Belgian has gone and literally restructured Bafana by sending previous regulars out to pasture and injecting the squad with new players eager to make a name in senior international football. The squad that will head to Zimbabwe for Friday’s Group G opener against the Warriors is made up mainly of local players with a sprinkling of overseas-based ones. Our adversaries, on the other…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za THE Bulls may have ended the Currie Cup league phase nine points ahead of everybody else, and with two more wins, but coach Jake White has warned his players that such achievements are “irrelevant” heading into the play-offs. The Pretoria side held off a late charge from the Cheetahs to win 39-36 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night to secure the No 1 position on the log, thereby securing a home semi-final and possible final. They will face arch rivals Western Province at Loftus on Saturday, while the Sharks will host Griquas in Durban. The fact that they are defending champions is also a factor that White hopes will help his team over the next two weeks, before they begin their United Rugby Championship campaign against Irish…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za DISCOVERY, South Africa’s biggest medical aid group, has set up a R2 billion provision for retail claims in anticipation of claims arising from the fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the group said on Friday as it flagged higher earnings during the year ended June 2021. The group said the R2bn provision established by Discovery Life had a R1.1bn net impact on the profits after discretionary margins for the previous year and had proven adequate for the retail business. Discovery said Covid-19 claims added further strain in the reporting year in the group Life business. The Covid-19 pandemic impact on Discovery Life was R2.4bn compared with the R1.1bn for the year ended June 30, 2020. Normalised earnings from the business will be more than 50…

MATRIC results for the May/June “second chance” exams are out. These exams are offered to adult candidates who have not attained a matric qualification and also to candidates that wrote the previous November exams but may not have met the requirements for a certificate, or may have passed but wish to improve their results. According to the Department of Basic Education, 239 024 candidates enrolled to write these exams from May 26 until July 7. |…

Education Reporter A METALLURGICAL engineer is trained in the extraction, refining, alloying and fabrication of metals. The See Yourself in Steel campaign aims to encourage women to see the industry as a vital part of the economy and one offering viable career options. Despite strides made by such campaigns, the South African steel industry remains male-dominated. To challenge this narrative, Veer Steel Mills – a division of the Alfeco Group – is focused on bringing women into the industry through work readiness programmes such as learnerships, apprenticeships and internships. One of Veer Steel Mills’ strategies is centred on providing portable skills to previously disadvantaged groups such as women and the youth, who could not easily access work opportunities in the steel industry. Brunice Taylor broke into the industry in…

Debashine Thangevelo Streaming platforms are saturated with dating reality shows like Too Hot To Handle, Love is Blind: After the Altar, Are You The One and Back with the Ex. While the formats may differ, the end goal is the same – everyone’s looking for love and “the one”. And audiences can’t seem to get enough of being a fly on the wall on their dating journey. On the homegrown front, viewers delighted in watching the matchmaking efforts on The Bachelorette SA and Love Island SA. Now Showmax has joined the bandwagon, with Temptation Island South Africa, a show based on the Banijay-owned hit reality format. I wasn’t au fait with the series when I watched episode one. And, for the better part of the episode, I enjoyed what I…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za Eating is an experience that involves all our senses, but particularly our senses of taste, sight and smell. Do you know that the way food is presented on a plate can affect a person’s appetite? Or that the colour of the plate itself can dictate how appetising food looks? According to historical research, food was presented in overly elaborate and ornate ways to represent wealth and one’s status in society, and today, the focus has shifted to display a chef’s creative abilities as well as enhance the customer’s overall food experience. Chefs now intimately understand people employ more than just their taste buds when consuming dishes. So, what is it about a beautiful-looking plate that makes us pick up our forks in anticipation? Experts reveal that food…

SONRI NAIDOO RESIDENTS in Eldorado Park, whose roofs blew away during a strong wind storm resulting in damage to their ceilings, yesterday expressed their frustration at the disregard from the authorities. On Saturday, August 14, residents of Eldorado Park’s extensions 2 and 3 experienced the might of the August winds. Since then, the damaged ceilings and the blown-off roofs have not been restored at the Dallas flats in extension 2, while extension 3 has been repaired a few days after the wind storm. The Dallas flats are a block of flats with six flats in each block. Approximately seven people reside in each flat. Belinda Fredricks, one of the residents, said they have had to improvise since their roof had been blown away by the wind storm. She said…

According to the most recent SAPS quarterly crime report, sexual offences increased by 74.1% during April to June 2021, compared to the same time frame in 2020. In just three months, 12 702 people were victims of sexual offences that include rape, sexual assault, contact sexual offences and attempted sexual offences. “We live in what President Ramaphosa has called ‘one of the most unsafe places in the world to be a woman’,” says Seugnette van Wyngaard, head of 1st for Women Insurance. “Marches, memorandums and hashtags finally mobilised government to declare violence against women a national crisis but it’s not enough. Sexual offences across South Africa have shown an unprecedented increase and women need to be vigilant to protect and even defend, themselves.” With this in mind, Van Wyngaard offers…

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen emerged as the winner of the rain-ruined Belgian Grand Prix yesterday with only a handful of laps completed behind a safety car at a drenched and dangerous Spa-Francorchamps. Pole-sitter Verstappen was awarded half points, which moved him to within three points of Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ championship. Williams’ George Russell took second, with Hamilton’s Mercedes in third in the shortest race in Formula One history – all 14 kilometres of it. After the safety car gingerly led the 19 remaining cars on a formation lap with the spray flying and drivers like McLaren’s Lando Norris complaining of lack of visibility, the red flag was raised, signalling a suspension of the start procedure. “It’s pretty awful. I can barely see the car in front at the…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za AFTER Ntando Mahlangu clinched the gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday, he made reference to his coach who was “coaching from home”, and that man is Neil Cornelius. Mahlangu produced a leap of 7.17m in the men’s long jump T63 class – which was also a world record in the T61 category – with his final attempt to snatch top spot from German Leon Schafer (7.12m) and Denmark’s Daniel Wagner (7.07m), who claimed the silver and bronze medals respectively. Earlier in the day, Anrune Weyers grabbed the first gold for Team SA in the women’s 400m T47 class. “This is not my medal. So much work was put in it back at home. My coach is also coaching from home, and I am sure he…