Table of contents for 2022-04-11 in Star

SOUTH African consumers have been warned to brace for even higher prices this year as global supply chain backlogs are showing no signs of easing and are likely to worsen for the rest of 2022. This comes as the Food and Agri- culture Organisation (FAO) on Friday said that world food prices jumped 12.6 percent in March to a new record high, largely driven by conflict-related export disruptions from the Russia-Ukraine war. The UN agency’s food price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 159.3 points in March, compared to an upwardly revised 141.4 points in February. The war between Russia and Ukraine – two major exporters of wheat, maize, barley and sunflower oil via the Black Sea – caused turmoil in the food…

SIMPLIFYING its share model will unlock opportunities for JSE-listed Dipula Income Fund, its chief executive Izak Petersen said on Friday. This follows an announcement the real estate investment trust (Reit) company made on Thursday that its shareholders had approved it simplifying its dual share model into a single class of ordinary shares. Dipula said all resolutions required to be passed by its shareholders to approve the scheme were met by the requisite majority of shareholders. Dipula’s current capital structure comprises listed DIA shares and DIB shares. DIA shares have preferential entitlements to dividends, if declared, which grow annually by the lower consumer price index and 5 percent. DIB shares were the “ordinary” equity of Dipula, receiving any residual dividend after settlement of the DIA shares’ preferential dividend entitlement, Dipula…

It was a chance meeting with Simz Kulla from The Muffinz last year while working on her album at Audio Militia, a studio in Joburg, that led to the recording of Louise Carver’s latest single, Take My Hand. “We immediately hit it off and I asked him if he would like to create a beat for me, which I could then write on,” she said. “I wanted an up-tempo, happy groove that would remind people of going out, dancing with friends, beach holidays, and he did just that. “I then sat with the beat in the depths of Joburg icy winter with a glass of red wine and started writing about what I wanted to happen. Hot summer nights, sexy dresses and socialising again,” she said. Carver describes working with…

THE DA has refused to apologise to ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba for parading him as symbol of division and xenophobic sentiments in a DA SMS campaign. The Star understands that an SMS was sent to DA supporters and some members of the public. The SMS reads as follows: “Populists like Mashaba are fanning flames of xenophobia, which could lead to a repeat of last year’s riots & chaos.” The SMS comes after a Zimbabwean national was killed in Diepsloot, north of Joburg in a mob attack. The area has been violently unstable with clashes between South Africans and foreign nationals that some have described as illegal and causing crime in the area. DA MP Cilliers Brink said there were clear signs on Mashaba’s Twitter account that the leader was xenophobic…

THE COUNTDOWN has begun for the 10-year anniversary milestone climb of Trek4Mandela, the annual expedition to summit Mount Kilimanjaro on Mandela Day. The Nelson Mandela Foundation with the Imbumba Foundation hosted a 100 days countdown to the anniversary climb of the Trek4Mandela Expedition on Friday. Trek4Mandela is an annual expedition to summit Africa’s highest peak on Mandela Day, July 18, to honour Nelson Mandela’s living legacy. The expedition was established in 2012 by Imbumba Foundation chief executive, founder and social entrepreneur Richard Mabaso after his niece started menstruating, but she did not have sanitary wear, and her uncle felt useless as he could not help her. During the event, Mabaso provided the guests, which included previous climbers, an update on the progress Trek4Mandela had made since 2012, including the fact…

POET, writer and activist whose works transcend pages, Diana Ferrus, has received an honorary doctorate from Stellenbosch University (SU). Ferrus was awarded the degree Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) honoris causa last week at an in-person graduation ceremony for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Ferrus was born on August 29, 1953 in Worcester and began writing at the age of 14. Her poetry is both locally and internationally recognised for its impact on politics, and for giving a voice to the anti-apartheid Struggle in South Africa, said SU. Ferrus said: “My work always had at its core the concern of the condition of my people and what caused it and how it can be changed. I come from a politically conscious family, a family that has been through so…

AS THE news of the death of veteran newsman and former Pretoria News assistant editor Jos Charle sunk in, tributes poured in from far and wide, with industry stakeholders and friends praising him for being an upstanding citizen. Among those who reacted were embassies, institutions of higher learning and the GCIS, which said yesterday: “He was a great newspaperman and editor, a true professional dedicated to his craft and a wonderful human being.” GCIS director-general Phumla Williams said: “He will be sorely missed by many.” She said they were saddened by the death of the general manager of the National Press Club. “The GCIS sends its deepest condolences to Charle’s family, the National Press Club and the country’s media fraternity. Charle’s passing is a significant loss to the industry. He…

THE National Consumer Commission (NCC) and L’Oréal South Africa have initiated a voluntary recall of certain batches of Dark and Lovely Precise Diamond Hair Relaxer following 22 consumer complaints. Cosmetic company L’Oréal South Africa announced at the weekend that it has initiated a voluntary recall of one batch of the locally produced Dark and Lovely Precise Diamond Straight and Shine Relaxer 125ml tub. “An isolated incident in the production led to an imbalance of the active raw material, affecting one batch only which gave rise to 22 consumer complaints. All other batches remain safe and available,” the company said. The affected batch carries the batch numbers 87UD00 and 87UD01 and the batch numbers can be found on the back of the jar. According to L’Oréal South Africa, consumers who purchased…

The stage is set for South Africa’s spin magicians Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer to haul out their bag of tricks once again. The duo were superb at Kingsmead in Durban last week – including bowling in tandem throughout Bangladesh’s second innings – when they claimed 14 wickets in the match, and now they have two days at St George’s Park to take a further seven wickets to secure a 2-0 series victory for the hosts. They had already done their jobs in Bangladesh’s first innings when they combined for five of the wickets to fall, with Harmer collecting 3/39 and Maharaj 2/57 to dismiss the visitors for 217 in response to South Africa’s 453 all out. This provided Dean Elgar’s men with a 236-run cushion. Elgar, though, chose not…

Calling the Springbok Sevens team’s performance in Singapore uncharacteristic is putting it mildly and for coach Neil Powell, it came down to one thing – playing as individuals. The Blitzboks missed out on their 12th consecutive semi-final at the National Stadium after crashing out against Fiji in their quarter-final outing yesterday, which they lost 19-14. Fiji won the Singapore title, beating New Zealand 28-17 in the Cup final. Despite their disappointing weekend, South Africa still top the standings. On day one, the South Africans beat Canada and Kenya, before losing to the USA in their last Pool A game. That defeat set them up for a quarter-final against the islanders, and in their fifth-place playoff against Argentina, the Blitzboks’ woes continued as they suffered a 22-15 defeat to the South…

BUSINESS confidence in South Africa fell slightly in March due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, even though the country showed signs of continuing on its recovery path following the July 2021 civil unrest and supply-chain disruptions. The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) on Friday said that the Business Confidence Index (BCI) fell by 1.3 index points in March to reach 95.6 points, from a nine-month high of 96.9 in February, amid the uncertainty caused by the Russia-Ukraine war. However, Sacci said the general trend in business confidence during the first few months of 2022 remained positive. Sacci said the positive reaction to the relaxation of some of the lockdown regulations contributed to the improvement of the business climate. The chamber said a higher volume of merchandise…

THE SOUTH Africa-China Economy and Trade Association (Saceta) will hold a Job Fair at the Gallagher Conference Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg, on Thursday. Saceta said it expected about 100 Chinese enterprises to offer 1 000 jobs to local applicants as they gear up to expand their South African workforce by a further 20 000 in the next three years. Chinese Ambassador Chen Xiaodong, together with senior officials from relevant South African government departments and representatives from Chinese-invested enterprises in South Africa, will be at the event. The China-South Africa comprehensive strategic co-operation has grown steadily in recent years. The bilateral economic and commercial co-operation is now moving into the “fast lane” under the personal leadership of China President Xi Jinping and President Cyril Ramaphosa as they meet annually at…

Meagan Good thinks it is important for representation she plays a black female superhero in the upcoming film Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The actress reprises her role as the adult superhero Darla Dudley in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) sequel and is pleased to act as a role model for other black girls by playing a hero on screen. Good told Popculture.com: “I’m excited about Shazam! because a big thing for me was like, I want little girls to know that the little black girls, to see themselves in superheroes. "That’s something in terms of black female superheroes that we haven’t had until the last couple of years outside of Eartha Kitt playing Catwoman. But other than that, we hadn’t really had any consistent superhero to the point…

AFTER facing several organisational and legal hurdles that left some political pundits predicting that the eThekwini ANC regional conference, which started on Friday and concluded yesterday, was able to achieve the most important goal, that of electing regional leadership. The installation of a formal structure follows a vacuum of almost two years, created when the provincial executive committee led by Sihle Zikalala decided to disband the regional executive committee which was led by former eThekwini mayor, Zandile Gumede. The disbandment was on the basis that their term of office had lapsed, and an interim structure had to take over. Although the election of regional leaders was eventually done, the three-day conference highlighted the depth of the divisions within the region, the interest of national leaders in who heads the region…

SOME residents in Mamelodi have welcomed the long-awaited demolition of the remains of the HM Pitje Stadium, and declared it a crucial step towards restoring the community and rebuilding its iconic feature. This comes as contractors began bringing down the vandalised structure. A group of Mamelodi residents, including soccer legends, fought for the stadium to be redeveloped. They also wanted the return of economic opportunities that left the township, where teams like Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport played many matches. Representing lobby group #BringBackHMPitje, Tshepo Ncubuka called the demolition a promising experience that gave locals hope for a better tomorrow. They had engaged the departments of Infrastructure Development, Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation and the City of Tshwane who shared ambitions to have the stadium redeveloped. However, it would need at…

IT IS without a doubt that viewers globally have shown a deep affinity for reality shows and with many being produced they are in for a nice treat. The big announcement that The Real Housewives of Lagos (RHOLagos) are coming on to screens soon left social media brimming with excitement. The show is expected to be serving up all the high fashion, luxury, drama and power moves for which the franchise is known. The reality show is now streaming on Showmax, after its big and glamorous launch in Johannesburg. Having the launch in the City of Gold commanded more attention from the viewers as South Africa’s biggest stars were also expected to show up in their finest. With media personality Bonang Matheba at the reins as a host the event…

SPRINGBOK coach Jacques Nienaber has moved swiftly to address a growing furore over the non-invitation of red-hot Stormers No 8 Evan Roos to the year’s first alignment camp, saying emphatically that the door is not shut on the 22-year-old or any other player. Nienaber was speaking to the media from Durban, where an alignment camp started yesterday and concludes tomorrow. The subject of invitations to the camp was the first subject Nienaber addressed and he stressed that the camp is simply an information-sharing exercise and that no squad has been selected. Nienaber said he would announce a squad for the series against Wales in June towards the end of the United Rugby Championship in May, probably after the quarter-finals. But Nienaber did emphasize that his World Cup 2023 hat has…

Manchester City and Liverpool played out a compelling 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium yesterday that left the defending champions just one point clear of their rivals at the top of the Premier League. Goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus either side of a Diogo Jota strike put City 2-1 up at half-time, but Sadio Mane levelled seconds after the restart to change the tone of the match. But neither side could find a winner, leaving the league title too close to call with just seven matches to go. Billed as one of the biggest matches in Premier League history between two of the finest sides English football has seen, the contest at a crackling Etihad lived up to the hype. After a cagey opening, the game suddenly…

AFTER back-to-back Premiership wins, Orlando Pirates are well placed to achieve their “second-place” target when they play relegation-doomed Baroka FC at Peter Mokaba Stadium tomorrow evening. Pirates go into the match on the back of consecutive league wins against SuperSport United and Sekhukhune United, and another will move them at least two places up the standings and closer to their ambition of finishing the season behind Mamelodi Sundowns. Later this week, the Buccaneers have a first leg Caf Confederation Cup quarter-final clash in Tanzania, and Pirates’ co-coaches Mandla Ncikazi and Fadlu Davids will be mindful of this when selecting their match-day squad. It is likely they will opt for the bulk of the team that beat Sekhukhune last week. The star of that match was midfielder Fortune Makaringe, who has…

MINISTER of Communications and Digital Technologies Khumbudzo Ntshavheni on Friday welcomed Telkom’s out-of-court settlement with the country’s communications regulator, saying this brought South Africa a step closer to the availability of spectrum licences by July 1. “The release of spectrum to the industry will help our country to bridge the digital divide necessary to catapult socio-economic development of our beloved country for the benefit of all the people of South Africa,” Ntshavheni said. This as South African mobile operators have been waiting for more than a decade for the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) to release new spectrum licences, which will lower data costs, expand network capacity and the roll-out of 5G. Last month Icasa announced that it had raised R14.4 billion from the high-demand…

ANALYSTS polled on the weekend backed JSE-listed Balwin Properties move to purchase an upmarket property in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, with a price tag of R125 million for its new head office, in the wake of a social media backlash last week. In a Sens statement last week, Balwin said there would be no initial constraint on its cash flow, and Investec Bank had approved the loan. “The property is situated within the upmarket area of Melrose Arch, which is a rapidly-developing commercial and residential node ... is highly visible from the M1 highway, and is perfectly situated to capitalise on the advertising opportunities,” it said. Among reasons for the purchase, it said ownership of the property would give it better control over its operating expenses. Balwin said it…

Jennifer Lopez has sparked speculation she’s engaged to Ben Affleck for the second time. The 52-year-old singer-and- actress and the 49-year-old actor – who rekindled their romance in 2021, after calling off their engagement in 2004 – were recently reported to be considering tying the knot again, and now Jennifer has been spotted sporting a diamond ring on her left hand. The Marry Me star was snapped furniture shopping with her and ex-husband Marc Anthony’s 14-year-old daughter Emme – who is a twin to son Max – and a close-up of her hand showed the huge dazzling rock. According to TMZ, she turned the ring over at one point. The sighting comes after an insider claimed the couple have been having “ongoing” discussions about getting engaged again. The source said:…

BASIC Education Minister Angie Motshekga has insisted that the country was not behind the global pace in introducing coding and robotics learning in public schools. There was also no need to worry that the current crop of learners would be disadvantaged in the job market in future, Motshekga said. “The DBE does not believe that we are falling behind in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) since we are the country that is among the first in the world to develop a formal coding and robotics curriculum which provides learners with the necessary skills and competencies,” said Motshekga in a parliamentary written reply. “There is no need to panic, as automation of the economic tools is not equal to job losses. “Automated machinery and robots will need skilled personnel to design,…

SPREADING a message of love in a world crippled by capitalist greed, poverty and intolerance has made life worth living for the directors of the Turquoise Harmony Institute. The institute has several centres around South Africa and is dedicated to bringing people together regardless of class, religion, creed or race. There could never be a time when the work of bringing people together has ever been more urgent. The institute is involved in establishing dialogue between different faiths and cultures. Its work even extends to skills development and looking after orphans of police officers who die in the line of duty. The Star spoke to the executive director Ayhan Cetin who has been with the institute since its inception in 2006. Cetin said the institute started as just a tool…

The Lions indeed looked like fish out of water at Kings Park as a Sharks team conditioned to the rain played the conditions perfectly, with the reputations of playmakers Curwin Bosch and Jaden Hendrikse enhanced as a result. After the 37-10 United Rugby Championship victory on Saturday, coach Sean Everitt had every right to be beaming. “We knew that if we got into a kicking duel with the Lions we could come out on top, and obviously the conditions allowed for that,” Everitt said. “It was always going to be a kicking game, but when we did get opportunities to move the ball the players did their best to do so, and fortunately towards the end we got the bonus point, and that is exactly what we wanted out of…

LEVEL-headed Charles Leclerc claimed his second Grand Prix win of the season yesterday, but insisted it was too early to talk about winning the drivers’ championship as Formula One prepares to move to Ferrari’s home territory in two weeks’ time. The 24-year-old dominated the Australian Grand Prix from start to finish to take the chequered flag ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez by more than 20 seconds. World champion Max Verstappen failed to finish but Leclerc had been outpacing the Dutchman before his retirement. Leclerc has two wins and a second from the opening three races. The Monegasque is 34 points ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and 46 ahead of Red Bull’s Verstappen. Ferrari lead the constructors standings by 39 points from Mercedes. But Leclerc is not getting carried away,…

Royal AM booked a spot in the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup against Mamelodi Sundowns after downing the University of Pretoria 3-2 in an entertaining quarter-final at Chatsworth Stadium in Durban yesterday. Wonderboy Makhubu gave AmaTuks the lead in the 18th minute after finding himself with a free header after Malesela Cokoe whipped in a cross. Just over 10 minutes later, Makhubu doubled the lead, this time after Keegan Allan whipped in a cross towards him and producing a composed finish that gave Royal AM keeper Patrick Nyame no chance. AmaTuks dominated the first half as Royal AM struggled to get going. Allan and Makhubu, in particular, caused serious problems for Royal AM defender Ricardo Nascimento. The away side totally deserved their opening goals and it was hardly surprising that…