Table of contents for 2023-09-07 in Star

THE RESTAURANT Association of South Africa (Rasa) has invited DStv management to immediate talks about the television group’s near tripling of the prices of its packages to the hospitality sector at the start of the Rugby World Cup. Many local rugby fans are fuming that the SABC will not be broadcasting the 2023 Rugby World Cup, which kicks off tomorrow, as the SABC has refused to pay MultiChoice R37.7 million for the rights to broadcast live all potential Springbok games. The games will only be available on SuperSport Grandstand and Rugby channels on the most expensive DStv Premium package. Rasa CEO Wendy Albert said yesterday in an interview that the hospitality industry had on several occasions requested DStv to talks about pricing, which DStv had ignored, and the association…

PUBLIC Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has been forced to crack the whip and order Transnet to produce a convincing turnaround plan within one month in a bid to quickly address the derailment of the group’s operational and financial performance. The State-owned logistics firm last week swung into a massive R5.7 billion loss for the year ended March 31, 2023, down from a R5bn profit a year before, as the volumes delivered by its freight rail business dropped 13.6% during the period, from 173 million tons to 149 million tons. Gordhan yes- terday told the Parliament’s portfolio committee on public enterprises that Transnet was finding itself in a situation where its performance was declining and impacting on the commodity sector and the economy as a whole. He said…

AFTER the memorandum of understanding we signed with A-Venture at the BRICS summit last week, we embarked on our first project together, which was collaborating to host the GEC+Africa lead-up activity, where hundreds of start-ups applied to pitch to stand a chance to be featured at the grand finale in Cape Town, 2024. The pitch took place at the private/public sector-owned accelerator in Algeria, seeing a dozen start-ups pitch to a panel of judges. My colleague, Mahlatse Tolamo, 22 On Sloane’s head of stakeholder relations and Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) managing director, was in Algeria to participate in the pitch, while rubbing shoulders with various stakeholders in the ecosystem. This was the third lead-up activity we have hosted, as we near the GEC+2024, scheduled to be held in Cape Town…

THE PERSISTENT load shedding threatened agricultural production at the start of the season, Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) chief economist Wandile Sihlobo said yesterday. He was reacting to the second quarter gross domestic product figures, released on Tuesday, which showed that South Africa’s agricultural gross value added grew by 4.2% in the second quarter. This was after a sharp contraction of -11.9% quarter-on-quarter (seasonally adjusted) in the first quarter of this year. “This improvement is based on the robust production conditions of various field crops and horticulture, which weren’t reflected in the first quarter data, because of a delayed start to the 2022/23 production season and the base effects,” Sihlobo said. However, various interventions to ease the load-shedding burden on farmers, such as load curtailment, expansion of the diesel rebate to…

After a short hiatus, Mzansi’s favourite youth show, Hectic Nine-9, is back. SABC2 announced the show’s return earlier this week. The popular production returns after a break since May 2022. Hectic Nine-9 provides a platform for young people to tackle issues and express views on topics that resonate with youth from all walks of life. Producer Ruweida Valla said: “Hectic Nine-9 is not the show it was back in 2007 or even 2017. For this season we are aiming to be more intentional with our content, meeting our audience where they are. We are 16-years-old, and this season we will definitely have more for you.” The Cape Town-based show will embrace a fresh format and has three new faces as presenters in the Trace Studios-produced show. Hailing from the Mother…

Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan has not reacted to calls by the EFF for his immediate resignation following Transnet’s recent financial loss of more than R5 billion. The EFF has issued a call for the resignation of Gordhan, stating their concerns regarding his handling of Transnet. The party is highly critical of Gordhan’s approach to his ministerial duties, comparing it to a “casual recreational activity at an old-age home”. In a statement on Tuesday, the Red Berets called for Gordhan to resign with immediate effect over his many failures, including the rising debts incurred by Transnet. “The EFF demands the immediate and unequivocal resignation of the Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan. His casual, almost leisurely approach to a role of immense national significance is a disgrace. He treats…

A team of scientists have recently published a new report which claims to have identified the location of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 that disappeared in 2014, international media reported. British aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey, together with his colleagues Doctor Hannes Coetzee and Professor Simon Maskell published a 232-page document on August 30, detailing their findings about the missing Boeing 777. Despite numerous failed efforts by international authorities to try and locate the missing plane, the team have developed and used a technology called Weak Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) to track MH370. This technology was developed over the past three years and was used to track flight MH370 in the air. When an aircraft flies through a WSPR link, it disturbs the signal and that disturbance is stored in…

HEROES don’t always have to wear capes especially when they’re being backed to be part of a winning duo as part of the Toyota Fortuner Challenge. This year’s heroes will be teamed up with four selected readers of four different media houses, including Independent Media to see whether they have got what it takes to drive away in a Fortuner. Once you’ve been selected to represent us you will be challenged both physically and mentally with one of these heroes, drawn out of a hat on the morning of the event and once the points have been tallied and audited, the winner gets to be the owner of South Africa’s most popular SUV. So what are you waiting for? Go to www.fortunerchallenge.co.za/independent-media fill in the application and you could drive…

Banyana Banyana will be without inspirational captain Refiloe Jane and defender Bambanani Mbane for their trip to four-time World Cup winners the United States, as the duo are injured. Coach Desiree Ellis named her final 23-player squad yesterday to face the US in Cincinnati and Chicago on 21 and 24 September. Banyana, fresh off a confidence-boosting World Cup campaign in Australia and New Zealand, take on one of the highest-ranked teams in the world with just two changes to the squad that exited the tournament in the last 16. Ellis revealed her intentional of retaining of the World Cup group, while also explaining her desire to use the absence of two of their core players as a way to hand valuable opportunities to other players, with the likes of defender…

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber selected a match-day squad with the perfect balance to tick box number one with a win as the defence of their World Cup title starts on Sunday against Scotland in Marseille (kick-off 5.45pm). Apart from the absence of veteran Duane Vermeulen at No 8, there are no surprise selections for the first outing at Stade Velodrome. Nienaber last night opted for the abrasive Jasper Wiese at the back of the scrum, although Vermeulen has been in better form than the inexperienced Leicester Tigers player. But the Springbok think-tank probably hopes Wiese and the settled pack of forwards can break the Scottish big boys down early on, so that Vermeulen and the rest of the Bomb Squad can shut the game down whenever the bench is called…

Novak Djokovic charged into a record 47th Grand Slam semi-final on a steamy Tuesday at the US Open with a straight-sets win over Taylor Fritz, while home favourite Coco Gauff stayed on track for her first major title. Djokovic shrugged off ninth seed Fritz 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 to extend his dominance of American players in New York and take another step closer to a record-extending 24th men’s Grand Slam title. The 36-year-old Serbian star will appear in his 13th US Open semi-final, eclipsing the mark he shared with long-time nemesis Roger Federer for most appearances in the last four of a Grand Slam. Djokovic awaits the up-and-coming Ben Shelton, who took down 10th seed and 2022 semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe in an all-American affair in Tuesday’s night session at Arthur Ashe…

Jonny May has had what he calls a “roller-coaster” summer, but the veteran wing is praying that the World Cup can provide one more thrilling ride – not just for him, but for a misfiring England team. May’s summer began with the high of the birth of his first child and appeared to end with the low of being told he was not going to make the World Cup squad. Then came another high, albeit at the expense of one of his teammates, when he was brought into the squad to replace Anthony Watson, who injured a calf. “I’m gutted for Anthony ... it’s a cruel game,” said May at England’s World Cup training base in Le Touquet. “Cruel, because you might not get picked and because you can get…

Australia lock Richie Arnold says the Wallabies will “get stung” if they underestimate their first World Cup opponents Georgia on Saturday at Stade de France. The Australians have lost all five Tests this year, and so arrive with no great expectations back home that they will be lifting the Webb Ellis Cup for a third time come 28 October. Georgia pose a stern test of even the Wallabies’ ability to qualify from a pool that also includes an in-form Fiji and Wales. “You can’t underestimate them,” said Arnold at a press conference this week. “If you sleep on them, you’ll get stung.” Australia coach Eddie Jones – who guided the Wallabies to the 2003 World Cup final, where they lost to a last-gasp Jonny Wilkinson drop goal in extra time…

HARMONY Gold, South Africa’s top gold producer by output, yesterday reported two deaths at its Kusasalethu mine, 90km west of Johannesburg. The work area had been temporarily closed pending an internal investigation, Harmony said. “Harmony Gold Mining Company regrets to announce that two employees tragically lost their lives at its Kusasalethu mine, following a fall of ground incident caused by a seismic event on Tuesday, 5 September 2023,” the miner said in a statement. The company recorded six fatalities in its financial year, which ended on June 30. It registered 13 deaths in the previous financial year. On Tuesday, the National Union of Mineworkers, South Africa’s biggest mineworkers’ union, said the mining sector had recorded 27 fatal accidents so far this year, with gold miners accounting for 15 of them.…

THE WORLD Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) said yesterday that it had revised the platinum deficit forecast for the full-year 2023 upwards to more than one million ounces, the largest deficit on record, due to strong automotive and industrial demand growth and flat supply. This was in terms of both absolute ounces and as a percentage of annual demand. Total supply is expected to remain flat, aligned with the weak 2022 level of 7 224 ounces, down 31 ounces, while demand was expected to increase significantly by 27% to 8 230 ounces. The council said the core drivers of platinum’s expected 27% demand growth in 2023 – including strong growth in automotive and industrial demand – were clear to see in the second quarter and built…

TURKISH multinational Karpowership SA yesterday moved one step closer to having one of its three controversial gas-to-power projects realised after the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) issued an interim decision on the company’s appeal challenging its decision to reject the Environmental Authorisation (EA) for Port of Ngqura located at the Coega Special Economic Zone in the Eastern Cape. The interim decision issued by the DFFE on August 28 primarily seeks clarity on the strategic engagements Karpowership held with the Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA) for a suitable alternative location for the powerships to be moored at the Port of Ngqura. This comes after the DFFE in March issued a record of refusal on one of Karpowership SA’s applications for EA for the proposed projects for the Ports…

SPRING is on our doorstep, and for many small businesses, the beginning of spring marks the onset of the busy season. It’s been a tough winter for small business across a range of sectors, specifically retail, which saw a year-on-year decline in sales during the first half of 2023. According to recent statistics, the decline was most notable in the hardware, paint and glass, household furniture, appliances and equipment industries. Much of the downward trend can also be attributed to the energy crisis, which our own research revealed our recent quarter one 2023 SME Confidence Index has confirmed. For thousands of small businesses, the answer to the multidirectional headwinds has been to invest in alternative energy supplies that can keep the lights on. Apart from investing in measures and equipment…

AFRICAN leaders yesterday proposed new global taxes and reforms to international financial institutions to help fund climate change action in a declaration that will form the basis of their negotiating position at November’s COP28 summit. The Nairobi Declaration capped the three-day Africa Climate Summit in Kenya, which was dominated by discussions of how to mobilise financing to adapt to increasingly extreme weather, conserve natural resources and develop renewable energy. Despite suffering from some of the worst impacts of climate change, Africa only receives about 12% of the nearly $300 billion (R5.75 trillion) in annual financing it needs to cope, according to researchers. While organisers emphasised market-based solutions such as carbon credits in the lead-up to the summit, the final declaration was heaviest on demands that major polluters and…

Africa’s top music talents have been booked to perform at the first Trace Awards, set to showcase an explosive array of African and Afro-inspired music. While the announcement only drops the names of the first performers, fans are already excited. Among the line-up are Davido (Nigeria), Asake (Nigeria), Bamby (French Guiana), Benjamin Dube (South Africa), Black Sherif (Ghana), Blxckie (South Africa), Bruce Melodie (Rwanda), Bwiza (Rwanda), Didi B (Ivory Coast), Dystinct (Morocco), Janet Otieno (Kenya), Josey (Ivory Coast), Kalash (Martinique), Kizz Daniel (Nigeria), Lisandro Cuxi (Cape Verde), Locko (Cameroon), Mikl (Reunion), Perola (Angola), Plutonio (Mozambique), Princess Lover (Martinique), Ronisia (France), Rutshelle Guillaume (Haïti), Soraia Ramos (Cape Verde), Tayc (France), Terell Elymoor (Mayotte) and Viviane Chidid (Senegal). More performers will be announced at a later date. Influential UK-based Afrobeat band, concert…

SOUTH Africans have criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa for saying that the country must see the current Stage 6 load shedding in a positive light. They said Ramaphosa, who was speaking on the sidelines to the media at a Q&A in Cape Town on Tuesday night, is out of touch; had he been affected by the power cuts, he would have attended to the matter with urgency. As the country grapples with ongoing rolling blackouts, Ramaphosa has told South Africans that short-term pain is worth long-term gain. Pretoria resident KG Moxwale said he was out of touch. “At the roots of this authoritarianism lies the arrogance of the ANC: the arrogance that proposes that the ANC will rule until the second coming of Jesus; the arrogance that proposes that Jesus himself…

Investigations into political killings in KwaZulu-Natal by the Task Team have revealed that the most affected parties were the ANC, IFP and NFP, Police Minister Bheki Cele said. He was speaking during the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) looking into political killings in KZN when he said among the 52 murder cases of councillors, 31 were from the ANC, 14 from the IFP, the NFP lost four, and the EFF and ACDP two and one, respectively. “While 52 councillors have been gunned down since 2011 to date, alarmingly, 103 officials working within municipalities as political office bearers and officials in political offices were killed,” he said. Cele was addressing the media on behalf of the IMC, consisting of the ministers of State Security, Defence, Justice and Correctional Services, and Cele, who also…

The murder trial of soccer star Senzo Meyiwa was postponed yesterday, after the State brought in a new witness without giving the defence ample time to prepare. The trial is being heard in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. The defence team representing the five men, accused of killing Meyiwa during an alleged botched robbery, told the judge that they were only provided with the witness’s statement in the morning. Explaining the ambush, State advocate George Baloyi said the investigating officer only provided the statement on Tuesday. The court heard that the statement was from a Constable Zungu and that it was made on May 31. Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng said that continuing with proceedings would infringe on the constitutional rights of the accused. He asked the defence how long they…

Gauteng DA leader Solly Msimanga has demanded timelines as to when the established Commission of Inquiry into the Joburg CBD fire will be concluded and its report handed over to Premier Panyaza Lesufi. The DA in Gauteng said on Tuesday that it had noted the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into the fire in which about 77 people lost their lives. “The affected communities and organisations are urged to make submissions to the commission. “The commission will thoroughly investigate the cause of the fire and the prevalence of hijacked buildings in Johannesburg. They will make recommendations on what must be done,” the opposition party said. The DA said that in the past, the Gauteng Provincial Government had established several commissions that had not yet yielded any positive results despite…

The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) intends to declare seven Kramats in Cape Town and Muizenberg as National Heritage Sites, and needs people to comment on the idea. The Cape Mazaars Society together with VidaMemoria Heritage Consultants, submitted a serial nomination to have these Kramats declared as National Heritage Sites. According to the agency’s website, they identified the sites as having qualities so exceptional that they are of special national significance and warrant the declaration as National Heritage Sites. In 2021, the first 10 were declared, SAHRA now intends to declare the seven Kramats. “It is said that approximately more than 250 years ago a prophecy was made that there would be a “Circle of Islam” around the Cape. According to local beliefs, the circle is complete, comprising the…

The recent heart-breaking incident of the Johannesburg building fire that killed more than 70 people, including 12 children, has sparked a necessary debate about the prevalence of homelessness in the city of Johannesburg. Some people who lived in the building were homeless, therefore had to rent space from tenants in the corridors of the building to have a place they could call home. Although law enforcement has been scrutinised for indisputable gaps and shortfalls, the bigger concern is what the government is doing to address the challenge of homelessness in the inner city. Earlier this year, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi tabled the State of the Province Address, and expressed that through the Presidential Youth Employment Stimulus programme, the province had provided more than 100 000 youth with workplace experiences. We…

As Women’s Month – August – has drawn to a close, Bakwena N1N4 toll road has proudly reaffirmed its commitment to gender equality by partnering with PinkDrive and the Department of Health for the 10th consecutive year. This partnership serves to raise awareness, educate and provide critical cancer screenings to communities, reinforcing the idea that everyone deserves equal access to healthcare, education and employment opportunities. Over the last decade, Bakwena N1N4 toll road, in collaboration with PinkDrive and the Department of Health, has been committed to improving the lives of communities living along the N1N4 route. This year, the campaign focused on the Majakaneng and Bapong communities adjacent to the N4 and Hammanskraal, situated near the N1 freeway. The primary objectives of the campaign were to educate individuals about various…

Deputy Minister of Social Development Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu is calling for laws to enable law enforcement agents across South Africa to arrest women who consume alcohol while pregnant. Saturday is International Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Day. Foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a leading cause of non-genetic developmental and intellectual disability globally and is usually associated with primary and secondary disabilities. South Africa has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) to have the highest reported prevalence of FAS in the world. Bogopane-Zulu made the remarks while handing over a stimulation room in Esidumbini community care centre in Ndwendwe, KwaZulu-Natal. The stimulation room will be used to assist children with FAS and minors with other disabilities by using various equipment to improve movement, as well as brain function. During the hand-over, Bogopane-Zulu…

Ingredients ¼ cup sunflower oil (or olive oil) for frying 3 large aubergines, sliced thinly (between 5mm and 1cm) lengthways 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 cups cooked lentils of your choice (*important: they shouldn’t be overcooked and mushy) 3ml cinnamon 5ml dried oregano 1 sachet Knorr Savoury Mince Dry Cook-In-Sauce 250ml water 125ml breadcrumbs 30ml olive oil or any other vegetable oil 100g grated mature cheddar Method Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat 1tbs of the oil in a large pan and fry the aubergine for about 2 to 3 minutes on a side, in batches until soft and a little caramelised. Add more oil as needed. You can do this in two pans to save time. In the same pan (or in another pan while…

There have been mixed reactions to the 0.6% growth in South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) over the second quarter of 2023 announced by Statistics SA on Tuesday. Professor Raymond Parsons, a professor at the NWU School of Business, said that the growth demonstrates a noteworthy degree of resilience in the economy. “This has mainly been the outcome of more moderate Eskom blackouts in June compared with April and May, together with other mitigating factors that helped to generate better growth figures. Nonetheless, there remains a high degree of volatility in the growth dynamics,” said Parsons. He said that this is apparent in the wide divergence in growth forecasts for the second quarter of 2023, ranging from 0.1% to 0.7%. It is a reflection not only of the difficulties in…

IT’S a pity that driver engagement hardly features on the list of must-haves when it comes to purchasing a car and even less so when we’re talking about SUVs. It seems more important that the infotainment screen is the size of a small television, you can “Hey my Car”, Google, send mails, hashtag or anything else you can do from your laptop or PC, than actually enjoy time behind the wheel. Also, prospective vehicle buyers in South Africa don’t tend to be the most adventurous, and like someone commented on one of the many forums, we have a “follow-the-herd mentality”, which is why cars like the Alfa Romeo Stelvio don’t shoot the lights out. Part of the reason is possibly that South Africans still obsess about quality, reliability and after-sales…

All Formula One teams were in compliance with cost cap restrictions last year, the sport’s governing body has said. Media reports in Italy and Germany, dismissed at the time by the International Automobile Federation (FIA), suggested in July that at least two of the 10 teams could be in breach of the 2022 cap of $140 million (R2.6 billion) and faced stiff punishment. However, the FIA confirmed there had been no breaches. “The FIA Cost Cap Administration has issued certificates of compliance to all of the 10 competitors,” it said in a statement. Current champion, Red Bull, was fined $7m and its wind tunnel time reduced by 10% for a “minor overspend” in 2021, the first year of the restrictions. Aston Martin was fined $450 000 for a procedural breach.…

The sad state of South African infrastructure has left many people in despair and dismay. At the dawn of democracy, despite the oppressive apartheid laws of the government at the time, the roads were well-managed, hospitals, schools, and other government infrastructure was well-maintained, there was safety and security, and the by-laws prevented littering and peeing in public, and public drinking was outlawed. With the democratic rule of the majority came social ills such as uncontrolled alcohol drinking, which has resulted in disastrous situations. Roads have become slaughter places for many. Schools have become dangerous places for the schoolchildren, and the government authorities are losing the battle against criminals who don’t think twice, even attacking congregants at places of worship. Recently, the country looked on in shock and utter dismay…

Anton Lienert-Brown replaced the injured Jordie Barrett at inside centre in one of three changes to the New Zealand starting side for the World Cup opener against hosts France tomorrow (kick-off 9.15pm). Barrett has been struggling with a knee problem and did not train this week, so Lienert-Brown will play his second Test of the year alongside Rieko Ioane in midfield for the blockbuster clash at Stade de France. Codie Taylor returns at hooker after a hamstring issue and Nepo Laulala comes in at tighthead prop for Tyrel Lomax, who needed 30 stitches in a cut to his leg after the crushing loss to South Africa in New Zealand’s final warm-up. In the back row, Dalton Papali’i, who usually plays on the openside, starts as blindside flank, with Shannon Frizell…

NAMPAK’S share price fell 22.57% to close at R226.49 on the JSE yesterday, two days after releasing full terms of its rights issue and on a day when a newly appointed non-executive director bought shares in the ailing group. A JSE notice said yesterday that Tjaart Kruger, a Nampak non-executive director appointed in March this year, had acquired Nampak shares worth R1.57 million through a family trust on Monday. He was appointed along with Phildon Roux, who has subsequently been made CEO of Africa’s biggest packaging manufacturing group, and Andre van der Veen. Typically, directors purchasing shares in their own company is viewed as a positive sign for investors and shareholders of listed shares. Opportune Investments chief in- vestment officer Chris Logan said the lower share price was not…

SYSTEMS and design thinking and a move towards a unified State architecture that ensures public trust in State stability and longevity is necessary. In South Africa, there are glaring gaps in systems and design thinking. The consequences of the paucity of interconnectedness of the State are obvious across the physical, social, economic and virtual value chains. Many disasters have struck. The most recent being the fire that broke out in the Joburg city centre last week. At least 74 people died. The most explicit were of an engineering nature and included the 2015 Grayston Drive bridge collapse. Two people were killed and 19 injured. Tongaat Mall collapsed during construction in November 2013. Two people died and 29 were injured. In rail transport, we are reminded of the various train derailments…

Taktiek is an exciting new sitcom featuring some of the funniest Afrikaans actors and comedians, including Bennie Fourie, Marion Holm, Mandri Sutherland, Keeno-Lee Hector and Schalk Bezuidenhout. It aims to provide viewers with a fresh and comically inventive spin on the cop show genre, and it is set to make its debut on October 2, on kykNET at 8pm. Taktiek is set in the fictional town of Schusterton, where a security company operates despite the town’s reputation for being the safest place in South Africa. The twist in the story stems from the company’s big boss being sent to jail, setting the stage for a humorous and original take on the typical cop show format. Fourie, who plays the role of Goose, is also one of the writers and directors…

AFRICA’s leading content creatives and producers descended on Cape Town for FAME Week Africa from Sunday to yesterday. At the event, which included MIP Africa, leading streaming platforms, along with channel networks, were present to discuss the content on their platforms and the investment in telling local stories. The trailblazing strides being made in the animation space were also highlighted at the event, where distributors, buyers and commissioners were spoilt for choice when it came to content. One of the sessions that stood out was Netflix’s preview of its 2023-2024 series and film offerings. This was because the streaming platform’s commitment to local content was manifested in its new offerings and in the renewal of successful productions to date. Netflix has enjoyed fruitful partnerships with film-makers like Akin Omotoso, Donovan…

Chief Operating Officer (COO) at digital payments platform SOLMate, Jonathan Holden, says in the context of rural South Africa, many rural communities have limited access to traditional banking services, although there has been a significant push to improve financial inclusion. In a 2022 study by Munacinga Simatele and Loyiso Maciko, economists at the University of Fort Hare, who released a paper titled “Financial Inclusion in Rural South Africa: A Qualitative Approach”, it was found that while financial inclusion efforts had resulted in increased access to financial services, usage of those services had not necessarily followed. South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) accounts, set up to access government grants, are similarly used: the researchers found that “in 2019, 69% of all accounts held by Sassa recipients were used only as mailboxes”.…

A multi-stakeholder group led by the Health Justice Initiative (HJI) has found that in all four Covid-19 vaccine contracts and agreements bullying and heavy-handedness was involved, with terms and conditions that were overwhelmingly one-sided and favoured multi-national pharmaceutical corporations. The group said the contracts revealed punitive, one-sided conditions, so that South Africa was forced to hand over sovereignty, with none of the contracts agreed under South African legal jurisdiction. “South Africa was liable for payments of at least $734 million (R14 billion), including advance payments of almost $95 million, with no guarantees of timely delivery,” it said. “The country was forced to overpay for vaccines, paying 33% more than the African Union price for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and paying the Serum Institute of India 2.5 times more for a generic…

Gotham City’s guardian hero, Batman, almost meets his match on the arrival of his notorious adversary, the villain, Two-Face. Fortunately, script writers cannot permit the criminal mind to emerge final victors. And so it again has to be clearly demonstrated, at the end, that simple good has to finally overcome the worst threats of evil. Unfortunately for us, South Africans, it doesn’t seem that any of us is about to experience a nice ending like that. When our main man, Cyril Ramaphosa, defended the position of despotic BRICS partners like China, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt during the Q and A in Parliament and exclaimed that “we are regarded very highly” (in the world view) and “some of our goodness could easily rub off onto these countries”,…

This Heritage Month the capital city is set to show that it has a lot to offer when it comes to celebrations of cultural and heritage sites. The official opening of Paul Kruger’s office at Ou Raadsaal in Pretoria’s inner city will be among the activities used by the City of Tshwane to mark its rich heritage. The event scheduled for September 23 will mark the opening of the Paul Kruger collection at Ou Raadsaal as a tourist attraction, and linking it to Melrose House. The two offices and a small committee room to the left of the foyer of the Ou Raadsaal were used by Paul Kruger and his secretaries during his four terms of office as the president of the Transvaal. In the spirit of celebrating the…

THE Tonga Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga has postponed the bail application of seven men who were arrested for alleged links to an August 11 cash-in-transit robbery in which R8 000 in coins was stolen from a Fidelity truck. On Tuesday the court postponed the matter to Monday next week, remanding the seven arrested men. The spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as the Hawks) in Mpumalanga, Captain Dineo Sekgotodi, said the seven men wanted to be released on bail. “The Hawks are opposing the application of the group of criminals. The case was postponed to Monday, September 11, for further cross-examination of the defence. “All accused were remanded in custody,” said Sekgotodi. Four of the accused men are police officers who were arrested after the…

THE current-generation Mazda2 is getting on in life but in a bid to keep it fresh the Japanese carmaker has given it another facelift. The revised Mazda2 is now available in South Africa, in Active, Dynamic and Individual flavours, with prices ranging from R307,100 to R398,700. As before, power comes from a 1.5-litre normally aspirated engine that sends 85kW and 148Nm to the front wheels through either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The subtly enhanced exterior design now offers greater differentiation between the three model grades. The base and mid-spec models, for instance, now have solid panels covering most of their front grilles, with the Active receiving black treatment and and the Dynamic (above) featuring colour coding. The Individual receives a new black honeycomb grille design, with a…

Inclusive urban development in South Africa should be something that dominates our public discourse: it affects most people daily, be it through the long distances that the poorest of the poor undertake to get to and from work, school and even health care; be it where social housing development takes place on the periphery of cities, far from economic opportunities; or be it lack of well-located land for inclusive development. Yet it remains largely an abstract concept. Even when President Cyril Ramaphosa raised the concept of the Smart City during his State of the Nation Address in 2018, the topic missed the mark, with few people engaging with the concept. The topic of urban planning and development is not a discourse that is valued by society in general. Again, in…

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has placed his side’s performances above their impressive winning streak ahead of their upcoming two friendly internationals. The Belgian mentor has revealed that he intends to broaden his horizon in terms of ideas and squad depth, while attempting to build a combination in his group, with a crucial six months ahead. Bafana will battle Namibia on Saturday (kick-off 3pm) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) three days later, with both matches taking place at the Orlando Stadium. Broos welcomed fresh faces to his set-up, with the likes of Lebo Mothiba (Strasbourg FC), Kodisang Kobamelo (Moreirense), Grant Margeman (SuperSport United) and Thabiso Monyane (Orlando Pirates) all making the final squad for the first time. Although injuries to Themba Zwane and Luke le Roux have disrupted…

Captain Temba Bavuma says the Proteas will build on how they have been playing all year long, despite the different threat Australia possess in relation to England, West Indies and Netherlands. The brand of cricket has already been decided upon and all that’s left to do is to keep testing it out so that when it’s time to deliver at the World Cup, the Proteas have something to fall back on. Bavuma is adamant that the South Africans’ newly adopted positive brand of cricket is the way to go, even against the mighty Australians. “There won’t be anything different in how we’ve been playing all year,” said Bavuma. “We spoke a lot when we played England (in February) in terms of how we wanted to play and I think we…

Manchester United’s valuation on the New York Stock Exchange plummeted by more than $700 million on Tuesday after a British media report that the team’s owners had halted plans to sell the club. United’s owners, the Glazer family, have reportedly taken the club off the market after failing to attract an offer that meets their asking price, the Daily Mail reported on Sunday. On Tuesday, the group’s market capitalisation fell by 18.22% in one day – the listing’s biggest single-session drop since its 2012 IPO. According to the British press, the club’s two leading suitors – British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who founded chemicals giant INEOS, and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani – both submitted deals that value United at $6.3 billion. The Glazers hold about two-thirds…

Kaizer Chiefs have apologised to the PSL, sponsors and football fraternity for the raucous behaviour of their fans at Mbombela Stadium recently. The public apology is in keeping with a directive from the PSL’s Disciplinary Committee, which ordered Chiefs to make a public apology after fans pelted coach Molefi Ntseki as he left the field following a 1-0 Premiership defeat to TS Galaxy on 20 August. At the DC hearing, advocate Zola Majavu, the PSL’s prosecutor, ordered Chiefs to publish their apology on the club’s website. On Tuesday, Amakhosi announced: “Kaizer Chiefs hereby unreservedly apologises to the PSL, all PSL member clubs, TS Galaxy FC and all of its peace-loving supporters, for the behaviour of some of its supporters at the club’s PSL fixture against TS Galaxy FC at Mbombela…

France coach Fabien Galthie said yesterday that it was “an honour” for the host nation to play New Zealand in the World Cup’s opening match as he named a team including Yoram Moefana. Moefana replaces La Rochelle’s Jonathan Danty, 30, who suffered a hamstring injury late last month, and will miss tomorrow’s highly-anticipated match at Stade de France in Paris. The All Blacks have lifted the World Cup trophy three times, and won a 20th Rugby Championship title earlier this year. “They do it best,” Galthie said. “We’re so happy to play this team. For us, Friday is a party, a joy, an honour ... it’s marvellous.” Bordeaux-Begles centre Moefana, 23, is in line to make his 15th Test start – and on the biggest of stages. “Yoram has three…