Table of contents for 2023-12-12 in Star

TRANSNET Pipelines (TPL) said yesterday that it welcomed the 10- and 15-year jail sentences handed down by the Vosloorus Magistrate’s Court to two fuel thieves. In a statement, the State-owned company said that the individuals were apprehended while attempting to escape Mapleton, Ekurhuleni, in a truck carrying six flow bins, with five of them containing diesel. A total of 4 570 litres of diesel was recovered from the flow bins, with an approximate value of R152 638. The court handed down the following sentences on the two counts: ■ Count 1: 15 years for tampering with essential infrastructure. ■ Count 2: 10 years for fuel theft; half of the count 2 sentence will run concurrently with the count 1 sentence. Transnet said it commended the magistrate for considering…

THE AGBIZ/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index (ACI) deteriorated by 10 points to 40 points in the fourth quarter (4Q) of this year to reach its lowest level since the sec- ond quarter of 2020, which was at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic hard lockdown restrictions. Critically, the reading was below the neutral 50-point mark, implying that South African agribusinesses were downbeat about business conditions in the country. The index attributed the pessimism ema- nated from the numerous challenges facing the sector such as the intensified delays and inefficiencies at the ports, deteriorating rail and road infrastructure, worsening muni- cipal service delivery, increased geopolitical uncertainty and persistent episodes of load shedding.This survey was undertaken be- tween the last week of November and the first week of December, covering busines-…

Tertius Wessels THE JOHANNESBURG Labour Court has sent a clear message that defying court orders will not be tolerated. In a recent decision, Magnus Loubser, a director at Spar in Polo- fields Crossing, Midrand, was fined R1 million for contempt of court for refusing to reinstate a worker who was unfairly dismissed. The worker, Kelvin Moyo, had won an arbitration award ordering his reinstatement. However, despite the arbitration award being enforced as if it were an order of the Labour Court under section 143 of the Labour Relations Act, Spar failed to rehire him. The blatant disregard for the law prompted Moyo’s union, Entertainment Catering Commercial and Allied Union of South Africa, to file a contempt application against Spar and Loubser. In a scathing judgment, the Labour Court found…

IN A WORLD where we demand faster internet speeds, the elusive quest for seamless connectivity often leaves us frustrated with latency issues. Despite high-speed plans, many users find themselves grappling with slow-loading websites, buffering HD videos and choppy video calls. Enter L4S, short for Low Latency, Low Loss, Scalable Throughput. It is a new networking standard hailed by major companies, including Apple, Google, Comcast and Nvidia, as the antidote to the internet’s speed woes. At the heart of the problem lies latency – the time it takes for data to travel from your device to a server and back. Bandwidth, commonly referred to as the “speed” of your internet line in a format like 40m/bps, is futile if packets of data get stuck along the network’s labyrinth. Your ISP may…

THE INTENSE and persistent load shedding right from the start of this year was a significant challenge for South Africa’s agriculture and agribusinesses, but next year the industry would have to refocus on the Master Plan, Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) chief economist Wandile Sihlobo said yesterday. He said in crucial field crops, roughly 20% of maize, 15% of soybean, 34% of sugar cane, and nearly half of wheat were produced under irrigation. In red meat, poultry, piggery, wool, and dairy production, electricity was also heavily used across various processing activities. “Similarly, agribusinesses and other food-producing businesses faced similar challenges in various downstream processing activities, such as milling, bakeries, abattoirs, wine processing, packaging, and animal vaccine production. “Exporting agribusinesses, especially those where delays can be costly, such as fruits, red meat,…

ITALTILE, manufacturer, distributor and retailer of tiles and other homeware goods, said consumer confidence in the construction and building sector remained subdued and sales fell during the five months to November 30, 2023, compared with the same period a year before. “Homeowners’ investment sentiment and spend continued to be constrained by sustained adverse social and economic conditions and higher living costs, interest rates and inflation, which drove up building costs and impacted on affordability of products, installations and new build projects,” the group said yesterday in a sales update. Generally softer retail demand and over-stocked position of many wholesalers in the industry continued to impact negatively on sales in the manufacturing businesses, specifically Ceramic Industries Proprietary. Competition and margin pressure intensified, with opportunistic importers sacrificing margin to gain market share.…

Sunday nights are going to get intense in January. Mzansi Magic’s new show, Killer Front Page, produced by Barkers Media (How to Manifest a Man) will offer viewers plenty of suspense with a storyline that’s built around ambition, ethics and cold-blooded murder. Starring Lemogang Tsipa, known for his acting in Shaka Illembe and Black Sails, as Sol Mojalefa Phiri, and Gomora actress Siphesihle Ndaba, Front Page Killer centres on Sol, a journalist whose stale career takes an unexpected turn. Affected by his father’s disappearance and motivated by a childhood promise to become the best in his field, Sol’s desperation for recognition leads him to fabricate a front-page story. According to a statement from the channel: “The show follows the ups and downs of Sol, who, on the way to…

Taylor Swift might be a testament to clichés like, “Success doesn’t happen overnight” and “Don’t let the haters get you down”. But the multi-award-winning, record-breaking and billionaire singer and songwriter, who was last week announced as Time magazine’s Person of the Year, is anything but banal. No other musician in the world has had a more successful 2023 than the 33-year-old mogul. Much of the Bad Blood hitmaker’s blockbuster year was attributed to the unprecedented success of her Eras Tour. The global icon’s moment in the sun sees her end 2023 on a high note, which extends to the sale of millions of albums throughout her career, including even more in 2023 alone. Swift was also named 2023’s most-streamed artist by Spotify and Apple Music. This year, her net worth…

The recent heatwave in Gauteng and warmer conditions since the start of spring have been blamed for residents’ high consumption, with Rand Water warning that the residents of Joburg, Tshwane, and Ekurhuleni were using more water than targeted. The water agency has been warning for months that water systems could be constrained due to high water consumption across all three Gauteng metropoles. Rand Water spokesperson Makenosi Maroo said the three metropoles were collectively consuming above 10% more water than targeted. Rand Water produces more than 5 000 megalitres of water daily and could not pump more, he warned. Joburg, Tshwane, and Ekurhuleni had a daily target of 2 926 megalitres of water. Since September, the target has been exceeded with consumption at more than 3 273 megalitres per day as…

Hey Neighbour, one of Africa’s greatest festivals, brought together people from all walks of life to celebrate music, fashion, and culture at the weekend, creating an indelible experience. Thousands of festival-goers braved the showers at Rhino Park, Pretoria, to attend the three-day annual event, which was defined by striking moments that are still sparking interesting discussions. For those who relish in the camping culture, glamping was the order of the weekend, while others travelled until the very last day to celebrate the spirit of Hey Neighbour. On day one, world-famous performers such as Khalid, and The Chainsmokers delivered stellar performances, while on other days, Kendrick Lamar and H.E.R were some of the eagerly-awaited international acts. Heineken joined as a partner, enhancing the festivities and enabling all to have a good…

THE Skukuza Safari Lodge in the Kruger National Park will be temporary closed from January 1 to facilitate change management and refurbishments in line with the SANParks ‘commercialisation strategy’. This strategy seeks to enhance parks as nature tourism destinations by diversifying tourism offerings in partnership with the private sector. SANParks undertook a public tender process for the appointment of a private operator to manage the lodge for 10 years. The appointed operator is a joint venture between Tourvest Holdings (Pty) Ltd and Karibu Leisure Resort, Tourvest Holdings, will be represented by AHA Hotels and Lodges, the tourism property management company of Tourvest Accommodation Activities. Karibu Leisure Resort is owned by its founder and CEO, Nyeleti Mushwana and has world-class conference facilities. The 256-bed lodge is expected to open its doors…

LIVING in South Africa often takes on a surreal quality. The ANC entertaining Hamas during the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence is truly one of those moments. Hamas, let’s be clear, is proud of its massacre on October 7 in Israel and has vowed to repeat it until “Palestine is free” – free of Jews – a call for genocide and not a two-state solution, to be clear. On Monday, the UN held a special session on sexual and gender-based violence on Hamas’s massacre called “Hear our Voices”. The event included survivors of the massacre, first responders, police and legal experts who presented evidence (for those of you who don’t believe women and who demand evidence). Hamas has denied that its fighters committed sex crimes – but then…

As a result of the efforts initiated by the Kingdom of Morocco to participate into the Economic Emancipation of the African Continent, the monarch Mohammed VI announced in his speech of November 6, on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the Green March, the Atlantic Africa Space. It is aimed at transforming the Atlantic coast of Africa, from the Moroccan Sahara to the Cape of Hope in South Africa, into a space of great economic and geostrategic influence. In his speech, the king emphasised the need for re-engineering the Atlantic geopolitical space at the African level, to create more human interaction and economic integration while ensuring the space would play a key role at continental and international levels. The king called for the establishment of “an international initiative to…

Aston Villa fans are dreaming of an unexpected Premier League title challenge after beating Arsenal 1-0, a result that allowed Liverpool to go top of the table. Manchester City snapped their four-game winless streak with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Luton to close back to within four points of the top. But the crisis across Manchester deepens as United slumped to a shocking 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth. Here, we look at three talking points from the Premier League weekend. Red Devils crisis is real United boss Erik ten Hag dismissed the notion that his side’s season has been crisis-ridden after a 2-1 win over Chelsea in midweek. But the Dutchman was given a rude awakening as a shambolic campaign for the Red Devils hit a new low in Bournemouth’s…

TRANSNET National Ports Authority (TNPA) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the appointment of suitable terminal operators to fund, design, develop, operate, maintain and transfer the liquid bulk and/or green fuel terminals for a concession period of 25 years for the Port of Richards Bay’s South Dunes Precinct. This comes as the struggling State-owned logistics company is implementing a recovery plan to clear the months-long backlog of container vessels and cargo trucks stuck outside its ports on the back of equipment failures and collapse of the railway network. Transnet yesterday said the RFP was issued as part of Phase 1 of the South Dunes Precinct development, which includes five sites identified by TNPA, and aligned to the Master Plan for the Port of Richards Bay. These sites will…

Government adopts framework for private sector participation in railway network STRUGGLING State-owned logistics company Transnet Freight Rail could be in for serious structural reforms in the new year as the government has given the green light to the long-awaited road map and also adopted the framework for private sector participation in the railway network. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni yesterday said the Cabinet, in its last meeting for the year, considered and approved for publication the Freight Logistics Roadmap, as well as the Draft Rail Private Sector Participation Framework. The Roadmap for the Freight Logistics System in South Africa draft document, which was published on the Department of Transport’s website, will be released for broader public consultations before returning to the Cabinet for approval. Ntshavheni said the Freight Logistics…

MAJOR South African banks and law firms could be colluding not just to fix the rand, but to collapse other economic players such as smaller companies and black-owned entities. Admissions by banks such as Standard Chartered and Citibank that they colluded with other banks to fix the rand have sparked widespread outrage and concerns that South African banks could be acting in bigger ways to disadvantage other players in the economy apart from manipulating the rand. Analysts and observers told Business Report yesterday that shareholders in the banks could also be deliberately acting against smaller businesses and black-owned entities. The result of this has been the collapse of small- to medium-owned South African businesses in the past few years. According to a new report by Start-up Universal, South African small-scale…

ONCE IN A while, technology makes a significant change that impacts every part of society. In 2024, we are about to witness such an impact in how people move from point A to B. After speaking with one of the executives at Uber I can confidently say that 2024 will mark the beginning of major transport innovations. Before naysayers can jump up and down to point out that there’s a power crisis, energy issues will not stop transport innovations. Based on what I’ve gathered from people working at the cutting edge of transport and tech, here’s how I think the future will unfold. Uber will slowly introduce electric vehicles in their fleet of cars that are moving human beings and goods. This is starting to take shape in other parts…

HUNDREDS of South African gold miners who were blockaded underground for more than four days started returning to the surface yesterday. More than 400 miners were held below ground at Springs, east of Johannesburg, on Thursday evening in a near repeat of a three-day protest in October, the Gold One company said. The miners started coming out in small groups yesterday morning. Some raised their fist in the air as they walked past a security fence near the mine entrance. A few dozen workers and relatives who were camped outside the mine cheered as they started coming out. “We are getting reports that the situation is reaching a conclusion and that people are starting to emerge from under- ground,” said Ziyaad Hassam, the head of legal affairs at the…

WHEN SASOL reschedules its annual general meeting (AGM) it promises to be a doozy after non-profit shareholder activism organisation Just Share’s beef with it ratcheted up a notch in the wake of the petrochemicals group’s recent public letter on climate. This as the group was forced last month to cancel its AGM after the meeting was disrupted by environmental protesters. Some shareholders, such as Old Mutual and Ninety One, had indicated prior to the meeting they would not support climate change related resolutions. Sasol has yet to reschedule the AGM. Just Share said in a statement yesterday that Sasol had recently paid to publish a letter in several local media outlets. The letter, from Sasol’s CEO Fleetwood Grobler, was addressed to “stakeholders” and titled “Balancing People, Planet, Profit on our…

The year may almost be over but that hasn’t stopped some of the biggest artists in the country and the world from releasing new projects, wrapping up the year with a bang. Grammy award winner and South African house superstar Zakes Bantwini has released his new album, The Star Is Reborn. “My album The Star Is Reborn is like a continuation of my last album, Ghetto King. I feel like sonically, it’s more or less like an extension of that album because that sound I’m still exploring,” he told Apple Music. Bantwini had already got fans excited for the release of singles Mama Thula and Abantu prior to the release, and now that it’s out, they are more than pleased. On the new album, Bantwini has a song dedicated to…

THE Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni suggested recently that the manipulation of the rand was part of the private sector’s attempt to collapse the government. This statement came after the Competition Tribunal announced a settlement agreement with Standard Chartered, which admitted liability and agreed to pay an administrative penalty of R42.7 million. There have been calls for tougher consequences against the banking institutions involved in the collusion. This is not the first time that allegations of bank collusion have been raised, as Sekunjalo Investment Holding (Sekunjalo) also took the banks to the Competition Tribunal over claims of collusion and abuse of dominance. The tribunal ruled the Sekunjalo Group had established prima facie evidence that the banks had engaged in a practice involving a concerted refusal to supply banking…

Ingredients 1 (about 2.5kg) Beechwood Smoked Gammon 4 cups orange juice 3 cups sparkling apple juice 1 onion, halved 2 bulbs garlic, halved Handful each fresh sage and bay leaves 2 red chillies, halved Glaze: 1 cup honey 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped Handful fresh sage, chopped For serving: Deep-fried sage leaves Sliced red chilli Charred orange halves Method Preheat oven to 200°C. Place gammon, juices, onion, garlic, herbs and chillies in a 6–8L pot. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 1½ hours (or 20–25 minutes per 500g of gammon), making sure the meat is submerged in liquid. (You may have to top it up with some liquid halfway through cooking.) Remove gammon from pot, reserving 1–2 cups (250–500ml) of cooking liquid for the glaze.…

tHE Cabinet has welcomed the safe return of 19 South African nationals stuck in Gaza since October 7. The group, evaluated in the deadly warzone last week, had crossed the enclave into Egypt. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni expressed gratitude on behalf of the country’s government during a media briefing yesterday about the outcomes of the special Cabinet meeting held on Friday. “South Africa extends its gratitude to the government of Egypt for granting our citizens safe passage through the Rafah Crossing into its country. South Africa calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the resumption of talks that will end the violence arising from the continued belligerent occupation and lays the basis for a just and lasting solution,” she said. The government also said it was “gravely”…

MANY patrons at illegally operating taverns in Mamelodi had to look for alternative drinking holes at the weekend after eight liquor outlets were forced to close for working without trading licences. This was during a crime-busting operation, called Shanela, in the area by the Gauteng SAPS and Tshwane metro police, who slapped owners of illegal taverns with fines. MMC for Community Safety, Grandi Theunissen, said more than 70 suspects were arrested for crimes ranging from dealing in drugs, being undocumented foreign nationals, possessing unlicensed firearms, and possessing drugs to drunk driving. The law-enforcement units conducted road blocks, resulting in at least 23 arrests of those driving under the influence of alcohol. Led by Gauteng SAPS provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela and Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) chief, Yolanda Faro,…

With more than 87 712 tertiary students estimated to be left out in the cold as the government intends to cut funding by 10% in the 2024 academic period, Fees Must Fall activists warned of chaotic mayhem as student formations may push back. University students could lose their National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding next year due to budget cuts. This was revealed by the acting CEO of NSFAS, Masile Ramorwesi, during a briefing to the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education on its plans ahead of the 2024 academic year. This did not settle well with some former student activists, who have warned that the move to cut funding will open old wounds and trigger a mass protest like the one seen during the 2015 #FeesMustFall campaign. Former…

More South Africans are applying for credit cards to help make ends meet in the current cost-of-living crisis, but the vast majority are being declined. Even wealthy consumers are having their opening credit card and personal loan limits reduced as lenders seek to curb risk. The latest Experian Consumer Default Index (CDIx) for Q3 shows that there has been a 32% rise in the number of people defaulting, a sign that consumers are struggling even more to meet their debt obligations amid the rising cost of living. While, on a quarterly basis, the composite CDIx remained unchanged, this stability, despite high interest rates and reduced lending across all products, was expected as consumers historically tend to pay off debt in preparation for increased spending over November’s Black Friday as well…

Problems continue to stack up for Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino with an injury to captain Reece James the latest concern for the Argentine. James lasted only 27 minutes of Sunday’s 2-0 loss at Everton, forced off with a hamstring problem. “Reece felt something in his hamstring. For sure he’s injured, but we don’t know how serious it is,” said Pochettino, whose side is down in 12th place. “Of course, for us he is an important player, one of the best fullbacks in the world. We are disappointed because when you believe you can build something and a player like him, who should be really important for us, can't help the team. “We go back and assess again in the next few days what is going on with his hamstring.” James…

IMPLEMENTING the National Health Insurance (NHI) with the NHI Bill in its current form would undermine it, Discovery CEO Adrian Gore said yesterday. He said yesterday the country did not have sufficient money to buy comprehensive benefits for South Africans. “The fundamental problem here is the lack of funding. That is the core of the problem,“ he said. Gore said the NHI Bill in its current form would seriously destabilise taxpayers to funding the NHI. “That is problematic, so it seems in a sense irrational when you look at the funding levels of what is available,” Gore said. South Africa faced the “tragedy” of a narrow tax base and high levels of unemployment. Discovery reiterated that from the word go they had declared their support of the NHI. “We…

INCREDIBLE as it sounds, according to the Q3 Trade and Industry Policy Strategies (Tips) report, South Africa ranks alongside economic catastrophes Libya and Iraq as having the lowest rates of investment in the world – all below 16% among upper-middle-income economies. Crippled economies such as Argentina and Russia rank better than us. China’s investment rate was 42%, while the average was 22%. In the harsh realm of global economics, South Africa stands not as a beacon of opportunity but as a cautionary tale. The recent Tips report, revealing the country’s abysmally low investment rates, is more than a statistic; it’s a glaring signal of a nation in peril, with ramifications that cut deep into the core of general inward investment, the broader business sector and employment rates. If South Africans…

Zara pulled an advertising campaign featuring mannequins with missing limbs and statues wrapped in white from the front page of its website and app yesterday after it prompted calls by some pro-Palestine activists for a boycott of the fashion retailer. Inditex, which owns Zara, said the change was part of its normal procedure of refreshing content. It did not comment on the boycott calls, but said the “Atelier” collection was conceived in July and the photos were taken in September. The war between Israel and Hamas began after Octobrer 7. Zara’s Instagram account saw tens of thousands of comments posted about the photos, many with Palestinian flags, while “#BoycottZara” was trending on messaging platform X. In one of the photos a model is pictured carrying a mannequin wrapped in white,…

MINING is one of the oldest industries in the world. It followed soon after humankind discovered fire, and thereafter, we started extracting the sparkly bits in the caves we called home. And since then, not much has changed in how resources are taken from the ground, only the tools have evolved, from rock chisels to yellow metal. Things must change. And they will. Very soon. Innovation is the cornerstone of the crucial shape-shift. Innovation is more than just a strategic advantage; it's a lifeline. The challenges we face today are unprecedented, from mitigating environmental impact to ensuring the safety and well-being of our workers, to the efficient and ethical use of resources. Technology and the development of innovative solutions and processes in mining hold the potential to redefine what’s possible…

THE TOP MANAGEMENT team at Sibanye-Stillwater continues to buy shares in the mining firm. Sibanye’s board chairperson, Vincent Maphai, yesterday snapped up R426 000 of shares, while Keith Rayner, an independent non-executive director, bought R109 095 worth of shares on behalf of his company, K A Rayner Presen- tations CC, wholly owned by Rayner, of which he is the single member. This follows CEO Neal Froneman buying R218 173 307 on December 4 and Timothy Cumming an independent non-Executive Director buying R291 900 of shares. Notably on Friday, the mining firm told its shareholders that Lingotto Investment Management, in aggregate, had acquired an interest resulting in 5.11% holding of the total issued shares of Sibanye-Stillwater and it had notified the Takeover Regulation Panel. Lingotto…

Keke Palmer’s life is “unravelling at the seams”. The Hustlers actress was recently granted a restraining order against ex-boyfriend Darius Jackson after accusing the fitness trainer of domestic abuse and she reflected on how she is coping with the “trauma” she has been through as she insisted celebrity life isn’t what it appears to be to outsiders. Palmer took to Instagram to share a reel of herself holding her and Jackson’s nine-month-old son Leodis and over the top of the footage she had written the caption: “When reality tv makes everyone believe all celebrities (sic) lives are just one big marketing strategy and scheme but my life is truly unravelling at the seams and I just wear trauma like a dolce gabana coat because [my mom] Sharon didn’t raise no…

Madiba’s spirit was in the air as 5 000 participants took to the streets for a sold-out event on Sunday. A decade after uTata’s passing, the Mandela Remembrance Walk & Run was a memorable success, with even the weather co-operating. The provincial government, led by the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, partnered with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to host a 10km and 21km run, and a 5km walk. Participants walked and ran in solidarity to pay homage to Mandela’s commitment to equality. The event included a wreath-laying ceremony, followed by the release of 10 white doves as a symbol of peace and remembrance. After the runs and walk, participants were treated to a full line-up of entertainment and fun. The Mandela Remembrance Walk & Run is a…

Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye, a rapper and TV personality, is expected to appear in court again on February 5, after his case was postponed for further legal consultation at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court. This was done to allow for additional legal consultation between the defence and the client. Maarohanye faces allegations of assault, attempted murder, and rape in a case involving four complainants and spans from 2006 to 2010. Maarohanye has been ordered by the court to give over his passport as part of his bail conditions, as he is not permitted to leave the country until the issue is resolved. Maarohanye’s lawyer, Terrence Baloyi, spoke outside the court, revealing that they are not sure if they have been given everything that they asked for, further stating that they will…

AS THE University of Pretoria (UP) enters the festive season, a sense of pride and accomplishment fills the air, with 64 students poised to graduate with BCom (Hons) degrees, specialising in internal auditing. Rudrik du Bruyn, a senior lecturer in the Department of Auditing and head of the Internal Auditing Education Partnership Centre for Internal Auditing Excellence, said this specialisation prepares graduates to provide consulting and assurance services, and the skills and knowledge to act as trusted professionals, adding value to organisations and their stakeholders and being champions of governance, risk and control. “The 64 students were selected from more than 400 applications for admission to this postgraduate degree in internal auditing for the 2022 academic year – and being selected for the programme was in itself a noteworthy achievement,”…

It SAYS something of the rude health of South African rugby that the Bulls beat a Saracens team that is not far off an England side, while an under-strength Stormers side almost upset a Leicester team packed with internationals from a variety of countries. One of those was a Springbok, and Handre Pollard’s 20 points in Leicester’s flattering 35-26 win inspired the English commentator to say: “Our South Africans played better than theirs.” That was not altogether true. Poor Jasper Wiese played one of his worst games in Leicester colours and his high elementary error count was because he was trying too hard against his countrymen. Of course, a Stormers squad shorn of 16 first-choice players should have had no right to even come close, and before kick-off John Dobson…

The Blitzboks are at their best when they have ball in hand, and that showed a week ago when they triumphed in Dubai, but disappointingly, they could not get enough possession in Cape Town and paid the price. That was the blunt assessment of Blitzbok head coach Sandile Ngcobo after his side lost their fifth-place play-off to New Zealand and finished a disappointing second day with two defeats. “Possession was key, and we simply did not look after ours,” said Ngcobo. “We were attacked at the breakdown, and we need to muscle up in that area, as we lost too many balls there.” Despite the results in Cape Town, Ngcobo believes the overall assessment of his team over the first two tournaments of the HSBC SVNS is positive: “We showed…