Table of contents for 2024-04-08 in Star

KPMG SOUTH Africa said on Friday that its identification and investigation of potential bursary fraud at the auditing and professional services firm was an integral part of the arrest of a former employee, Fidelis Moema. Moema appeared in the Palm Ridge Commercial Crimes Court in Johannesburg last week. KPMG South Africa chief executive Ignatius Sehoole said in a statement on Friday that Moema was dismissed as an employee of KPMG on November 11, 2022, following a disciplinary process related to non-compliance with firm policies. Subsequent to his dismissal, KPMG had identified potential fraud committed by Moema and initiated an internal forensic investigation. It is rare in South Africa for companies to publicly identify and aid in the arrest of employees that have allegedly committed fraud, and most often, these cases…

ZIMBABWE’s newly introduced Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency is causing market disruptions and transaction bottlenecks despite central bank assurances that it is backed by gold and foreign currency reserves, amid scepticism that the government will keep money printing limited. A raft of currency reforms and other measures have failed to turn around the Zimbabwean economy for the better in more than 10 years, with hyperinflation worsening, production crippled and the US dollar remaining the preferred unit of exchange. In 2016, Zimbabwe introduced bond notes that were said to be backed by a bond held with Afreximbank before the country reverted back to Zimbabwe dollars in 2019, a year that also saw multiple currencies legalised as legal tender. In 2023, President Emerson Mnangagwa, wobbled by an implosion in the exchange rate…

WHILE drought conditions caused by El Niño have impacted South Africa’s agriculture sector in recent months, raising concerns about crops and food prices, the local industry boasts not- able strengths and strategies that help maintain stability and resilience in difficult times, says Agri SA. In a statement on Friday, issued by its Economics Centre of Excellence, it said South Africa had developed strong agricultural practices. “Particularly, irrigation regimes assist in mitigating the impact of drought. Although the recent dry period has resulted in a projected decrease in total grain and oilseed production down by approximately 21% from the previous year, the reserves accumulated during previous favourable seasons serve as a buffer against shortages.” Agri SA said that according to the latest data from government’s Crop Estimates Committee, the total grain…

WHEN POLICY is formulated, it’s important to ask how success will be measured. US economist Thomas Sowell said: “There are no solutions. Only trade-offs.” With each policy formulated in South Africa, we need to ask what the trade-off is, rather than assume there is none. I read the piece by Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi in the Sunday Times and this was brought home to me. I watch the unions closely, partly because my dad was a trade unionist and this is the water I swam in growing up, and partly because we have a horrific unemployment problem. Much of the unemployment is directly down to the policies extolled in the article by Losi, which are all well-intentioned. Most union leaders I’ve met are trying to make society better, but as…

OPPOSITION parties have ganged up on the ANC, lambasting its 30 years of governing South Africa, with just over a month to go to the May 29 elections. At The Star Political Dialogue held at the Joburg Theatre, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, represented by its spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, the African Transformation Movement’s Nyaniso Jeku, the DA’s Solly Msimanga, Colleen Makhubele, president of the SA Rainbow Alliance, Thapelo Amad from Al Jama-ah and the UDM’s Professor Mthunzi Mdwaba tore into the ANC, criticising its leadership and way of governance. The political dialogue, organised by The Star and hosted by its editor, Sifiso Mahlangu, gave the parties the opportunity to ventilate issues affecting ordinary South Africans while drumming up support for the upcoming elections. Despite The Star’s invitation to the ANC, its…

Marinade: 2 cups plain yoghurt 1 can chopped tomatoes 2 sticks cinnamon 4 allspice 6 cloves 1 tbs ground coriander 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 2 tsp crushed garlic 2 tbs masala Salt and milled pepper 8 chicken pieces 4 cups basmati rice 1 stick cassia (cinnamon works too) 2 cardamom pods 1 cup brown lentils Salt and milled pepper 1 cup oil 3 onions, thinly sliced 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed Pinch saffron, soaked ½ cup butter, at room temperature 1 cup water Garlic yoghurt, for serving Mix marinade ingredients together and pour over chicken. Marinate for at least 1 hour. Boil rice, cassia and cardamom together in enough salted water to cover. Drain and set aside. Cook lentils in water until almost soft. Season, drain…

MANY residents in Tshwane are facing health risks emanating from illegal dumping sites, which are breeding grounds for rats and mosquitoes and could potentially cause respiratory and other problems. This was the warning issued by the City of Tshwane’s MMC for Health, Rina Marx, who highlighted the health impact of illegal dumping. The City has gone to some lengths to combat this by embarking on the campaign called #Rekaofela to raise awareness and encourage residents to actively participate in preventing and reporting illegal dumping. The public have also been mobilised to adopt open spaces, which are increasingly becoming hot spots for illegal dumping. However, such initiatives seem to have yielded little or no results as the City continues to grapple with the problem of illegal dumping. This was despite the…

Orlando Pirates have embraced the criticism that has come with being inconsistent, and coach Jose Riveiro has reiterated why they must always be at their best. Pirates have been their own worst enemy this season, losing games or dropping points that they were expected to collect with ease. That has resulted in them missing out on the Carling Knockout and falling behind in the title race as they trail log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by 12 points. Their clumsiness reached its nadir before Saturday night, having dropped five points after losing to Sekhukhune United and drawing with Moroka Swallows. As expected, that didn’t go down well with The Ghost, with some already calling for the head of Riveiro because their top-two hopes were in jeopardy. But Riveiro and his team responded…

Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge was dented by spectacular goals from Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, who snatched a 2-2 draw for Manchester United yesterday. The visitors dominated most of the game but needed a Mohamed Salah penalty six minutes from time to avoid a second defeat at Old Trafford in the space of three weeks. The draw leaves Liverpool behind Premier League leaders Arsenal on goal difference and just one point ahead of Manchester City with seven games remaining in the tightest of title races. Should the Reds fail to mark Jurgen Klopp’s final season in charge by winning a 20th English top-flight title, to match United’s record, they will look back on this day and wonder how two points got away. For Liverpool, it was a similar story…

GRINDROD’s strategic advantage of operating the Mozambican Port and Terminals continues to add value and mitigates the impact of under-performance in the logistics and trade corridor services group’s South African operations, says its chief executive Xolani Mbambo. Grindrod traded robustly in its 2023 financial year in spite of a softening in the post-Covid commodity up-cycle and the impact of northern hemisphere conflicts on the global economy. Headline earnings growth in core operations was up 29% after revenue increased 3% to R23.5 billion. In the company’s annual report, released Friday, Mbambo said that in their Port and Terminals division, the dry bulk terminal operated by Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) reached record volumes of 12.6 million tons, representing growth of 28% on the prior year. The 2023 performance was…

As South Africa gears up for the start of the 2024 citrus season, the orange industry faces ongoing challenges from European Union (EU) regulations on the false codling moth (FCM). These rules, introduced in 2022, have significantly disrupted South Africa’s orange exports to Europe, traditionally an important market. With another season approaching, it is time to examine the impacts these regulations have had and what they could mean for the coming harvest and exports. The new EU requirements for exporting oranges, mandating cold treatment and additional inspections for FCM, have posed major obstacles for South Africa’s citrus growers. When the rules came into effect in 2022, orange exports to Europe dropped 9% by volume compared to 2021, down to 570 020 tons according to industry estimates. The decline continued…

Local financial markets remain under severe pressure since the beginning of the year. Part of this is due to the South African economy experiencing a perfect storm. Economic growth hovers just above a recession as the gross domestic product (GDP) in real terms recorded only a 0.1% increase in quarter four of 2023. The inflation rate started to increase towards the 6% upper target of the SA Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee and the rand remains under pressure. Fuel prices are increasing due to higher global crude oil prices and electricity tariffs will increase by 12.3% from July 1. In the middle of this storm, interest rates remain high, with little prospects of decreasing before the second part of the year. The All Share Index total return index lost 2.2%…

THE TRAVEL industry’s global economic impact continues to gain ground. This year, it’s expected to reach a record-breaking $11.1 trillion (about R208trln), surpassing its prior high of $10trln in 2019. In another decade, tourism is forecast to become a $16trln industry, at which point it would make up 11.4% of the global gross domestic product. Today, one in 10 people are employed in jobs that relate to tourism; by 2034, that will climb, with an estimated 12.2% of global jobs contributing to the sector. All this is part of the 2024 global economic impact research released last week by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the leading advocacy group focused on quantifying the industry’s economic impact at a global level. The findings, produced in collaboration with research advisory…

AFTER a long and bruising court battle that ended with Independent Media winning its case against the State Security Agency (SSA) – which sought to prevent the publication of the contents of the SSA report – this publication can reveal part one of the report which details the US and some ANC leaders’ involvement in collecting intelligence on ANC party dynamics. On Friday, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) overturned a high court ruling preventing Independent Media from publishing a report dated November 5, 2020, titled “Top secret: US interest in ANC party dynamics” and commissioned by the US intelligence operating at the country’s offices in Pretoria. In the report, the SSA stated that the “Top Secret” document was a brief to inform the minister and deputy minister overseeing the…

The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court has sentenced former finance and administration manager of AgriCAD, Lizette Marielle Steyn, to 12 years’ direct imprisonment for 85 counts of theft. Steyn was employed by AgriCAD, a company that manufactures agricultural implements, from February 2019. During her tenure, she was tasked with loading creditors for payment on the business bank account, along with her day-to-day bookkeeping and accounting duties. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), she had full access to the AgriCAD ABSA bank accounts and used this opportunity to swindle more than R6 million by changing the details of one of the accounts to those of her six personal Capitec accounts. It is also reported that between October 27, 2020 and May 9 last year, 85 payments totalling over R16m were…

VOTERS are set to be spoilt for choice in next month’s national and provincial elections as a vast array of candidates made it to the three provisional lists for the May 29 polls. From a boxing legend and retired soccer player to a musician and even a veteran politician who has included two of his children on his party’s lists, the variety is vast. Former International Boxing Federation junior welterweight and International Boxing Organisation welterweight champion, Lovemore Ndou, is standing as an independent candidate for the Limpopo provincial legislature, while ex-Orlando Pirates and Dynamos FC defender Tonic Chabalala is on the Action Alliance Development Party’s (AADP’s) national list. Also on the AADP’s national list is Tsonga musician Benny Mayengani who dumped the EFF in January 2020. Controversial televangelist Bishop Bafana…

PinkDrive has teamed up with the City of Tshwane’s Health Department to bring gender-related mobile cancer screening to communities with limited resources. The partnership relaunch will take place at the Phomolong Clinic in Atteridgeville on Tuesday, and MMC for Health Rina Marx will be the keynote speaker. CEO and founder of PinkDrive Noelene Kotschan said its purpose is to bridge the gap between public and private health care by using mobile cancer screening. She said the partnership was initiated in 2017 when PinkDrive visited all municipal clinics in Tshwane to provide clinical breast examinations and mammograms. “The renewal of this partnership demonstrates the commitment of the two parties to jointly address the cancer burden in South Africa and to take services closer to communities.’’ Kotschan said PinkDrive will play a…

Amid a leadership crisis and with a pivotal national elections next month, the clarion call for effective leadership reverberates louder than ever in today’s intricate world. Reflecting on the insightful analysis of the the former minister of Singapore and the then-senior minister, Lee Kuan Yew, it becomes evident that the choices leaders make can shape the destiny of nations, for better or worse. Lee’s discourse on leadership, drawn from four decades of international encounters, underscores the indispensable qualities requisite for effective governance. The capacity for self-assurance, broad-mindedness, strategic acumen and adept communication stands as pillars for successful leadership. Yet, as Lee astutely observes, many leaders falter in the transition from dismantling old structures to erecting new ones – a task demanding nuanced capabilities far beyond ideological rhetoric. As South…

MAMELODI Sundowns are unlikely to pay any heed to the protest by Young Africans against what the Tanzanians believe was “administrative error and match-fixing” in the two teams’ CAF Champions League quarter-final tie on Friday. If anything, the Brazilians would have immediately shifted their attention to tomorrow’s DStv Premiership clash away to Cape Town Spurs, while beginning to ponder their semi-final tie against Tunisia’s Esperance. It is the nature of the beast — in sport the winner celebrates and the loser always looks for excuses. And Yanga fuming after they went down 3-2 via a penalty shoot-out at Loftus Versfeld, following a goalless tie over the two legs, was par for the course. Their coach Miguel Gamondi crying foul afterwards was not surprising after the Champions League quarter-final newbies came…

Acsa is ramping up its traffic development strategy over the next decade after recovery AIRPORTS Company South Africa (Acsa) will be turning its gaze towards India and China, as well as regional markets in Africa, to ramp up its traffic development strategy over the next decade as the domestic market is expected to continue to struggle. Although Acsa has made significant strides to recover, the company admits that domestic air traffic recovery seems to have peaked, despite this market segment not reaching pre-Covid passenger traffic volumes. Acsa expects to return to profitability this year, after narrowing its after-tax loss of R142 million last year. This is a significant improvement on the R1 billion loss posted in the prior year, owing to the implementation of its…

The IMPORTANCE of the agriculture sector in South Africa, both economi- cally and societally – in terms of en- gendering a more egalitarian society, cannot be over-emphasised and has been argued almost ad nauseam. However, transformation within the sector is far from ideal, albeit with significant recent gains, which remain largely anecdotal. There is widespread agreement that transformation within the South African agriculture, or food system – if one prefers, both to address imbalances created by past policies and generally opening up the sector to be more inclusive and representa- tive of the South Africa population demographics. Unfortunately, there is no consensus as to what constitutes transformation, how to get there and how to know whether we are on the right track or not. This is because there is no…

THE PROWESS of Sundowns and Yanga demonstrates what it takes to lead and develop. Leadership lessons, books and practices are about to enter the national lexicon as Mamelodi Sundowns was held to a draw in Tanzania and yet another draw in South Africa by Yanga, or Young Africans Sports Club, of Tanzania. From this lessons can be applied as South Africa heads to elections next month. I have not been to a live football game since March 2018. Thanks to the courtesy of Quinton Fortune, the Bafana Bafana midfielder at the time, I went to watch Manchester United and Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London. I was on a mission at the University College London where we explored the question of gender equality and education and the capability approach…

Sanlam said on Friday that it had reached agreements to significantly increase its shareholding in the Shriram Group in India. The transaction will see Sanlam increase its stakes in Shriram General Insurance (SGIC) and Shriram Life Insurance (SLIC). Sanlam’s effective economic shareholding in SGIC will increase to 51% from 40%, and in SLIC to 54% from 42%. Sanlam, which owns a 10.2% shareholding in Shriram Finance (SFL), reallocated capital from the SFL credit business and allocated additional capital to increase its stakes in SGIC and SLIC, while slightly reducing its exposure to SFL to 9.5%. Sanlam CEO Paul Hanratty said on Friday that the group saw India as a core market and strategic pillar in achieving long-term earnings growth and sustainable shareholder value. “The country has very strong growth dynamics,…

Bonko Khoza is currently one of the most sought-after actors in the country and with good reason too. He is talented, as witnessed by his award-winning performances in The Wife, Showmax’s Red Ink, where he plays a serial killer, and Heart of the Hunter, where he plays a deadly assassin. The film has secured the number one spot on the Netflix Top 10 weekly ranking between March 25 and 31. The streaming platform announced that Heart of the Hunter is the first film to come out of Africa to ever achieve this milestone. Adapted from the book of that name by author Deon Meyer, it has garnered 11 million views and ascended to the Netflix top 10 list in 75 countries including the USA, Nigeria, France, Germany, South Korea, the…

If you enjoy a good whodunit, then you will enjoy Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy on BritBox. When it comes to crime dramas, the British have delivered some gems over the years, à la Vera, Midsomer Murders, Endeavour, Grantchester, Father Brown and Sister Boniface. This time the lead is an industry newcomer, David Jonsson. Cast as Luke Obiako Fitzwilliam, he is a Nigerian attaché on his way to Whitehall when he meets mysterious Miss Pinkerton (Penelope Wilton) on a train. She informs him of a series of deaths in the village of Wychwood- Under-Ashe, suspecting a killer on the loose only to, not long after, become a victim. Luke is determined to unmask the murderer before he strikes again. The young actor who started his career in West End said…

Scuffle erupts after security contingent bar entry to group in Palestinian regalia A SCUFFLE that broke out at the Sandton City Mall on Saturday after the mall’s security contingent refused people dressed in pro-Palestinian regalia from entering the premises has sparked an uproar. The scuffle followed the mass anti-Israel protest outside the US consulate in Sandton earlier on Saturday afternoon. Several people in pro-Palestine T-shirts simply wanted to walk through the mall to the Sandton B1 parking where they had left their cars. The security unit barred journalists from recording the incident and forced The Star’sreporter Sipho Jack to delete videos he had recorded of the scuffle. Former Joburg mayor Thapelo Amad confronted the security officers, arguing that if members of the public were being manhandled, they had the…

DA leader John Steenhuisen has raised concerns about the potential formation of a Doomsday coalition, comprising parties like the ANC and the EFF. Warnings, issued during the DA’s Federal Congress last year by Steenhuisen, now appear to be materialising as recent statements from EFF leaders confirm the party’s intentions to align with the ANC. According to Steenhuisen, the day that an ANC-EFF government takes over, it will be Doomsday for SA. A few days ago, EFF leader Julius Malema confirmed that he intends to ‘give the EFF vote to the ANC’ on the condition that his deputy, Floyd Shivambu, becomes minister of finance. Steenhuisen said there is a way to avoid this Doomsday. “As I said during the speech from the DA’s Congress a year ago: our party will…

PUBLIC servants doing business with national and provincial government departments and other organs of state will be subjected to criminal prosecution. This was among three directives issued by Public Service and Administration Minister Noxolo Kiviet, which came into effect on April 1. The department’s director-general, Yoliswa Makhasi, said two of the directives were first issued in 2016 and 2017 but have now been changed. The directive on conducting business with an organ of the state prohibits an employee from registering on the Treasury’s central supplier database as an individual, owner of a company or director of a public or private company. It also requires the head of department to open a case against employees conducting business with an organ of state in compliance with the Public Administration Management Act (Pama).…

From being rejected by the ANC in Parliament following her sacking as Tourism minister, former ANC MP and Struggle stalwart Lindiwe Sisulu says she now looks forward to her many upcoming engagements with the global community. This comes as Sisulu is set to jet off to Cosovo, Russia and Uganda this month. Sisulu, who was sacked by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March 2023, has spent most of her private life engaged in world politics. Her recent career has seen her having multiple run-ins with Ramaphosa on a number of issues which catapulted her removal from office, having survived numerous Cabinet reshuffles during her 30-year tenure as an MP. Her position was taken up by GOOD Party, leader Patricia de Lille. A source revealed that this did not sit well with…

The South African Rainbow Alliance (SARA) has called on women in Africa to start believing in themselves to be competent enough to take up leadership positions and support women-led political parties. Speaking recently at The Star’s Political Dialogue held at the Joburg Theatre, SARA president Colleen Makhubela said she had found campaigning for her party as a woman to be very difficult. Makhubela said this was due to the fact that media coverage was a problem for many women-led political parties. “We had a manifesto launch recently and there was no coverage, except for the SABC. On the other hand, you get a male-led party having a manifesto launch with 1 000 people, we won’t rest the whole day – whether it is eNews ... eNCA, it will be flighted.…

GAUTENG, once South Africa’s economic powerhouse and the nation’s gateway to Africa, finds itself in a precarious position. The once-vibrant cities in the province are now grappling with the harsh realities of urban decay, a direct consequence of failing infrastructure. Potholes in the roads, traffic lights malfunction, schools and hospitals crumble, and electricity and water outages have become commonplace. The blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the Gauteng government and local municipalities. The provincial government’s approach to infrastructure development is plagued by underfunding and mismanagement. Budget allocations for crucial maintenance projects are dwarfed by those for new infrastructure. This myopic strategy prioritises flashy, ribbon-cutting ceremonies over long-term sustainability, leaving existing infrastructure to deteriorate. Further, a critical lack of skilled personnel and expertise, particularly at the municipal level, hinders the…

THE Bulls got the least favoured outcome yesterday as they will have to travel to England to take on Northampton Saints in Saturday’s Champions Cup quarter-final. Bulls boss Jake White stated that he would “wear red the whole day” in support of Munster, because a win for the Irish province in yesterday’s round of 16 clash against Northampton in England would have resulted in a Loftus Versfeld quarter-final next weekend. Instead, the Bulls will have to make an arduous journey to Franklin’s Gardens after Northampton beat Munster 24-14 yesterday. The Bulls director of rugby bemoaned the lack of clarity around travel arrangements following his team’s 59-19 romp over Lyon at Loftus on Saturday, as the Champions Cup does make provision for direct flights between Johannesburg and London. “Geez, I’m going…

Kaizer Chiefs’ interim coach Cavin Johnson refused to fault his troops’ efforts after losing their second successive game in the DStv Premiership at the weekend. The Amakhosi have had it rough this past week. They lost 1-0 to Stellenbosch in the league on Tuesday to all but relinquish their top-three aspirations. They were dealt a devastating and heart-breaking blow on Wednesday night, losing defender Luke Fleurs in a fatal hijacking incident in Roodepoort. With that tragedy hanging heavily over them, Chiefs then succumbed to another loss, losing 2-0 to Chippa United in Mdantsane on Saturday afternoon. Many had expected the PSL to give Chiefs some time to mourn the defender’s death by rescheduling the match. Instead, Chiefs still had to make the long trip from Johannesburg to East London, where…