Table of contents for 2024-04-29 in Star

THE DEPARTMENT of Mineral Resources and Energy has recommended a massive drive towards more natural gas exploration projects, while simultaneously calling for the importation in the short term of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from neighbouring countries to address South Africa’s energy mix on the back of gas shortages. These are among the recommendations and conclusions contained in the long-awaited draft Gas Master Plan (GMP2024), gazetted for public comment on Friday by Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe. The draft plan is a policy instrument that seeks to ensure security of gas supply by diversifying supply options from both local and international markets. Its main objective is to diversify energy sources with the intention of reducing South Africa’s heavy reliance on coal, and to realise an effective energy mix while…

SOUTH Africa’s tough macroeconomic conditions are proving to be a challenge for the multinational mobility company, Bolt, as the crippling conditions are affecting the cost of living for both drivers and passengers. Bolt’s PR manager for Africa, Sandra Suzanne Buyole, told Business Report that they were aware that rising fuel prices were exerting additional pressure on drivers who used the Bolt app. “We are sympathetic to these challenges faced by drivers and our teams are constantly reviewing our prices to ensure drivers can operate profitably and provide great service to passengers,” Buyole said. The unaudited month-end data released by the Central Energy Fund (CEF) last week showed that the price of petrol could rise by around 36 cents per litre, while diesel was predicted to fall by about 30c.…

South African financial markets have to weather the storm that has pounded them over the past two months. Equity prices, the rand exchange rate, and bonds recovered strongly, as commodities – especially precious metal prices – remained elevated. The absence of load shedding has also played a role. The steady decline in oil prices, and inflation in the US, as measured by the change in personal consumption expenditures (PCE) and a drop in US bond yields, boosted share prices across the globe on Friday. Although the US PCE Price Index increased on an annual basis by 2.7% in March, up from 2.5% in February, beating the 2.6% that was expected, traders, analysts and economist still expect the US Federal Reserve will start to decrease interest rates during the second part…

LIBSTAR’S management expects consumer market conditions to remain challenging this year and its leadership team is focused on the group’s new strategic initiatives, says chairperson Wendy Luhabe. Writing in the food and grocery product group’s annual report released on Friday, she said they would oversee the portfolio and operating model simplification initiatives agreed on last year, cost competitiveness improvements would be targeted, while earnings quality and return on invested capital (Roic) would be improved through a divestment and consolidation strategy. The Household & Personal Care segment disposal process was progressing, and the intention was to improve Roic by 50 basis points once this had been completed. Interventions were under way at Denny Mushroom to improve earnings stability and to refocus the group’s portfolio to value- added food products. The board…

TRANSNET has remained optimistic about turning the corner on its operational, financial and governance challenges and fulfil its strategic role in the economy as it forges ahead with implementation of the second phase of its Recovery Plan. This as the struggling State-owned ports and rail logistics company began implementing its recovery plan in October 2023, with Phase 2 of the plan commencing on April 1, 2024. The core focus of Transnet’s recovery plan is to devise tactical initiatives that drive volume recovery and improve rail and port operations, with an emphasis on equipment availability, reliability and asset quality. A pivotal element is the improvement of maintenance planning and adherence to plans to resolve operational bottlenecks and equipment shortages. Transnet chairperson Andile Sangqu said on Friday they remained committed to…

Minister of Defence Thandi Modise has warned that no incitement of violence, lawlessness, destruction of infrastructure, or barricading of roads will be tolerated during the general elections next month. Modise said anyone found to be in breach of the country’s laws will be dealt with accordingly. Addressing the media on the state of readiness for the elections in Pretoria yesterday, Modise warned that prosecutors are ready to prosecute offences such as electoral fraud and corruption, removing or defacing political party and campaign posters, interfering with the duties of the electoral officials, forcing anyone to vote. The 2024 national and provincial elections will be on May 29. These elections take place against the backdrop of the country’s celebration of 30 years of democracy. Modise said that protocol has been established between…

THE Eastern Cape could do with a morally upright leader like General Bantu Holomisa, who will make sure that people’s needs are taken care of, says Kuhle Ndyebo. He said he was not a UDM member, but would vote for the party as he loved its leader, Holomisa. “The general is the kind of leader our province needs. In fact, our country needs a leader of his stature, someone who will get the job done – not a populist. In the years that I have known him, I have not heard in a single day that he is involved in any corruption scandal or any kind. “I just hope that many of my peers would come out and vote in their numbers to make sure that we vote him in…

ESKOM has vowed to ramp up the energy availability factor (EAF) to 65% by the end of the 2024/25 financial year as generation capacity improves. The power utility presented its State of the System update and its winter outlook on Friday with a base scenario that load shedding would be limited to Stage 2, but might rise to Stage 5 in a worst-case scenario. Eskom chairperson Mteto Nyati outlined the process that the Eskom board had embarked upon, including consultations with stakeholders within the government and business sector since it approved the Generation Operational Recovery Plan in March 2023. The plan’s objective was to arrest the decline of the EAF and to achieve an average of 65% in March 2024 and an average of 70% in March 2025. Nyati said…

With the 2024 general elections fast approaching and service delivery protests increasingly rising, independent political analysts have warned about potential lower voter turnout in the upcoming elections. This follows a series of protests last week in Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga. Speaking to The Star’s sister paper, the Sunday Independent, political analyst Yolokazi Mfuto said if a community leader decided that they would not vote due to service delivery protests, people may not turn out to vote. “Equally, if a protest was held before an election, promises were made and not delivered, many people could be disillusioned, and refuse to participate in voting,” added Mfuto. However, she added it was important for people to participate in the elections. “This year’s election needs a lot of voter education. The three ballots…

ENOUGH is enough, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria said regarding the long delay in the fraud and corruption case against former crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli and his two co-accused, which has dragged on for years. Judge Papi Mosopa has now ordered the prosecuting authority must immediately obtain a date for the trial to proceed. Mdluli, who is fighting the refusal by police to pay his legal fees, must also approach the Office of the Deputy Judge President for a date when his review application against the SAPS’ refusal to pay his fees can be heard. Judge Mosopa made it clear that the criminal trial would proceed, even if Mdluli’s review application was not yet determined because the review application had nothing to do with the merits of the case,…

For the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF), the true beauty of music lies in its ability to connect people on a deeper level, beyond words and borders, which its 21st milestone will do when festinos gather in Cape Town for the weekend event. With a few days to go before the return of the festival, organisers have released the names of more stellar artists in the line-up, such as Jimmy Dludlu, Grammy-nominated Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke. The CTIJF, fondly known as “Africa’s Grandest Gathering”, has long been hailed for its promotion of artistic expression and cultural exchange, drawing audiences from far and wide to appreciate its dynamic atmosphere and broad representation of the jazz genre. This year’s instalment is no exception, as it continues to push the…

Reigning MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia won his third straight Spanish Grand Prix yesterday to make up ground on Jorge Martin in the world championship standings after the Pramac Racing rider crashed out of the race while leading. Pole-sitter Marc Marquez, a six-time MotoGP champion, finished second for Gresini Racing at the Circuito de Jerez, with VR46 Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi third. Martin retained the lead in the driver’s standings. The Spaniard, on 92 points after four rounds, has a 17-point lead over second-placed Bagnaia, whose Ducati teammate Enea Bastianini is a further five points behind in third. Bagnaia, who started on the third row in seventh place, put himself in the mix early on with a series of audacious overtakes on the first lap, zipping past Bezzecchi, Martin and Marquez to…

AGRICULTURAL analysts have re- mained optimistic that South Africa is not in a crisis, in spite of the damage to crops that occurred in February and March during the heatwave and the El Niño-induced dryness. The Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) chief economist Wandile Sihlobo on Friday said that the recent drought presented upside risks to food price inflation, but not the overall basket. “The challenge is primarily the white maize, especially considering the potentially more robust regional demand later in the year,” Sihlobo said. “The favourable supplies of other grains in the world market, mainly yellow maize (also rice and wheat), and the moderating prices mean South Africa could be slightly cushioned in these commodities.” According to the April 2024 Household Affordability Index, the average cost of the Household Food…

LOOKING back at the mining industry in South Africa, one has to ask the question of “How much of the black southern Africa labour was exploited for at least 200 years by this industry?” In Lesotho and Transkei it took a particular cycle of its participants being selected out of a stock of people who would attend school up to possibly Standard Three, then go to the mountain where one qualified for manhood and by the age of 18 they are ripe to enrol for a mine. After four years of the routine they are ready to build a family and mining becomes their working life. Many contracted occupational diseases and got disabling injuries for life. Many had terminated contracts with benefits stuck in The Employment Bureau of Africa (Teba),…

For Bell Equipment, the cooling off from record highs after the epidemic of markets for heavy equipment and articulated dump trucks is an opportunity for the Richards Bay-based group to vigorously pursue opportunities in new and existing markets. Chairperson Gary Bell and CEO from January 1 this year Ashley Bell said in the group’s integrated report, released on Friday, that with supply chain constraints of the past two years also easing – the group sells machines in over 80 countries – they “anticipate a smoother year for production during 2024”. The order book for 2024 was at a reasonable level and total market demand volumes were expected to normalise, following the unprecedented record high experienced through 2023. More than 60 countries in the world were holding elections this year…

ActionSA president Herman Mashaba says true freedom can only be achieved when all South Africans have well-paying jobs, instead of staggering in the trenches of unemployment and underemployment. He made this stinging remark at a Freedom Day celebration in Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg, on Saturday. The people do not enjoy the fruits of their Struggle heroes, because crime and violence have become prevalent, especially in townships, he said. He deemed the governing party unpatriotic leaving its people with unfulfilled dreams promised 30 years ago, during the first democratic elections, marking a new dawn for black people. “Too many of our people have become captive to the cycle of poverty, while our communities have grown dangerous as crime has spiralled out of control. The unpatriotic ruling party has let our…

Children in South Africa cannot read, at least not for understanding, and the once-rich culture of reading is fast disappearing, studies have found. Last year, statistics found that the country ranked low in the reading ability of children in Grade 4, with 81% being found to be incapable of reading for meaning. That meant eight out of 10 South African children aged 10 lacked the ability to read, and this placed the country the last of 57 countries assessed in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study. The study authors said: “The study is an international assessment and research project which measures reading achievement at Grade 4 level. It goes into schools to check on the progress among learners and teacher practices related to instruction. Those in Grade 4…

The Tshwane council speaker, Mncedi Ndzwanana, has been accused of flouting council rules by “illegally” allowing ActionSA’s motion of insourcing security guards to be tabled during the Thursday council sitting. Ndzwanana, the sole councillor of the African Transformation Movement, was told by councillors that he should have ordered ActionSA to bring back its motion after three months from the date that the EFF’s motion on the same subject was dismissed in March. The speaker, however, decided to entertain ActionSA’s motion, which also proposed that a feasibility study be conducted with a view to assessing the effectiveness of insourcing in relation to the City’s financial sustainability. Municipal manager Johann Mettler has been tasked with conducting the study, making a business case and presenting it to the mayoral committee before it can…

DR THAMI Mazwai has partnered with Unisa Press to produce the first book on black entrepreneurship in Soweto. The book primarily aims to galvanise young people to emulate their pioneers to conquer the misery of poverty and unemployment in black communities. The book, titled The Journey of the Soweto Entrepreneur since 1905, traces the struggle of early black pioneers against the harsh laws of apartheid, which forbade them to be entrepreneurs. The book, to be launched tomorrow, consists of self-standing chapters that trace the evolution of various business sectors in Soweto and how the first entrepreneurs such as Thomas Ntlebi, Josiah Sibiya, Mweli Skota and later Connie Ntshona, Richard Maponya, Esther Nyembezi and Ephraim Tshabalala pursued their entrepreneurial aspirations and braved naked racism, embedded legislation and opposition from the governments…

Soweto Spiritual Singers has once again cemented itself among musical royalty. This comes after the choir group collaborated with Maroon 5’s PJ Morton. Morton joined Maroon 5 as a touring member in 2010 and became an official member in 2012 after Jesse Carmichael went on an indefinite hiatus. The latest collaboration comes after many other international collaborations including the one with R&B sensation R Kelly for the official opening of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The collaboration has resulted in the recording of the song Unity (Simunye) with five times Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter PJ Morton. Founded by siblings Nkululeko Vilakazi and well-known South African gospel singer Vicky Vilakazi, the group has toured the EU and UK since 2019, and also performed at the Edinburgh Fringe…

The biggest music releases of the past year were celebrated at the 2024 Metro FM Music Awards held on Freedom Day at Mbombela Stadium. Metro FM presenters Tebogo “ProVerb” Thekisho and Luthando “LootLove” Shosha hosted the awards, broadcast live on SABC1 and SABC+. The battleground was tight, with strong contenders Imithandazo proved to be the ultimate winner on the night. The song comes from top music producer Kabza De Small’s collaborative album Isimo with musician Mthunzi Ndimande. De Small did not attend the awards, which seems to be a recurring pattern but Mthunzi was present to accept all four awards they won in the categories: Best Collaboration, Best Amapiano, Song of the Year and Best Produced Album for Isimo. The winners of each award category received R50 000, and the…

“WHEN I return … to the rural village and area of my childhood and youth, the poverty of the people and the devastation of the natural environment painfully strike me. And in that impoverishment of the natural environment, it is the absence of access to clean water that strikes most starkly,” Nelson Mandela pointed out in 2002. The water, poverty and devastation crises have not stopped over two decades, and they are not due to just water scarcity but to a failure of governance and leadership. The recent uproar on social media, where South Africans rightly criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa for the unsafe water provided by 50% of municipalities, highlights a persistent human rights crisis. This is exacerbated by a lack of accountability in the management of drinking water services.…

This coming election will probably see a strong showing by more small parties than before. The campaign period is signalling just how significant parties like the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), Build One South Africa (Bosa), RiseMzansi, Patriotic Alliance (PA), ActionSA and the SA Rainbow Alliance are in at least three areas. For Devoted Citizen, as an NGO dedicated to active citizenship, small and big parties deepen our participatory democracy. The first is their ability to campaign and garner support. We have witnessed their energy in conducting rally-type campaigns, especially during manifesto launches. They have done well in other forms of campaign, especially social media and digital mobilisation, focusing on digitally-abled citizens. They can saturate social media with an organic type of engagement, such as posting a position on a matter…

Pained by defeat, Ivan van Rooyen insisted that despite what the scoreboard might have read on the night, Munster weren’t better than the Lions – smarter, for sure, but not better. The Lions lost 33-13 to the defending champions in their United Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park, and to a certain extent, the Lions coach is not wholly incorrect in his assessment. Munster approached the match with a Test-match intensity. During the first 20 minutes, they barely threatened the hosts’ 22, but instead placed pressure on the Joburgers through the scoreboard. On Saturday night Munster did to the Lions what they had done against Leinster a week earlier. “You could feel them dictating the game,” said Van Rooyen after the match, “and once they got ahead, they just managed…

Jake White wanted a reaction from his Bulls troops after their loss to Munster a weekend ago. Judging by their overpowering 61-24 win over the Ospreys, White received exactly the response he challenged his side to produce as they got their United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign back on track with the convincing victory. The Ospreys could have been a banana skin for the Bulls and they headed to Pretoria with plenty of confidence from a good win over the Stormers. But it took Loftus Versfeld only about 40 minutes to celebrate a bonus point for tries scored and after half-time the home side continued to step on the gas as they ran their visitors ragged. A red card halted their momentum against Munster, but on Saturday, they saddled up the…

PALI LEHOHLA, the former Statistician-General of South Africa, on Friday slammed the lack of methodology and transparency around clients’ bank account closures. “All institutions have standards that must be communicated up front to their clients, particularly the banks, which are highly regulated,” he said in an interview with Business Report. He said banks had to ensure that clients were aware of their rights, and banks could not apply standards based on their own free will and decisions. Therefore, when it came to closing accounts, that had to be communicated up front as part of the regulatory environment and under what conditions bank account closures happened, and what the clients were entitled to by way of appeal. “It is a highly-regulated issue and these standards are global and if anyone says…

Parliament must probe the methodology into bank account closures. In the spotlight is the metric of ‘reputational risk’ and there are claims that South African’s rights are being violated. Reputational risk modelling is not currently transparent or fair, nor does it have a just mechanism of recourse. It is also not standardised globally. Worst of all, the metrics are applied unfairly leading to discrimination. The issue was highlighted this month after Nedbank’s 2023 Annual Report revealed it had unbanked nearly 200 people on this unquantified, undisclosed metric. Nedbank’s Pillar 3 Risk and Capital Management Report for the year ended December 31, 2023, revealed it is now considered as one of the bank’s top ten risks and has subsequently been included on its risk scorecard. Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FCSA) commissioner…

THE RECENT approval by Parliament of the Climate Change Bill signals South Africa’s moving to tackle the greatest threat to life. On Thursday, the National Council of Provinces concluded parliamentary deliberations on the much-debated Climate Change Bill, with unanimous support. Its adoption by political parties across Parliament is an important message that parties recognise the damage done to the planet and that life depends upon urgent action by humanity. Climate change is a real threat to workers, their families, communities and the economy. Its effects are being felt with the pollution in the coal belt of Mpumalanga’s towns and communities, claiming the lives of thousands of workers annually. We see it with increasing frequency during devastating floods across Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal claiming the lives of many and leaving destroyed…

Labour union Solidarity has vehemently disagreed with the Minerals Council’s assertion that mineworkers in South Africa are among the best-paid industrial employees. Solidarity on Friday argued that mining bosses in the country were instead the highest paid in the world, at a time the sector was struggling. This comes after the Minerals Council, in its latest Mining Matters bulletin issued last week, said salaries in the mining sector grew by R12 billion to R186.5bn in 2023 compared to R174.2bn a year earlier. According to the council, the mining industry was one of the few economic sectors to grow employment, adding 7 600 jobs, providing work to more than 477 000 people and accounting for 4.7% of formal employment. “Over the past 15 years, increases in wages across…

In a surprising turn of events, Black Motion’s Smol and former group member Mörda have patched things up after a two-year public feud. Now they are celebrating friendship through their latest collaboration song, Takala Zwino. Smol, whose real name is Roy Thabo Mabogwane, and Mörda, also known as Murdah Bongz, were the dynamic duo behind Black Motion, a powerhouse in the Afrohouse music scene since 2010. However, in 2022, Mörda decided to part ways with the group to pursue a solo career, leaving Smol in a state of uncertainty. Reflecting on that time, Smol shared with Sowetan SMag: “I don’t want to lie, that phase was a very weird time for me. It’s unexplainable actually, because we were just fresh from the pandemic and I thought we were trying to…

THE Sizwe Ummah Nation (SUN) Party has announced Rasheed Gutta as its number one candidate on their list to Parliament. Gutta, a businessman who grew a furniture manufacturing trade and design business from nothing to a business that employs over 1 200 people across the country, said South Africa is in dire need of economic policy reform. Gutta said the current economic and social policies cannot assist growth. “THE ANC-led government under President Cyril Ramaphosa has mismanaged the country and continues the pillaging and looting unabated. “The continued load shedding, water shortages and collapse of Transnet, among other state-owned entities, have had a devastating effect on the economy and living conditions of the people in this country, yet the ANC-led government wants to be given another opportunity. “The smooth…

With 30 days left to the country’s national and provincial elections, the EFF has caused a stir on social media with the release of its much-awaited advert. Released over the weekend, the 90-seconds clip tagged Vuka Vela Vote starts by listing the many problems plaguing the country, from corrupt activities, money laundering and power cuts to millions of rand lost in tenders and President Cyril Ramaphosa being accused of corruption. It then asks how long South Africans are going to complain about such things as joblessness and unemployment. The advert goes on to show harrowing scenes of shacks burning, and how people have normalised complaining about the dark, while in the dark. “They promised free education in 1994. Thirty years later all they’ve delivered is a corrupt NSFAS and a…

THE SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) in Gauteng has accused the City of Tshwane’s coalition government under the DA and ActionSA of politicising employees’ disciplinary procedures. This follows the suspension of five senior officials linked to the R295 million Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant tender irregularly awarded to businessman Edwin Sodi’s companies in 2019. The union said it was concerned by the vilification of workers by political parties in Tshwane regarding the Rooiwal saga. Gauteng provincial secretary Mpho Tladinyanesaid: “Moreover, the union condemns the unholy alliance between the DA and ActionSA, who have sought to politicise employee disciplinary procedures within the City. This move represents an overreach of authority and undermines collective bargaining in the sector.” Last week, municipal manager Johann Mettler announced the suspension of five senior officials pending…

Several black-owned wine brands, among them Amari Wines, Khulu Fine Wines, iMvula and Nonala Wines, will be in attendance at the Johannesburg Cap Classique, Champagne & Bubbles Festival at the Inanda Polo Club in Sandton on May 18 and 19. This year, the hugely popular annual event will feature some of South Africa’s finest Cap Classiques, including several from black producers, and it is hoped that this will continue to unlock greater opportunity for economic participation of black people in SA’s wine industry. Many French Champagnes will also be available at the festival to taste and buy. Sazi Ngcobo, co-founder of Amari Wines, said: “Last year, we launched our Amari Lush, and this will be available to taste. It’s a lush Méthode Cap Classique embodying a balance of structure and…

THE Durban University of Technology (DUT), in collaboration with the Energy and Water Sector Education Training Authority (EW Seta), launched the Siyahamba Solar Boat at Durban’s Point Yacht Club on Friday. The Siyahamba Solar Boat is set to compete internationally in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge (MEBC) in July. DUT was selected as one of the 15 finalists out of the 120 global entries for this prestigious competition. The solar-powered boat was designed and built by DUT students and staff from the DUT energy technology station known as the KwaZulu-Natal Industrial Energy Efficient Training and Resource Centre (IEETR). It has an overall length of 5.5m, width of 2.4m and height of 1.2m. The estimated overall weight is 90kg. It has a photovoltaic (PV) array of 1.3kW to charge a 1.46kW…

AS SOUTH Africa throws its arms around 30 years of democracy and gears up for yet another round of voting antics, a quirky yet profound tale unfolds in the nooks of ekas’lam township. Enter the invisible faith in democracy, a sneaky little belief nestled deep in the hearts of the locals, stubbornly sticking around despite democracy’s not-so-great track record. Picture this: amid the chaos of broken promises and economic woes, the folks of ekas’lam are like eternal optimists at a never-ending buffet, always holding out hope for that one dish they’ve never tasted. Despite years of being stood up by democracy’s empty promises, they’re in line, patiently waiting for their turn at the feast. Now, democracy’s supposed to be this fancy party where everyone is invited, but in ekas’lam, it…

Dear former president Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Mhlanganyelwa Zuma It is with a heavy heart that I write to you at a crucial time when the political spectrum of our country seems to be taking shape in a promising direction, particularly with the formation of the EFF in the last decade or so, and the sudden rise of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), for which credit must be given to you as the former leader of the ANC. Your irredentist and nostalgic urge to revive the old and politically annihilated military wing of the former liberation movement is plausible to those of us who are revolutionaries. However, it is also worth political scrutiny of a socialist military intelligentsia so we do not run the peril of the betrayal and further delay of…

THOUGH fans were delighted with the victory over SuperSport United, celebrating as though it was a championship-delivering result, Kaizer Chiefs coach Cavin Johnson knows not to get carried away. And as he reflected on Amakhosi’s 2-1 Premiership win on Saturday night, Johnson spoke with the tone of a man who understands just how far his team still has to go to get to the level required of Chiefs. “No, I don’t think anyone should be relieved,” he said deep in the bowels of the Peter Mokaba Stadium as the news hounds quizzed him on what the victory – Chiefs’ first in six league matches – meant. “There are still five games to go and we are Kaizer Chiefs. If it was the other way round and we had five wins…