Table of contents for 2024-05-21 in Cape Times

THE COMPETITION Commission has slammed a proposed merger between Vodacom, Vumatel, and Dark Fibre Africa as being “anticompetitive and having the potential to create a pivotal shift in the telecoms sector, taking the industry backwards”. The proposed merger will effectively result in a new company Maziv being created through the combination of Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa – making Maziv the largest fibre infrastructure player in South Africa. Maziv will be partially owned by Vodacom, while South Africa’s largest mobile operator will simultaneously hold on to its mobile business, long-haul fibre assets, and retail ISP business. Advocate Daniel Berger, SC, delivering his opening statement on behalf of the Competition Commission yesterday at a Competition Tribunal hearing, argued strongly that the proposed deal be prohibited, because “the merger, if allowed, will…

THE AFRICAN Truck Drivers’ Forum and Allied South Africa (ATDF-ASA) has mobilised its own inspection teams, drawn up a list of defaulting companies countrywide, and is holding daily virtual meetings across all provinces to monitor the government’s commitment to attending to its grievances as a condition to withdrawing the national shutdown which was slated for yesterday. This is as the forum on Sunday held an emergency meeting with officials from the departments of Home Affairs, Transport, Labour, the Presidency and the SAPS to avert the shutdown that had been planned barely a week ahead of the national elections. ATDF-ASA secretary-general Gugu Sokhela yesterday said the forum had acquiesced to the request to temporarily suspend the shutdown after the government entities undertook to intensify physical inspections on the list of companies…

The TURNAROUND time for trucks exporting cargo to eSwatini at the Oshoek/Ngwenya port of entry in Mpumalanga has been reduced from 1 hour 42 minutes to just 10 minutes, and the import of similar cargo has seen the time spent at the border slashed from 42 minutes to 10 minutes. This is according to the Time Release Study (TRS) released yesterday which was conducted jointly by the South African Revenue Services (Sars) and the eSwatini Revenue Service (ERS). Officials of both entities yesterday said the study had helped identify bottlenecks which led to long delays at the border crossing, as plans were afoot to have a “one window” experience for truck drivers processing freight. The Oshoek border post was identified as the busiest port of entry in the Southern African…

FRANCE will host tech executives and political figures, among them former US secretary of state John Kerry, EU industrial chief Thierry Breton and ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt, this week as it looks to assert Paris’s role as an artificial intelligence (AI) hub. The “Viva Technology” conference will put French innovators front-and-centre as attendees tackle key questions around AI, including its potential impact on upcoming elections and climate change. Paris-based LVMH, the world’s largest luxury group, has also thrown its weight behind VivaTech as a founding partner of the event. Its chairperson and CEO Bernard Arnault, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, is expected to draw crowds during his visit to the group’s sprawling stand, featuring new tech from prestigious brands like Louis Vuitton, Tag Heuer and Dior. Over the past…

Astral Foods saw the benefits from initiatives to recover from last year’s load shedding and bird flu come home to roost, with half-year operating profit up a massive 461.2% to R550 million, which was at the upper end of its profit forecast range. However, significant risks remain for the rest of the year. The group had embarked on a “Re-Set, Re-focus and Re-start” campaign (Project 3R) after last year’s poor performance, which had proven successful so far and which aimed to reinforce Astral’s best cost poultry producer position and improve profitability, CEO Chris Schutte said yesterday. He said the big improvement was expected to continue into the second half as the brunt of the load shedding and bird flu costs were in the 2023 second half. However, bird flu…

The best properties are found in natural ingredients when it comes to skin treatments. That is why many people are leaning towards more natural ingredients instead of relying on expensive skincare products. One of the best ingredients for skin care may be honey. Its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects may help in reducing acne and breakouts. The properties found in honey help in reducing the bacteria that cause pimples, blackheads and whiteheads. They also help treat the redness and inflammation associated with breakouts. If you don’t know how to use honey on your face, we have a few face masks you can try at home. Honey and lemon juice Mixing honey and freshly squeezed lemon juice to make a mask can help clear scars and spots. This mask can be…

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has dismissed continued reports that Eskom was burning more diesel on its Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGT) to keep the lights on. This comes amid reports from some analysts and former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter attributing the now 54 days -long suspension of load shedding to the burning of millions of rand in diesel, as well as generation capacity from renewables. However, Ramokgopa, during his Energy Action Plan media briefing at Eskom’s Megawatt Park yesterday, said the diesel usage in the period April 1 to May 16 was down 78% on the same period last year. “Eskom only spent R1.2 billion in the period April 1 to May 16 this year on diesel compared with R5.2bn in the same period last year,” Ramokgopa said. “I…

Malva pudding: 200ml granulated sugar 2 large eggs 3 tbs butter, melted 1 tbs apricot jam 1 tbs white vinegar ¾ cup milk 1½ cups cake flour 1½ tsp Royal Baking Powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda Macchiato sauce: 1⅓ cups cream 3 tbs granulated sugar 1½ slabs Cadbury Dairy Milk Macchiato Serving suggestion: Whipped cream Preheat the oven to 180°C non-fan assist and grease a medium baking dish, 20x28cm. Whisk the sugar and eggs until light and airy. Add the melted butter, jam, vinegar and milk and carefully mix it through the egg mixture using a spatula. *Chef’s Tip: Mix carefully so as not to lose any air in the egg mixture. Sieve in the flour, Royal Baking Powder and bicarbonate of soda and carefully mix it through.…

The Stormers will go full metal jacket against the Lions and will do everything to secure fifth place in the United Rugby Championship (URC). Although they will have a break of a week thanks to the finals of the European knockout competitions, it will be all systems go come Monday as they prepare for a spicy South African derby at Cape Town Stadium on June 1. Both sides have a lot to play for – the Cape side to stay in the hunt for an easier quarter-final, and the Lions to still make it into the top eight of the tournament. As things stand, it looks like a quarter-final against Glasgow will be on the cards for the former URC champions, which means travelling to Scotland rather than to Limerick…

Manchester City’s insatiable appetite for trophies spells bad news for any club hoping to break the stranglehold Pep Guardiola’s side continue to have on English football. Admirably, Arsenal pushed them very close this season but once again the sight of Guardiola’s players cavorting with the Premier League trophy was the abiding image of the final day. City’s 3-1 victory over West Ham United on Sunday took them to a place not even the great Liverpool side of the 1980s and Manchester United team of the late 1990s and 2000s inhabited. A fourth successive English league title is unprecedented and the big question is who will stop the City march? They have averaged 89.7 points in their last four title-winning seasons and, while Guardiola’s side again failed to threaten the 100…

THEBE Investment Corporation has remained cautiously optimistic that the dispute over the evaluation of its 28% stake in Shell Downstream South Africa (SDSA) will be resolved within the next three months by arbitration as the two-year period after which its notice to sell its shareholding would have lapsed. This comes as the 22-year relationship between the British multinational oil and gas company and its South African empowerment partner has hit rock bottom, following Shell’s decision to divest its downstream operations. Shell will divest its majority shareholding from the South African downstream unit and leave more than 600 forecourts after operating in the country for more than 120 years, following a comprehensive review by Shell of its businesses across all regions. However, it also coincided with the dispute over the value…

The LARGEST agricultural event in Africa took place from May 14 to 17, 2024, at Nampo Park in Bothaville. Every year, hundreds of thousands of agricultural role players get together to discuss all things agriculture. This year, more than 25 500 people attended the event, a new record by numbers. This included Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza, representatives from other countries, fertiliser and seed companies, technology developers, agricultural financiers, biotechnology companies, insurance companies, and agricultural retailers. To a greater extent, businesses are able to demonstrate new advancements in their industry and connect informally with customers and possible partners. Transactions for millions of rand are done on various purchases. From the perspective of stakeholders, Nampo provides an opportunity to engage informally on issues affecting the…

MINING behemoth BHP must overcome major hurdles to salvage its faltering pursuit of rival Anglo American, analysts said yesterday as a midweek deadline over the seismic takeover bid approaches. UK-based Anglo American has already knocked back two attempts by the Australian giant, which has until 5pm London time on Wednesday to up its offer, walk away or launch a hostile takeover at enormous risk. Any deal between two of the world’s largest resources companies would fundamentally reshape the sector, with far-reaching consequences for commodities markets and the global energy transition. The latest bid sits at $43 billion (R795bn), which would rank as one of the largest mining deals ever seen. MineLife analyst Gavin Wendt said Anglo American’s disinterested board had kept the larger competitor at bay for now. “Firstly,…

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the under-explored intersection of the venture capital (VC)-backed tech start-up economy and the traditional business world. As if on cue, one of the highlights of the recent Africa CEO Forum annual summit in Kigali, Rwanda, was a panel featuring Aliko Dangote, the founder, chairperson and CEO of the Dangote Group, and Patrick Pouyanné, the chairperson and CEO of TotalEnergies, moderated by CNN International correspondent Larry Madowo. During their conversation, Dangote and Pouyanné revealed that Total- Energies, one of the world's seven major oil companies, has struck its first fuel supply deal with the Dangote Group’s Dangote Refinery. Founded by Dangote in 1978 with a $3 000 (R56 195) loan from a kind uncle, the Dangote Group is now West Africa’s largest multinational conglomerate.…

NETCARE Group said the signing into law of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week would not affect the final phases of their 10-year strategy to transform the way the group delivers healthcare, and it expected the strategy will enhance their future participation in universal healthcare. CEO of the private hospital and healthcare provider, Dr Richard Friedland, said at the release of results for the six months to March yesterday, that Netcare had always acknowledged that the inequities in healthcare access and delivery in South Africa needed to be addressed and it was fully supportive of universal healthcare. “The bill, however, was signed without addressing the fundamental areas of weakness. Furthermore, significant flaws in the bill and the legislative processes followed in pro- mulgating the…

Tea is the most popular drink across the globe, after water, and May 21 is International Tea Day. It is an emotionally territorial beverage, and the way you brew and drink your tea is a personal preference that might not be shared. In South Africa, it was the British who influenced our tea culture, but we also have the humble rooibos tea which has a real Mzansi flavour. Did you know that there are several ways to use tea to impart flavour to your cooking? Research the tasting notes of your tea selection to understand how to build complementary flavours around it. Here's a rundown of some of the ways to cook with tea, in both sweet and savoury dishes. Add to cookies or other baked goods From scones…

As winter settles in, the temptation to hibernate grows stronger. That is why you must always strive to be active regardless of the weather. This will not only help you stay physically fit but will also contribute to your overall well-being. Claire Bowen of Shower to Shower shares some insightful tips. Embrace the chill with a fresh morning shower: Always start your day with an early morning shower. Not only will it wake you up, it will also boost your circulation, leaving you revitalised and ready for the day. Get moving indoors: Don’t let the cold weather freeze your exercise routine! Indoor exercises like yoga or pilates and even dancing can boost your mood, making you feel energetic and positive throughout the day. Healthy comfort food: Winter is about enjoying…

The chairperson of the ANC in the Western Cape, Vuyiso Tyhalisisu, will not be heading to Parliament or the provincial legislature after the May 29 elections. Tyhalisisu does not appear on any of the party’s three candidate lists despite chairpersons of the ANC in provinces usually heading the candidate list to the provincial legislature. Speaking to the Cape Times, he said he had declined nomination by the branches and that the provincial executive committee (PEC) understood his situation. “It is a matter that I related to the PEC. I am not at liberty to talk about it, but we ventilated the matter with the leadership of the province,” he said. He confirmed that he was nominated by numerous branches, which he was thankful for. “I raised my personal issues, which…

The Springboks do have demographic targets they must hit according to the Strategic Transformation Development Plan 2030 (STDP 2030) of SA Rugby, but the double World Cup winners’ performance won’t be compromised to reach it. A report by weekend newspaper Rapport suggested that the Bok side that won the 2023 tournament was too white and that certain provincial teams are also still not hitting their transformation targets in line with the STDP 2030. An internal report by SA Rugby reportedly criticised these sides, which include the Lions and Bulls alongside the national side, for failing to meet these targets. But yesterday, the president of rugby’s governing body in South Africa, Mark Alexander, hit back at the reports saying they are happy with the progress they’ve made when it comes…

Smiso Msomi FORMER Bafana Bafana winger Siphiwe Tshabalala has thrown his weight behind national team head coach Hugo Broos and has praised his authoritative coaching style. After a turbulent first two years as the leader of the South African football side in which he divided opinions among supporters and publicly challenged Safa, Broos has become somewhat of a darling of the nation after his team’s exploits at the Africa Cup of Nations in January. Bafana were undoubtedly the surprise package at the Afcon as they ground out a third-place finish, their highest finish in the competition for over 24 years. The 71-year-old Belgian mentor has unveiled a new-look Bafana seemingly ready to run through walls at his command. Tshabalala, who made 85 appearances for the national team between 2006 and…

THEBE Investment Corporation has refused to state publicly how much its 28% stake in Shell Downstream SA (SDSA) was worth, saying it preferred to leave its valuation to independent experts. This comes as news reports emerged that Thebe was claiming the value of its stake in SDSA was worth R3.7 billion, as Shell’s local empowerment group seeks to sell its equity after 22 years. Thebe board member Dr Molefe Tsele told Business Report on Friday it would be premature to put a figure on Thebe’s stake, as many factors needed to be considered when doing a proper valuation of their investment. “No, we have deliberated on that question, and then we took advice to let’s allow arbitration to deal with that. Because the reality of the matter is that…

IMPALA Platinum (Implats) has picked up Siyanda Resources and Bokamoso Consortium as black economic em- powerment (BEE) partners for its Rustenburg and Bafokeng operations in a transaction worth R9 billion that will also include community and employee share-ownership schemes. Post the empowerment transaction, Implats will retain 87% in Impala Rustenburg with the Community Share Ownership Trust (CSOT) holding 4%; the existing employee share-ownership trust company gaining a similar 4% control; and the Bokamoso Consortium holding a 5% stake in the Rustenburg operations. Concurrently, Impala Bafokeng Resources (IBR) will retain a 50% stake in the Bafokeng operation while community, employee share-ownership schemes and the Bokamoso Consortium will have similar 4% and 5% interests, respectively. IBR is a subsidiary created by Implats after Implats acquired Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) last year,…

NOW THAT THE National Health Insurance (NHI) is a law of the land, it’s time to focus on what will make it a reality. Many have focused on the financial side, however, there’s also a need to focus on the technology side. An overhaul of the national health system will be impossible without technology and digital health records. The National Digital Health Strategy for South Africa (2019 to 2024) demands such a transition. It may be difficult to understand why this is important when there’s so much negative noise about the NHI. To understand part of the need for a digital foundation you have to think about the health reality in South Africa and reflect on its future prospects. If you visited most hospitals, you would find piles and piles…

Balwin Properties experienced the toughest year in its 28-year history as escalating interest rates, higher fuel and food prices, and political uncertainty about the elections impacted housing demand. The group which develops apartments for the upper to middle in- come markets, reported a sharp 48% decline in headline earning per share to 47.94 cents for the year to February 29. This fall was also reflected in the latest Rode Report on the South African Property Market, which said both FNB and Lightstone’s house-price indices recorded the lowest growth rate for the past four years in the last quarter of 2023 – significantly, this period includes the Covid lockdown period. Balwin CEO Steve Brookes, said in an interview yesterday that the long period of high interest rates, combined with…

The newest trend hitting the workplace could be a game-changer. Unlike past trends that often cast a shadow over the working world, such as "resenteeism", "bare-minimum Mondays" and "quiet quitting", there's a fresh concept on the rise known as "chronoworking". Experts believe this approach could bring positive changes for both employees and employers if applied thoughtfully. What sets chronoworking apart is its flexibility, allowing employees to tailor their work schedules to fit their natural sleep cycles or "chronotypes". This idea, introduced by journalist Ellen C Scott, moves away from the traditional 9-to-5, letting individuals work when they feel most alert and productive. What exactly is a chronotype? It's the personal rhythm that dictates when you're naturally more awake or sleepy throughout the day. Imagine how some people are night owls,…

The South Africa Refugee-led Network (SARLN) has called on the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to broaden its investigations into organisations claiming to provide services to refugees but are instead exploiting their vulnerability. The request comes against the backdrop of the SIU raiding all five refugee centres in the South Africa recently. While the network commended the efforts of the SIU to finally address the long-standing allegations of corruption of organisations and departments purporting to be assisting refugees for the past decade, they said they believed more still needed to be done. Martin Mande, SARLN secretary-general, said the organisation and others dealing with immigrants applauded the recent raids as the “crippling corruption” of organisations involved the illicit sale of asylum and refugee documents by officials within the Department of Home Affairs,…

The Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) has won gold at the 2024 Eventex Global Awards, in the categories African Destination: Best African Events Destination and the International Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) Destination. Additionally, CTICC also scooped silver for the categories of Versatile Venue, which applauds the centre’s ability to adapt and accommodate a variety of types and sizes of events, as well as People’s Choice Destination, for venues that stand out from the rest and are voted for by the public. Chief executive of the CTICC, Taubie Motlhabane, said: “We are immensely proud of this recognition. “The competition is tough, and the standards are high, but these awards show that our convention offering is world class. “Cape Town is a sought-after destination and it is important…

Xander Schauffele out-duelled Bryson DeChambeau down the back nine on Sunday to win the PGA Championship, capturing his first Major triumph with the lowest score in Major history. Third-ranked Schauffele sank a tension-packed six-foot birdie putt on the par-five 18th hole at Valhalla for a one-stroke victory over DeChambeau to snap a two-year victory drought. “I was actually kind of emotional after the putt lipped in,” said Schauffele. “It has been a while since I’ve won. “I kept saying it all week. I just need to stay in my lane. And man, was it hard to stay in my lane today. But I tried all day to just keep focus on what I’m trying to do.” Schauffele, who had 12 prior top-10 Major finishes without a victory, had not won…

They had to do some crowdfunding to ensure their Olympic dreams stayed alive, and now it is all systems go for the South African women’s hockey side as they continue to build up to Paris 2024. For one of their stars, Onthatile Zulu, it will be a second time at the global showpiece and she’s ready to take in the experience the same way she did as a fresh-faced youngster a couple of years ago. The South Africans recently returned from Asia where they had some tough preparation ahead of the Olympics, and while the team will have a short break, they know it’s still a long road as they continue getting ready for the Games starting at the end of July. For Zulu, the break means spending time with…

The 2023/24 DStv Premiership season will come to its conclusion this weekend with matchday 30 taking centre stage. The end of the campaign also means frontrunners for individual honours have an opportunity to place a final stamp on their would-be awards and close out the season in style. One of those hotly contested this season has been the top goalscorer award, which, for the first time in almost five years, does not feature Mamelodi Sundowns man Peter Shalulile. In his debut season, Lucas Ribeiro led the standings for a huge chunk of the season but in the past seven or eight games was overtaken by Tshegofatso Mabasa of Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch’s Iqraam Rayners. Mabasa leads the standings with 15 strikers going into the final match day but is closely…