Table of contents for 2022-08-11 in Star

NEDBANK reported strong earnings and a robust capital position for the six months to June 30 and lifted its dividend 81 percent to 783 cents per share. Headline earnings increased by 27 percent to R6.7 billion, driven by strong revenue growth, a flat credit loss ratio, an improved performance from associate ETI, as well as “a well- managed” expense base, the bank said in a statement. Return on equity (ROE) increased to 13.6 percent and the cost to income ratio improved to 56.2 percent from 58.5 percent in the first half of the 2021 financial year. Nitrogen Fund Manager chief investment officer Rowan Williams said Nedbank had reported a “positive set of results” that reflected a banking sector that had recovered well from…

QUILTER plc, the UK-based advice, investments and wealth management company, flagged a 12 percent decrease in interim assets under management (AuMA) as global equity markets experienced one of the worst periods of negative performance in recent years. In its interim results for the six months ended June 30, released yesterday, the group reported the AuMA to be at £98.7 billion (R1.98 trillion) compared to £111.8bn from December 31, 2021, due to adverse market movements of £14.5bn. The group also reported Quilter Investment Platform net inflows of £1.6bn, while in the first half of 2021 they were £1.8bn. The company said this reflected an industry-wide slowdown in new client flows during the second quarter. The group said it achieved Quilter High Net Worth net inflows of £0.5bn, while…

Ambitiouz Entertainment rookie Fakaloice has shared the music video for his latest single, Ooh Aah, which features Cassper Nyovest and the late Riky Rick. The video opens with the young rapper performing his verse in a village surrounded by a tribal gathering. Then for Rick’s verse, the video cuts between shots of different people rapping along to his lines. There’s also a great cut of a beautiful mural of the late rapper displayed at The Station in Newtown, which is where Cotton Fest is hosted. “Fakaloice feat Riky Rick Makhado and Mufasa Cassper Nyovest – Ohh Ahh. This track is super hot. Cass went in hard… Ambitious Entertainment never misses when it comes to hits Rest In peace Riky,” tweeted @RybroX. Then Nyovest, surrounded by soldiers and portrayed as a…

Advocate Dali Mpofu confirmed on Tuesday that his legal team was asking that President Cyril Ramaphosa be subpoenaed to testify in the inquiry into the fitness of suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to hold office. Mpofu said this when he made his opening remarks at the start of cross-examination of a former investigator in the Office of Public Protector, Advocate Livhuwani Tshiwalule. This comes after media reports surfaced that Mkhwebane’s legal team has written to the Section 194 Committee asking that Ramaphosa be subpoenaed. “By now you would have received a letter from us on the 8th, a day before the public holiday, pertaining to the request we make to you to take the necessary steps to subpoena or summon President Cyril Ramaphosa, given the report that we last gave…

NEWLY elected KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube has promised a clean and transparent government, vowing to ensure that everything is done by the book. Dube-Ncube was expected to announce changes in the KZN cabinet today. Speculation was rife that former Newcastle mayor and current provincial treasurer Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba will be appointed to the cabinet as the new Health MEC after his swearing-in yesterday. Delivering her maiden speech after being sworn in, Dube-Ncube said she would ensure transparency and promised to maintain good working relations with all parties, saying she would hold regular briefings on matters pertaining to service delivery. At the KZN Legislature, the DA nominated Councillor Mmabatho Tembe for the position of premier. Dube-Ncube defeated Tembe by 45 votes to 11 to become the first woman premier in…

INDEPENDENT banks analyst Corrie Kruger has said South African banks are extremely selective as to how they treat the clients they deem to be a risk to their reputations – and there is often no reason for their decisions when it comes to closing their accounts. Speaking about how the banks have cited media reports and made reference to the Mpati Commission to justify their discriminatory actions against Sekunjalo-related companies, including Independent Media, Kruger said the banks continue to view the PIC Commission Report as a sword hanging over the company’s head even though nothing had been tested or proved in court. “What is intriguing is that with all the corruption that state-owned entities (SOEs) have been accused of over the years, none of the banks have ever moved to…

Many are creating an uproar about the Taliban faction winning, more so about their use of the “Arab” male headgear known as kufiya or keffiyehs. The headgear has nothing to do with the Taliban dress. If you see some local business people maybe. Their dress is more Taliban than Arab. The Palestine Liberation Organization probably made this headgear famous. It symbolises nothing more than identification. Historically, it has been associated with the rise of economic and political power of Islam and its adherents. The Ottoman red cap was popular before the advent of the petro dollar. These days, the Emirati outfits and styles are popular. My most fashionable item is an Obasanjo Nigerian outfit. It has real style, especially the different items and peculiar way of wearing headgear. Incidentally, this…

Oscars producer Will Packer has praised Will Smith for his public apology to Chris Rock. The King Richard star caused a sensation at the Academy Awards ceremony in March when he stormed the stage to smack the comedian after he made fun of the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and last month he directly said sorry for his “unacceptable” behaviour. And the Men in Black actor has been praised by Packer – who headed up this year’s Oscars – for being “transparent” about his “personal rehabilitation”. Packer told Entertainment Tonight: “I love the fact that he’s being so transparent about his process. Clearly he is going through his own personal rehabilitation. “I’m pulling for him. I’m pulling for him to continue his own process, but I think this is for…

KWAZULU-NATAL boxer Phiwokuhle Mnguni returned to her hometown Dundee on Tuesday to a warm welcome after clinching bronze in the Commonwealth Games. She is the first South African woman boxer to stand on the podium at the games. Mnguni said the goal now for her gym, Sibongile Boxing Family, was the 2024 Olympic Games. “The vision now is the 2024 Olympic Games – we are now going to prepare to qualify,” she said. Mnguni said what would improve her skills was getting her gym fitted with more equipment. “Our gym does not have a lot of equipment, so if we can get assistance in that regard we would appreciate it greatly as it will enable us to improve.” She said she had learned a lot from being in Birmingham, and…

TEEN stars Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu hailed Serena Williams as an inspiration and a game-changing tennis legend on Tuesday, hours after the 23-time Grand Slam champion revealed impending retirement plans. World number 11 Gauff, inspired to play tennis by Williams, said she was shocked to hear her say the “countdown has begun” to departure for an icon who can motivate another generation of superstars. “The legacy that she has left through her tennis career is something that I don’t think any other player can probably touch,” Gauff said. “It is something that can inspire many more generations. “I grew up watching her; that’s the reason why I play tennis.” Williams became an African American icon in a mostly white sport – just as Gauff is starting to do with…

INDUSTRIAL gas users are “extremely concerned” that Sasol Gas is increasing prices by 96 percent, and have warned the increase might filter through to other products, such as for the price of bread. The Industrial Gas Users Association of Southern Africa (Igua-SA) said yesterday they estimate the increase, would cost the economy some R325 million per month, and would force manufacturers to in turn, raise their own prices. The increase, which became effective on August 1, follows the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa) warning days ago that it had not approved such increases, and that it will “investigate any possible unreasonable or excessive pricing cases, and further collaborate with other administrative bodies that have concurrent jurisdiction on this matter”. Sasol said, however, it recognised the impact…

JUBILEE Metals for the six months to June reported a sharp increase in platinum group metals (PGM) production, benefiting from the expansion of its Inyoni operations, and despite softer metal prices. In its operations and projects update, the diversified metals miner and processor said yesterday that the sharp increase in PGM production of 21 140 ounces followed the expansion of its Inyoni facility in the Bushveld Complex in South Africa. It achieved a 5 percent increase in production compared to the previous six-month period, despite planned operational interruptions to complete the new Inyoni processing facility. “Notably, 95 percent of PGM ounces was produced at the new Inyoni operations during the six-month period, compared to 75 percent in the year 2021,” the group said. “This brings enhanced…

The Dis-Chem Foundation said it was delighted to have brand ambassador Amanda Dambuza at a recent Million Comforts in-store activation. It took place at Dis-Chem Sandton City on July 30. The Dis-Chem Foundation’s Million Comforts Campaign, in collaboration with the Imbumba Foundation’s Caring4Girls project, aims to provide sanitary products to teenage girls in need. The foundation said Dambuza was joined by Armando Barros and Nicole Ferreira-Dill from Joburg Ballet, who performed a piece from La Traviata to a packed audience at the store. “The Million Comforts Campaign aims to create awareness of the importance of menstrual health and hygiene but also seeks to deliver tangible hope and dignity by empowering girls and young women to stay in school.” As the country observes Women’s Month and remembers the women of 1956…

A KwaZulu-Natal court sentenced three robbers to life and 10 years’ imprisonment following their conviction on charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances and murder. National Prosecuting Authority KZN spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the Mtunzini Circuit Court sentenced Phumlani Mjaza, Musa Nelson Phahla and Sabelo Enoch Mdletshe to life and 10 years’ imprisonment. Mjaza was sentenced to a further 10 years for the unlawful possession of a prohibited firearm. She said the men knew the victim, Nduduzo Ntuli, owned a minibus taxi which he used solely to transport schoolchildren. Ntuli did not belong to any taxi association. “In June 2020, while Ntuli was parking the vehicle at his home, in the Ndaba area of Maphumulo, he was accosted by the three men. “They shot him in the head then tried to…

TO ADDRESS the fact that less than 25% of technology jobs in South Africa are held by women, software development skills organisation GirlCode hosted its annual Hackathon over the weekend. GirlCode hosted its annual Hackathon in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban where software developers from online payment gateway PayFast mentored Hackathon teams. “Attracting more women into the local tech industry is critical to growing the sector. Historically, young girls have not been encouraged to pursue careers in ICT or learn the necessary skills, which has resulted in the gender imbalance,” said Jonathan Page, head of technology and development at PayFast. “By teaching young girls that gender doesn’t define where you excel – and recognising that they’re interested in things like coding and software – we can help them take the…

Ingredients 4-5 large potatoes, peeled and diced 1 tbs olive oil 1 tbs butter 1 small onion, chopped 1 large carrot, chopped 1 celery stick, chopped 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 litre fish stock or chicken stock 1/2 cup cream ¼ cup cake flour 500g yellowtail/hake (firm white-fleshed fish) 1 cup frozen peas A handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped Salt and black pepper 1 bay leaf 50g white Cheddar and a handful of breadcrumbs Method Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and add the peeled and chopped potatoes. Drizzle fish with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. In a pot, fry the onion and garlic on a low heat…

The Toyota Fortuner has consistently been South Africa’s top-selling SUV, topping the sales charts since its introduction in 2016, so it really needs no introduction, except that you may be the lucky winner of one as part of the 2022 Fortuner Challenge. Each competitor is teamed up with a “hero/celebrity” by means of a draw out of a hat on the morning of the event and the two of them spend the rest of the day trying to outwit and out-compete each other via a strict points system. When all the challenges have been completed the points are added up and audited before the winner of the Fortuner is announced. So while you contemplate whether you’re fit enough and up for the challenge, here’s some details of the Fortuner 2.4…

KAIZER Chiefs blew Maritzburg United out of the FNB Stadium on Tuesday night, a 3-0 scoreline that sent warning shots to all of their upcoming opponents who may have played down their potential on opening day. The Naturena-based club have fully backed new head coach Arthur Zwane in the transfer market and he appears to have orchestrated the revival of elements last witnessed during their last league title triumph. Zwane’s reign in the Amakhosi hotseat was riddled with ambivalence following an impressive performance that failed to deliver the requisite results against Royal AM. But, as the old saying goes, things change quickly in football. Here, Smiso Msomi provides a tactical analysis of the ‘new look’ Kaizer Chiefs: The High Press Zwane has made it no secret that he aims to…

SERENA Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion and iconic tennis superstar for a generation, said on uesday that “the countdown has begun” to her retirement from the sport. The 40-year-old American wrote a cover essay for Vogue magazine and an Instagram post in which she set the stage for “evolving away from tennis”. “There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction,” she said on Instagram. “That time is always hard when you love something so much. My goodness do I enjoy tennis. “But now, the countdown has begun. I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but just (as) exciting Serena. I’m gonna relish these next few weeks.” After suffering a torn right…

Currency rallied to its highest in six weeks yesterday as the dollar fell to a one-month low THE RAND RALLIED to its highest in six weeks yesterday as the dollar fell to a one-month low after economic indicators in the US showed that inflation was peaking. The domestic currency strengthened to R16.14 against the US dollar by 5pm, from the previous close of R16.60 as slowing fuel and food prices indicate the possibility that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) will slow down its aggressive policy tightening plans. This comes as the annual consumer price inflation (CPI) rate in the US slowed more than expected to 8.5 percent in July year-on-year, from a more than 40-year high of 9.1 percent hit in June. This was amidst a significant drop…

THE COMPANIES and Intellectual Properties Commission (CIPC) said yesterday that Nova Propgrow Group Holdings (Nova) should not be permitted to continue to operate without intervention and it was taking further enforcement steps by escalating the case to an inter-regulator level. This, it said, was in order to maintain levels of investor confidence and mitigate the systemic risk of the economic phenomena that had led to the Nova case. Nova directors could not be reached for comment yesterday. Nova has been the subject of an investigation by the commission for allegedly trading recklessly and while insolvent. In 2011, some 18 700 Sharemax investors had voted for a rescue scheme to be repaid the R4.6 billion they invested in South Africa’s largest failed property syndication scheme. A scheme of arrangement…

A Tshwane city councillor in Ga-Rankuwa has threatened to obtain a protection order against some community members for intimidating her family during a service delivery protest outside her house on Women’s Day. The protest was staged after efforts by the community to get the City of Tshwane to unblock their sewerage drainage failed to yield positive results. Ward 30 councillor Violet Phalwane told Independent Media she was aware of the problem, which had resulted in human waste spilling over from the manholes into residents’ yards. Phalwane said she was also affected by the situation, as sewage was flowing in her backyard. While she sympathised with the community, Phalwane said she was irked by an incident on Tuesday, which saw a group of people barricading her entrance with bricks and stones.…

The combination of illegal species collection, long-term climate change related droughts, and ongoing land degradation was creating a devastating storm causing unprecedented loss of biodiversity in South Africa. These were the sentiments of the SA National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) after it alerted that 210 new species of succulents were listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species for the first time as a result of these combined threats. It revealed the shocking collapse of South Africa’s wild succulent plant populations. Previously, these succulent species were not assessed on the IUCN Red List, however, they were included on South Africa’s National Red List. These species were part of the Succulent Karoo biome shared between South Africa and Namibia – one of five semi-arid biodiversity…

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he was forced to turn down a role in Top Gun: Maverick – in one of the most “upsetting” phone calls of his life. The 37-year-old racing driver had asked Tom Cruise, 60, for a part when a sequel to the 1986 blockbuster was first announced. Seven-time Formula One world champion Hamilton said he dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot after seeing Top Gun as a child and wanted a role in the follow up – even if was playing a “cleaner in the back”. He told Vanity Fair: “Basically I’m a friend of Tom. One of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. “When I heard the second one was coming out, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I have to ask him’.” When the role…

THERE was no reason to celebrate Women’s Month when women and children were still under threat everyday, said Virginia Keppler of Rea Thusa/We Help. Keppler said the organisation was demanding that Police Minister Bheki Cele resign as they could not trust a leader who said a 19-year woman was “lucky” that she had “only” been raped by one man. Cele had made the comment during an interview after about 100 men were arrested for the gang rape of eight women at an unused mine in Krugersdorp where they were filming a music video. “President Cyril Ramaphosa made a huge mistake when appointing him as police minister. Cele must take all his cronies with him who fail to uphold law and order in this country. And he must start at the…

FOR four or so minutes against the All Blacks at Mbombela Stadium, the Springboks’ loose forward replacement Kwagga Smith was a wing. With Kurt-Lee Arendse red-carded late in the second half, Faf de Klerk knocked out early in the first, and the two backline replacements – Jaden Hendrikse and Willie le Roux – already on, Smith could be seen roaming the right wing as the Boks closed out a 26-10 victory. It was really not all that surprising, to be honest, but just another moment when the extensive planning of the Bok management came to fruition. Smith will be on the bench again on Saturday at Ellis Park (kick-off 5pm) for Round 2 of the Springboks v All Blacks Rugby Championship saga, and might be called on again to step…

WORLD No 2 Cameron Smith has signed a $100-million-plus (about R1.6-billion) deal to join the LIV Golf Invitational Series in a major coup for the Saudi-backed series, Britain’s Telegraph reported on Tuesday. The newspaper said Australia’s British Open champion would play at LIV’s tournament in Boston in September. Smith declined to comment on the report as he builds for the first event of the lucrative FedExCup Play-offs in Memphis this week. “You know, my goal here is to win the FedExCup Play-offs,” the 28-year-old said. “That’s all I’m here for. If there’s something I need to say regarding the PGA Tour or LIV, it’ll come from Cameron Smith, not Cameron Percy. “I’m a man of my word and whenever you guys need to know anything, it’ll be said by me.”…