Índice para 2022-06-17 em Star

In an open letter to Ramaphosa, the Road Freight Association said more than R300 million had already been lost THE private sector has thrown the strongest challenge yet to government’s resolve to keep the economy running as the N3 to Durban’s ports and beyond was again under siege from truck drivers who blocked it at critical areas yesterday. They were pressing demands to stop the employment of foreigners on the roads and the recent fuel price increases. The Road Freight Association (RFA) and Business Unity South Africa (Busa) have called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to deploy the army and police to end the blockades. “We consider this continued disruption of economic activity a crisis and ask the president to intervene to ensure appropriate resources are mobilised to pre-empt these disruptions…

Media personality, Khanyi Mbau has worn many hats over her career, spanning well over a decade. She’s hit highs and many lows, but managed to pick herself up each time with more vigour and grace. Now she’s strong enough and ready to face a panel who will put her entire life on blast in the Comedy Central Roast – the first female to be “roasted” in Africa. “I don’t think any other female in the industry right now will be open to a roast. For you to get roasted means you have made an impact in the industry somehow. “As much as people see it as a negative, it isn’t a bad thing, it means you lived such a colourful life and people can pick from it and for me…

A TEMBISA primary school has embraced a new e-learning platform specifically developed for South African pupils by a local ed-tech business. The Phuthumani Primary School received new Omang e-learning devices developed by Odin Education to coincide with Youth Month. The sponsorship by the Sage Foundation, in partnership with the Attacq Foundation, represents a three-year commitment to equip 196 learners with digital learning tools they need to progress through to Grade 7. The sponsors said it formed part of a holistic programme to support the school, which includes building three new classrooms and the renovation of 10 classrooms, which is under way. According to Phuthumani Primary deputy principal Thando Mbelwa, most of the school’s 1 400 learners are from poverty-stricken families. “I’m passionate about using ICT (information and communications technology) to…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa said the fact that millions of young people are not in employment, education and training was the greatest challenge facing the country. Ramaphosa was speaking at the official June 16 commemoration of Youth Day at Mthatha in the Eastern Cape yesterday. “We are here today to honour the youth of 1976 and the youth of all decades whose bravery, determination and vision were vital to the achievement of our democracy. From their struggles, we have learnt that there is nothing that young people cannot achieve when they are united and committed,” he said. It was due to the struggles of young people over many years that access to primary education is now universal for every single young person. Ramaphosa said the country produced four times the number…

The Recovery Agent Janet Evanovich Loot.co.za (R225) Simon & Schuster As a recovery agent, Gabriela Rose is hired by individuals and companies seeking lost treasures, stolen heirlooms, or missing assets of any kind. She’s reliable, cool under pressure, and trained in using multiple weapons. But Gabriela’s latest quest isn’t for a billionaire, it’s for her own family, whose home is going to be destroyed if they can’t come up with a lot of money – fast. Inspired by an old legend, Gabriela sets off for the jungles of Peru in pursuit of the Ring of Solomon and the lost treasure of Cortez. But this particular job comes with a complication – Gabriela’s ex-husband, Rafer. Rafer has a map that possibly points the way to the treasure, and he’s not about…

Here Goes Nothing Steve Toltz Loot.co.za (R523) Melville House STEVE Toltz’s grim comic novel Here Goes Nothing hangs on the gallows humour of a whole condemned race. Every copy of this book should come with a starter dose of Prozac. We meet the narrator, Angus, when he’s already dead. The grave has clarified one important theological point – if only by failing to bring everything to a close. In life, Angus admits, he was sure that “the very notion of an immortal soul was only a way to avoid facing our imminent trip to Nowhere. It’s humiliating how wrong you can be”. Angus is – was? – a petty criminal who’d finally settled down, more or less, with a quirky woman named Gracie. Theirs was a marriage of opposites. Angus…

Game is now a glorified grocery store, signalling a free-for-all in the supermarket wars, as it seeks a bigger piece of the retail pie. Prices and overheads keep rising and margins are squeezed, coupled with erratic electricity supplies. But, somewhere along the way, someone is making good money, and it is not the standalone franchisee store owner who is subservient to the likes of Spar and Pick n Pay. The serious money is being made by the distribution centres who control the supply line to these stores. Check out the results of the bloated monoliths, PnP, Spar, Checkers and so on. These guys are making serious money, throwing scraps to their franchisees. Ultimately, it is the consumer, you and I, who suck the hind tit, paying exorbitant prices for our…

As we commemorate the youth of 1976 who made history on June 16 when they resisted the apartheid imposition of the use of Afrikaans as a language of instruction, we need to ask ourselves why the youth of today are failing to demonstrate the same level of resistance against their corrupt leaders who have poisoned the system. In 1974, the apartheid government intensified its imposition of oppression through various forms of exploitation of the black race. Realising the indoctrination unfolding and the continued inhumane erasure of black dignity, the youth refused to be bystanders and decided to challenge the authorities, leading to the historic rebellion which changed the face of history. Despite the police and military force unleashed on children and the youth by the apartheid government, young people were…

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy yesterday to drive home a message of support that Kyiv hopes will lead to more weapons supplies and tougher sanctions on Russia. In the first such visit to the capital since Russia unleashed its invasion, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, Italy’s Mario Draghi and Romania’s Klaus Iohannis also gave qualified support for Kyiv’s bid to join the EU. After earlier batting away suggestions of being soft on Russia, Macron said the West would not demand any concessions from Ukraine and that the circumstances of peace talks would be on Kyiv’s terms. Zelenskiy, who has not left Ukraine since the invasion and was dressed in a khaki T-shirt, has voiced gratitude for the West’s help, though his…

London: UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said the government would arrange more planes to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda, after the inaugural flight was grounded by a European court. “We believe that we are fully compliant with our domestic and international obligations,” she said. On Tuesday, at least 444 migrants crossed the Channel, the highest daily figure in two months. The first flight, which was scheduled to take seven migrants to Rwanda, was cancelled after a last-minute intervention by the European Court of Human Rights. | IANS…

Dar es Salaam: Tanzania yesterday began relocating Maasai pastoralists from the famed Ngorongoro conservation area in a move that rights campaigners described as unlawful evictions. The community has lived in the reserve, a Unesco World Heritage site, for over a century. But they now face being moved out, as authorities contend their growing population is a threat to wildlife habitat. Officials insist the relocation is voluntary, and the government has earmarked 162 000 hectares of land for them, but the Maasai say authorities are trying to force them off their land in order to organise safaris and hunting expeditions for tourists. | AFP…

THE revelation earlier this week that Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali would be in the country to discuss the possibility of the return of the South African Grand Prix had local motorsport fans positively beaming with delight, that is for sure. The content of the not-so-secret meeting on Monday at Kyalami Racetrack in the north of Johannesburg, however, remains largely a mystery as tentative commercial negotiations continue between F1 and various stakeholders within SA. Nevertheless, after reaching out to Porsche SA and Motorsport SA (MSA), Independent Media understands that the discussions were of a positive nature, but that there is still much to negotiate. Porsche SA currently owns Kyalami through Toby Venter’s consortium of companies. As such it was Porsche’s group public relations manager, Christo Kruger, that revealed on…

It’s appropriate that Kabza De Small, widely regarded as the best amapiano producer on the planet, is releasing his upcoming album KOA II (King of Amapiano) on Youth Day. Not only has the sound he’s pioneered resonanated with the youth, but the sound he seems to be transitioning into, symbolises growth and a coming of age. If the singles released a few weeks ago are anything to go by, Kabza is on his grown folk energy now. Two days ahead of its release, we look at three things to expect from his new album. When Kabza served us a scooby snack by surprising us with a couple of new singles two weeks ago, the immediate standout was Khusela, featuring Msaki. Soft, mellow and deeply poignant, the single sets the tone…

THE Tshwane and Ekurhuleni metros used R120 million on financial consultants while having crucial vacancies in their finance units. This was revealed in Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke’s 2021 consolidated general report on the local government audit outcomes. The City of Joburg – which has the highest population in Gauteng – despite it having a full complement of staff in its finance unit, did not use consultants but failed to obtain a clean audit. The auditor-general also found that Joburg failed to spend its infrastructure grant by 10%. Joburg, unlike Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, failed to disclose its water losses despite the increasing number of broken pipes and leaking water in every part of the city. Despite using consultants, Tshwane – for the fourth time in a row – obtained an unqualified audit…

Noodles are an easy go-to meal in many South African households. They are lifesavers when we are too busy being parents, working as well as being a student. Kellogg’s Instant Noodles are a high-in-energy, convenient and easy-to-make meal that can be consumed and enjoyed at any time of the day. There are multiple ways to enjoy Kellogg’s Instant Noodles. You can create your own recipes. You can add vegetables, any meat and sauces to create our own special dish. Here is one way to switch up your instant noodles the Kellogg’s way: Kellogg’s Noodles Chicken Meal: INGREDIENTS 1 clove of garlic Pinch of chilli flakes 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 piece green pepper 1/4 piece onion 1 packet Kellogg’s Instant Noodles Chicken Flavour 1 chicken breast (cubed) 2 tbsp olive…

Looking For Jane Heather Marshall Loot.co.za (R249) Hodder Studio Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult and Kate Morton, Looking for Jane is a heartbreaking and compelling story of love, friendship and female unity that transcends generations. 1960. It starts with a phone call, with someone looking for Jane. They are put through to Dr Evelyn Taylor, a member of the Jane Network who provides safe but illegal abortions. No names are exchanged. No identities are revealed. And no one knows Evelyn is traumatised by being forced to give her own baby up for adoption years before. Now, despite harrowing police raids and the constant threat of arrest, Evelyn is determined to give other women the choice she never had. 1970. A doctor once told Nancy Mitchell that if she found…

What happens when parties to a contract realise that the written contract of lease they concluded, due to a mistake, does not represent all the terms and conditions they agreed to? In the event of a dispute, the rights and obligations can be seriously affected unless the errors are corrected. The law allows the party or parties to correct or rectify the mistake to embody what was originally agreed to. In Jointwo Holdings (Pty) Ltd v Old Mutual Life Assurance Company (SA) Ltd (2007) SCA 5 (RSA), the Supreme Court of Appeal rejected the rectification tenants wanted. Jointwo Holdings and Malentino Holdings (Pty) Ltd (the companies) entered into leases with the landlord, Old Mutual Life Assurance Co, to run a restaurant. Pierre Vosloo and Daniel Francois de Villiers Steyn bound…

THE deadly crash of China Eastern Airlines flight 5735 on March 21, remains unresolved. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR) were badly damaged, resulting in extreme difficulty in retrieving any valuable information, according to Chinese civil aviation authorities. Investigators from China and abroad have different views on the events that led up to the crash, and analysis of vital information at hand. Western publications, the news and social media in Asia, are convinced someone in the cockpit was responsible for the horrendous crash. Analysis by US officials of the black box flight recorders suggests deliberate input from the cockpit forced the Boeing 737-800 into its catastrophic dive. Within two minutes, the 737 plummeted from 29 000 feet at almost supersonic speed and crashed into the…

On the morning of Wednesday, June 16, 1976, young students from schools across Soweto set out on a march through the sprawling black township outside Johannesburg. The march was to amplify their opposition to the apartheid government’s new school-language policy that would see Afrikaans replace English as their main medium of instruction in several key subjects. Before the march began, they were confident. They knew the risks that they faced – “we decided that there should be no placard inciting the police as such”, one activist put it afterwards, because “we wanted a peaceful demonstration – it had to be disciplined”. Even so, they were excited, believing that the march would be a carnivalesque event, “a Guy Fawkes thing”, as one put it – an event in which the world…

VATICAN CITY: The Vatican, in an apparent attempt to boost the confidence of the faithful in how their charitable contributions to the pope are used, yesterday issued the first detailed disclosure of his main fund. The Peter’s Pence fund, which aim is to help the pope run the church, is made up of income from a collection taken up in Roman Catholic dioceses around the world once a year, individual contributions and inheritances and bequests. Many Catholics say they have stopped contributing because of the Vatican financial scandals, such as one surrounding the purchase of a building in London. | Reuters…

Patna: Angry mobs in India set fire to several trains and clashed with police yesterday during rallies against a new short-term military recruitment scheme. This week the government announced a temporary recruitment plan to induct young adults into the armed forces for four years – a major break from the past as non-commissioned ranks are seen as lifetime jobs. The new recruits will miss out on entitlements enjoyed by existing personnel, including government pensions, unless they are retained after the four-year programme. | AFP…

The biggest challenge facing the Bulls is whether they can produce a repeat performance from last week’s win in Dublin in tomorrow’s United Rugby Championship (URC) final against the Stormers. It was a triumph of such enormous proportions that in many ways, it supersedes whatever happens at the Cape Town Stadium (7.30pm kick-off). The Bulls had just scraped past the Sharks 30-27 in the quarter-final, and then had to travel via multiple cities to Dublin to take on a Leinster team – just six days later – that were four-time defending champions of this competition’s previous incarnation, the PRO14. They had to do that arduous trip back to Pretoria from Sunday, with some team members only arriving back in the capital city on Tuesday. So, the odds are stacked against…

Amber Heard has denied reports her role has been cut from Aquaman 2. According to Just Jared, the actress, was to have her $2 million (R31m) role in the sequel recast. The report came hours after Heard repeated her allegations of abuse against ex-husband Johnny Depp, 58, despite being found guilty of defamation for accusing him of sexual assault. But Heard’s team told Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, it was untrue. A spokesperson said: “The rumour mill continues as it has from day one – inaccurate, insensitive, and slightly insane.” Just Jared had reported Heard, who has already completed filming on the sequel to the 2018 sci-fi movie in which she starred alongside Jason Momoa and Nicole Kidman was officially dropped from the cast after Warner Bros “screen-tested the movie”. They…

The Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism is embroiled in a court battle with a retiree who amassed a whopping 468 leave days during employment. Sello Reuben Leboho maintained that he had to be paid R400 000 for his leave accruals, but the department paid him for 271 days. He sued the department at the Polokwane Regional Court on grounds that he was entitled to payment for the rest of his leave accruals. Leboho lost at the regional court, but tasted victory on appeal at the Polokwane High Court last year. The court ruled that he was entitled to payment for all 468 leave days. Still opposed to paying Leboho R400 000 for the accrued leave days, the department headed to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA). Details…

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has long been hinting at an impending military operation against Greece in the Aegean Sea as tensions continue to increase between the Nato allies over the maritime borders and energy exploration rights in disputed parts of the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean. These disagreements have been ongoing and both the Ankara and Athens governments have attempted to solve the issue through diplomacy and the EU, UN and Nato mechanisms. Erdogan would, however, before the 2023 presidential election scheduled for June 2023, benefit from a military victory against Greece to please his nationalist allies in Turkey. But he is likely nervous now as polls indicate public support for Erdogan is currently insufficient to secure his top seat, as Turkey’s economic woes are hurting millions of households. Erdogan…

WHEN a video of them pouring their hearts out on the music decks emerged on social media, a stream of questions flooded in, with everyone eager to know who the talents were. It was crystal clear from the admiring comments that they put out the energy that the entertainment industry relished. After solidifying their names in the entertainment industry, no introduction was needed – people embraced the vim and vigour of TxC. Tarryn Reid, 25, and Clairise Hefke, 27, make up the dynamic global sensation DJ duo TxC. Having graced many South African and global stages, the duo recently laid down their first piece of work. The Gqeberha-born talents have confirmed the release of their debut amapiano EP titled A Fierce Piano, set to take place on June 24. A…

Racism, Violence, Betrayals And New Imaginaries – Feminist Voices Edited by Nadia Sanger and Benita Moolman Loot.co.za (R165) University of KwaZulu-Natal Press A unique collection of writings on race and racism by black women from South Africa and Brazil. Encompassing fiction and non-fiction, the anthology is made up of academic essays, creative non-fiction, poetry and short stories. Through these different modes, the book engages with the complexities of race in multiple social, political, economic, institutional and personal spaces. Concerned with social justice, human rights and freedom, the various feminist critiques centralise the intermingling of racial, gender and class subjectivities and how these are marked on bodies, but also how they are un-marked, re-marked and re-made. These critiques are tied to global and local social and political phenomena in the modern-day…

Journey to the top of the world My Journey To The Top Of The World – And The Life Lessons I Learnt Along The Way Saray Khumalo Loot.co.za (R205) Penguin IN this remarkable life story, Saray Khumalo shares her epic journey to the top of the world: Mount Everest. From her childhood in Zambia and Zaire to a corporate career in South Africa, through marriage and motherhood, Saray harboured one overriding ambition: to reach the summits of the world’s highest mountains. She first summited Mount Kilimanjaro and then others, but her ultimate goal was to summit Everest. After three unsuccessful attempts, Saray became the first black African woman to summit the world’s highest peak. Her success was hard won, though – along the way, she suffered severe personal setbacks, serious…

Albert Einstein once observed that what distances people from one another is an artificial sense of separation. He called this misunderstanding “optical delusion”. Generational conflict is the result of “optical delusion”. As members of a generation pass through, they influence a society in ways different from their predecessors. For example, the Class of 1976 was a generation of Baby Boomers – a group born between 1943 and 1960. Their parents were a Silent Generation, born between 1925 and 1942, they were children of war and the Great Depression. It is notable that the Class of 1976 comprised teenagers. After all, the teenage years are the time when individuals search for personal identity, and rebellion is an important part of that process. The Class of 1976 collectively used their rebellion to…

GENDER-BASED violence is an unavoidable truth within South African societies. Its occurrence has been far from silent as each day the SAPS are inundated with gruesome cases of femicide and news headlines name new victims who have succumbed to victimisation. Gender-based violence through intimate partners has been noted to link closely with the obsessive behaviour relating to power and control, especially among male perpetrators. According to a study by Toews and Bermea (2017), to exert authority and control over women, men use violence and other forms of abuse. The patriarchal theory has been noted to motivate the use of violence as a means of showing love and maintaining control over loved ones. It is a narrative that suggests a man does not love his partner honestly and with emotion. And…

PARIS: French officials urged caution yesterday as a record pre-summer heatwave spread across the country from Spain, where authorities were fighting forest fires on a sixth day of sweltering temperatures. The Meteo France weather service said it was the earliest hot spell to hit the country, worsening a drought caused by an unusually dry winter and spring, raising the risk of fires. Spain, which has already seen its hottest May this century, was sweating under temperatures forecast as high as 43°C and no relief is expected before Sunday. At least three forest fires erupted in Catalonia, including 140km north-east of Barcelona, that has burned nearly 1 000 hectares but could grow to 20 000ha before it is contained, the regional government said. No evacuations have yet been ordered but people…

YANGON: Myanmar ruling military yesterday defended a planned execution of two prominent democracy figures as lawful and required, defying international criticism for resuming capital punishment after a three-decade hiatus. The UN, France, the US and international human rights groups have urged the junta not to follow through with the execution of activist Kyaw Min Yu and former MP Phyo Zeya Thaw, who lost appeals against a terrorism conviction. They were found guilty of providing weapons and helping to organise attacks by resistance groups. | Reuters…

SWALLOWS FC delivered the drama when they took their hunt for survival to the final day of the relegation-promotion play-offs and emerged victors over the University of Pretoria, with the club's rearguard figuring importantly on both ends of the pitch. A partially empty FNB Stadium played host to a Kaizer Chiefs and Swallows encounter on the final day of the season and while the home team honoured a dead rubber fixture, the visitors were on the verge of dropping to the second tier of local football. Then Dillon Solomons stepped up in the 70th minute to convert his second penalty of the game and put Swallows 2-1 up, a lead they would eventually forfeit but a point was enough to ensure a place at the end of season play-offs.…

Leonardo Castro has said that he wishes to stay in South Africa and would be open to playing for Cape Town City. The 33-year-old is currently a free-agent after Kaizer Chiefs released him as part of a mass exodus at the club. “My first option is South Africa. I’m very grateful to be in South Africa. It’s like my second home. I have been here for six-and-a-half years with my family. We have been comfortable and we love the culture and people here. I would like to play in the Caf Champions League again. The only teams I can play for at this point would be (Mamelodi) Sundowns. Cape Town City would be another option,” said Castro. In reality, it is difficult to see Castro returning to Sundowns. He…