Table of contents for NM-2021-03-25 in Mercury

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE COUNTRY’S inflation decelerated in February, confirming an all-but accepted consensus on the market that the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) will keep interest rates on hold for the foreseeable future as the print fell below bank’s mid-tier range of between 3 and 6 percent. Data from Statistics SA (StatsSA) yesterday showed that the annual headline inflation rate slowed to 2.9 percent in February from 3.2 percent in January – the lowest reading since June last year, when the rate was 2.2 percent amid a slowdown in prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages. StatsSA said that several medical insurance providers did not implement annual price increases this year as a significant change in health-care consumption patterns last year resulted in an increase in their cash reserves.…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@in.co.za THE RAND firmed against the dollar yesterday, gaining 0.11 percent to R14.86 after latest data showed consumer inflation rate slowed to an eight-month low in February. Inflation fell to 2.9 percent from 3.2 percent in January, dipping below the central bank's target range of 3 to 6 percent just a day before the SA Reserve Bank’s monetary policy decision. The central bank’s monetary policy meeting is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged at 3.5 percent after cutting rates aggressively last year to shore up the economy. The prime lending rate has been at a level of 7 percent since July last year following a cumulative 300 basis points reduction in support of the pandemic-hit economy. Analysts last week indicated expectations…

VISUAL International Holdings yesterday warned its shareholders that it expects its losses to widen further in the year to end December 2020. The group has been suspended by the JSE pending the release of its 2020 financial results. And yesterday the group released a trading statement in regards to its 2020 results and said it expects its headline loss per share to reflect a loss of 11.53 cents a share, being a decline of 303 percent compared to the headline loss of 2.86c reported in 2019. Its basic loss per share is expected to decline by 236 percent to a loss of 9.74c compared to a loss of 2.90c reported in 2019. | Sandile Mchunu…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za THE ongoing water supply problems besetting the Ugu District have seen residents reach their breaking point, with 5 000 holding violent protests to vent their frustrations. The angry residents are demanding efficient water supply after having not had water for more than three weeks. Protesters from Izingolweni, Hibberdene and Madlala blocked main roads, bringing the Port Shepstone area to a standstill in a protest that started on Tuesday morning. Community members yesterday blocked the N2 highway at Izingolweni with burning tyres, and blocked all entry points to Port Shepstone. A municipal guard room was set alight and a tractor was partially burnt. It was alleged that the community also set alight four trucks in the Louisiana area, in Port Shepstone. On Tuesday night, a community hall, Ray…

In “Enneagram" language, I am a very strong 8. I hope you know what you are. It’s a free test. Take a look. I love Enneagram because it is ancient and tested. It’s not some new hogwash invented yesterday. “Eights” live to challenge themselves and others, constantly. Believe me, I am harder on myself than I will ever be on you. I am almost always on the lookout for ways to empower others. I have to remind myself that not everyone is trying to improve their lives and that some people are happy with the way things are. My radar for nonsense is finely tuned. If you are full of it, I will probably let you know. At my best, I may give you a lot of room for your…

DR MAHMOUD YOUSSEF BAKER | Durban If our president and government officials were the last to take the Covid-19 vaccine, we would not have experienced a big delay in the vaccination process. If we apply this simple methodology – that our officials shouldn’t come first and enjoy special status wherever we have a problem – we will be able to make meaningful progress on all our long-standing challenges such as crime, shortage of electricity, terrible public services and so on. Imagine if our government officials were left without security guards and large motorcades, power generators at their offices and residences and they had to stand in long queues at the Home Affairs offices just like we do. Would crime have escalated to this level? And would we…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE eThekwini Municipality has been warned to put in place plans for bad weather and storms that have in the past battered the city, causing extensive damage to infrastructure and, in some cases, the loss of life. The city’s Audit Committee raised concerns about the city’s preparedness, warning that due to climate change, weather patterns had been disrupted and storms were becoming more severe. The chairperson of the committee, Nala Mhlongo, tabled his report before members of the executive committee on Tuesday. However mayor Mxolisi Kaunda called for the contents of the report “not to be ventilated” until such time that the municipal management team had a chance to formulate responses to the matters raised by the audit committee, in the interest of balanced reporting. “In…

| African News Agency (ANA) The South African Association for Marine Biological Research (Saambr) says that marine protected areas do work by “protecting fish, supporting people and taking care of the planet”. Saambr yesterday posted a video on its Facebook page showing the marine protected area (MPA) in iSimangaliso Wetland Park in northern KwaZulu-Natal, which is flourishing with different fish species. The video was shot during a Saambr fish-tagging trip. “Fish of this diversity and abundance are seldom seen outside protected areas. It just goes to show that MPAs really do work,” Saambr said yesterday. “There are five MPAs spread along the KZN coastline, all with the sole purpose of ensuring the protection of different fish species, especially those on endangered lists. There are also MPAs spread along South Africa’s…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za THE Banking Association South Africa (Basa) yesterday urged Parliament to undertake land reform in a legal, constitutional, inclusive and sustainable manner that protected community rights and property rights. The association was among several interest groups that made oral presentations to the ad hoc committee dealing with the amendment of Section 25. Addressing the MPs, Basa managing director Bongi Kunene said they acknowledged that current land ownership and food production systems in South Africa were not sustainable and have their origins in colonialism and apartheid. Kunene said the association was committed to supporting sustainable land reform that would enhance inclusive economic growth and food security. She also said the proposed amendment to the Constitution to allow for expropriation without compensation was a legitimate option for the…

Although the further lapse of time will place the Covid-19 experience in context, after one year it surely is time to consider the worth of certain Covid-related measures that have been made mandatory and to declare that masks must fall. The wearing of masks and social distancing is not practised by the majority who queue to collect their grants nor was it apparent among those who participated in King Goodwill Zwelithini’s funeral procession. According to the US Center for Disease Control, wearing a mask has neither slowed nor stopped the spread of Covid-19. That view is endorsed by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. It contends that there is evidence that mask wearing does more harm than good. A year ago, the great medical scientist, Dr (Anthony) Fauci, denounced…

The security minister of a Somali regional administration said yesterday he had defected along with hundreds of troops and allied himself to President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who faces calls by rivals to quit after his term as national leader ended. Abdirashid Janan, security minister of the semi-autonomous Jubbaland state, said he had defected together with 400 troops, potentially bolstering the position of the president. Mohamed is facing pressure to resign, including from Jubbaland and another semi-autonomous state, Puntland. Somalia’s remaining three regional governments back him. The stand-off has stoked tensions in the nation, that was ripped apart by civil war and is still battling an insurgency by Islamist group al-Shabaab. Jubbaland leader Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madobe said he had sacked Janan for conducting talks with the president. Officials in Jubbaland…

SYDNEY: The bodies of two men were found in Australia yesterday in cars trapped in floodwaters, the first deaths linked to wild weather in recent days that has submerged houses, swept away livestock and cut off towns. More than 40 000 people have been forced to flee their homes as torrential rain sparked dangerous flash floods. Authorities issued new evacuation orders for residents of Sydney’s western regions. Gladys Berejiklian, premier of New South Wales, warned that water levels would keep rising in some areas as major dams and dams overflowed. Thousands of people are on evacuation watch. | Reuters…

Too much time has been spent, writing, listening, talking and even analysing Cricket South Africa’s Members Council. Sports administrators do not deserve that amount of airtime. That’s not to say the rest of the world doesn’t concern itself with what sports administrators are up to; Pakistan, India, West Indies are all countries where administrative politics is often in the news. In the West Indies it’s understandable - that’s a team comprising 15 different countries and territories. Pakistan is rife with regional politics and so is India. But Cricket South Africa’s politics is different, mainly because it’s so rife with incompetence. I’ve had Members Council representatives tell me I’m harsh for making that kind of insult. But how else to explain it when an organisation makes the likes of Fikile Mbalula…

THE FNB/BER Civil Confidence Index gained five points to register a level of 21 points in the first three months of this year, the third consecutive increase in the quarterly index. However, although better, the index level meant close to 80 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with prevailing business conditions, FNB senior economist Siphamandla Mkhwanazi said yesterday. Sentiment received a boost from higher activity. According to Statistics South Africa, the real value of construction works contracted by 17.6 percent year-on-year in the last three months of 2020, after declining by 22.1 percent in the third quarter of that year. Despite the uptick in activity, profitability deteriorated, and the pipeline for new work remains thin, Mkhwanazi said. “Despite some anecdotal evidence to the contrary, too many civil contractors are…

STANDARD Bank Group said yesterday that it had been named the Best Bank in Africa in Global Finance’s 28th annual awards for the World’s Best Banks. Also, Standard Bank South Africa and Stanbic Bank Uganda were named best banks in their respective markets. The awards come at a time when the banking industry has played a supportive role in assisting clients and societies through the Covid-19 crisis. The winners of this year’s awards were banks that attended carefully to their customers’ needs in difficult markets and accomplished strong results while laying the foundations for future success, according to Global Finance, which has a circulation of 50 000 and readers in 189 countries. “Banks are playing a key role in economic recovery around the world. Our Best Bank awards highlight…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za HOMECHOICE International said yesterday that it had experienced a huge surge of its digital sales during the year to end December, despite the negative impact of the Covid-19 outbreak. The group said that the digital sales shot up by 69.7 percent during the period against an 8.1 percent fall in overall retail sales. The largest home-shopping retailer in southern Africa said the digital sales now accounted for 25 percent of its overall mechandise. But it said general retail sales declined 8.1 percent to R1.8 billion during the period as a result of Covid-19. Executive chairperson Shirley Maltz said the Covid-19 challenges were evident in the group performance. “I believe the decisive action taken in mid-March to cut loan disbursements by R700…

THE PROTRACTED impact of the Covid-19 pandemic could result in more businesses filing for liquidation and insolvency as activity flounders a year after the country went into lockdown. Data from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) on Tuesday showed that the total number of liquidations increased by 8.5 percent in February compared with the same month a year ago. StatsSA said liquidations of companies increased by 10 cases and liquidations of close corporations increased by four cases. In the three months to the end of February, liquidations increased by 7.1 percent compared with the same period last year. The largest number of liquidations in the period from December 2020 to February 2021 occurred in the finance sector, with 146 cases, followed by the trade sector, with 86 cases. StatsSA said…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za A dress by designer Thebe Magugu, who was the winner of the LVMH Prize 2019, is set to be displayed the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Costume Institute has a collection of more than 33 000 objects from seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the 15th century to the present. And this year, they have asked to feature Magugu’s dress in their collection. The “Girl Seeks Girl” dress from A/W18’s Home Economics collection, in collaboration with Phathu Nembwili, will soon be making its way to New York, where it will remain for many years to come. The Kimberly-born designer shared with his 78.5k followers how grateful he was for the…

‘City has never acted against defaulting government departments’ Vernon Mchunu vernon.mchunu@inl.co.za THE eThekwini Municipality has recommended the disconnection of municipal services to the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) after it emerged that the parastatal owes the city R15 million in overdue rates. However, opposition parties yesterday said they remained sceptical that the municipality could resort to such draconian measures, saying the city management had never acted against defaulting government departments. Opposition parties also argued that they were concerned over the city’s alleged politically-based reluctance to reign in state-owned enterprises and government departments – while coming down hard on ordinary citizens. The city said only R9.7 billion of the total R15bn debt was “collectable”, casting uncertainty on the future of the R5.3bn balance, which “represents collection challenges”. “The challenges…

KEVIN GOVENDER | Shallcross The evening sun sets fire to the dry plains of Nongoma, the chaparral enveloped in dust in an eerie silence. The birds have stopped their chorus and the animals stir uneasily, ears pricked, as if they too know that the Great One has ascended to the heavens. The Zulu King Goodwill Zweli- thini is no more. Revered by millions of Zulus, he was a leader whose wise counsel was sought by a divergent audience. He was a messenger of peace and a beacon of hope in troubled times, an advocate of conflict resolution and an integral exponent of social cohesion. He steadfastly stood for the heritage of the Zulu nation and its history. With the consummate discipline that marked his life, he was a…

TAPIWA MUSKWE | United Kingdom It is sad that Zimbabweans had no capacity to join the rest of the world to celebrate International Happiness Day (on Saturday) because of many problems faced by the country. The Zimbabwean government has failed to improve the living standards of Zimbabweans and many citizens have migrated to other countries in search of better living standards. Zimbabweans are experiencing extreme poverty and are failing to have decent meals and proper clothing as their disposable income cannot buy anything. Happiness in Zimbabwe has been eroded by human rights abuses, corruption and poor governance, which have caused many problems. The world should condemn the president of Zimbabwe for failing to bring happiness after the ousting of Mugabe.…

An administrative clerk from the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality will know her fate in May after she was convicted on several counts of fraud in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). In her capacity as the central administrative clerk at the municipality, Stephanie Reeners, 48, accepted payments for new building plans between November 1, 2014 and June 30, 2017 Hawks provincial spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said. Reeners pretended to be a building inspector and in so doing received tax invoices meant for the treasury division, which she was not part of. The municipality was defrauded of R640 607.36, Mgolodela said. Reeners was found guilty of all charges brought against her. Mgolodela said Hawks’ head Major- General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya had commended investigating team for its efforts.…

Lorna Charles lorna.charles@inl.co.za Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has once again come under the spotlight after declining an invitation to have tea and a discussion with human rights organisation, Africa4Palestine. The group is one of the complainants that questioned pro-Israel remarks Justice Mogoeng made last year. As a result of the complaint, the Judicial Conduct Committee had ordered that Justice Mogoeng apologise for the pro-Israel remarks. However Justice Mogoeng has since decided to take the decision on appeal. Asked why they had invited Justice Mogoeng to tea, Africa4Palestine said they wanted to “reach out to the chief justice to try and engage as well as have a dialogue with him”. Muhammed Desai, director of Africa4Palestine, said the meeting was aimed at finding common ground and bringing an end to the unnecessary…

The Legislative Council will be more representative The Fourth Session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) of China has voted to adopt the decision of the National People's Congress on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) with a high vote. This is a landmark step to uphold and improve the system and institutions of "One country, Two systems" and safeguard enduring stability and security in Hong Kong. The decision made by the top legislature of China to modify and improve the electoral system of the HKSAR marks a significant move to ensure that HKSAR is administered by patriots. However, it does not mean that Hong Kong's political life will not tolerate different views and voices. Patriots in the opposition camp can…

A volcano in Iceland spewing lava into the sky since it erupted last week could continue its spectacular display for years, potentially becoming a new tourist attraction on the island known for its natural wonders. Thousands of Icelanders have flocked to the site of the eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula, 30km southwest of the capital, hoping to be awed by the rare lava fountains and even to cook a meal on the crust of magma. To cope with the hoard of visitors, authorities set up a 3.5km hiking trail to the site and are patrolling the area to prevent onlookers from venturing into hazardous areas polluted by volcanic gasses. Since the initial eruption, lava has seeped out of the volcano at a rate of between 5 to 10m³ per second,…

WASHINGTON: Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg laid out steps yesterday to reform internet rules, saying that companies should have immunity from liability only if they follow best practices for removing damaging material from their platforms. In testimony prepared for a hearing before House Energy and Commerce subcommittees today, Zuckerberg acknowledged the calls for changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which gives companies like Facebook immunity from liability for content posted by users. Facebook has been under fire for hosting misinformation on its platform. | Reuters…

FORMULA One drivers will gather again in a moment of unity on the starting grid pre-race this season, but in support of wider social and environmental issues than a sole focus on anti-racism. The sport this week announced international advocacy organisation Global Citizen as a charity partner of Formula One’s WeRaceAsOne platform, which was launched last year with equality and diversity at its core. “The whole of Formula One is united in its support for WeRaceAsOne, and the drivers will all show their own support for the initiative ahead of the grand prix,” a Formula One spokesperson said on Tuesday. “The drivers will be free to show their commitment in their own way before the race, and there will be no requirement for them to make a specific gesture. “The…

The Proteas Women’s team created history on their tour in India over the past few weeks by winning both the ODI and T20 series. Zaahier Adams picks his five standout performers in what was a superb team effort. 1. Lizelle Lee The powerhouse opener has always been integral to her side's success through the explosive starts she provides, but Lee took it to a different level in India. Her career-best 132 not out in the third ODI was arguably the best innings ever played by a Proteas Women's cricketer. That fact that it spearheaded a successful run chase made it even more memorable. Her cumulative total of 288 runs at an average of 144 in the series was monumental, which propelled Lee to the World No 1 ranking on…

The BRICS Manufacturing Conference, which kicks off in Sandton tomorrow, will give local manufacturers the opportunity to reflect on how they can grow using new technologies. Organised by the BRICS Manufacturing Working Group (MWG), the conference, which takes place at the IDC Conference Centre, aims to help local manufacturers to leverage off South Africa’s membership of BRICS by taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the grouping, a statement said yester- day. The MWG facilitates trade and invest- ment in manufacturing between South Africa and its fellow member countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – and encourages co-operation on projects where there is potential for collaboration or complementarity. BRICS MWG chair- person Kaizer Nyatsumba said while access to markets is critical for growth, the manufacturing industry needed to…

DANISH toymaker Lego yesterday won the backing of Europe's second-highest court in its fight to secure design rights for its colourful snap-together plastic building bricks familiar to millions of children worldwide. The Luxembourg-based General Court threw out a 2019 decision by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) that sided with German toy and hardware maker Delta Sport Handelskontor which had sought to declare Lego's design invalid. Lego challenged that ruling at the court, which yesterday disagreed with the trademark agency's assessment. "EUIPO erroneously declared invalid a design of a brick of a Lego toy building set," judges said. "EUIPO failed to examine the relevance of the application of the exception relied on by Lego and failed to take into consideration all the features of appearance of the brick," they…

STARVE the flamin’ crows, mate! Starve the flamin’ lizards! It’s like bein’ up Sewage Creek in a barbed-wire canoe without a paddle! Thousands upon thousands of mice are swarming across the rural parts of the Aussie state of New South Wales, according to Sky News. TV footage screened by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation shows the ground heaving with mice on a farm near the town of Gilgandra. The sudden plague, the worst in decades, appears to have been caused by a bumper grain harvest. A grocer in Gulargambone, a small community between Gilgandra and Coonamble, north-west of Sydney, is catching between 400 and 600 mice in his store every night and spends six hours a day cleaning up the filth they leave. “Otherwise the place just stinks,” he says.…

EBRAHIM “EBKOYBIE” ESSA | Durban WHEN I asked my dad, long ago, why most people preferred to drive an American Ford or a Chevrolet as compared to European vehicles, his answer was that spares were available very easily and were extremely low-cost. Their main advert for these cars was just that! “Easy after-sales spares.” All production units now, however, have thrown that great advertising idea where everybody won – customer and salesman – straight into the nearest working stormwater drain. Welcome and goodwill and a happy feeling have been removed from the after-sales menu. And not just for motor vehicles. A printer – cum-wi-fi-USB – can be bought brand new for R1 000. But the ink refills cost at least R750! How does that make sense? A washing…

JEAN MICHAEL BOUVIER | Bryanston As we approach the anniversary of the first year of our national lockdown, I would like us all to reflect on the impact Covid-19 and the lockdown has had on all of us and the country in this most difficult time in our history. Every day adds to a precipitous decline of the economy, due to the costs of failed businesses and bankruptcies, to lost jobs, mental health problems and the debt incurred that we will be paying for the rest of our lives. I wish that we remember all the tens of thousands who lost their lives and the more than 1.5 million infected, and all those who have suffered and are suffering from the double whammy of the pandemic and the economy on…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za THE KwaZulu-Natal Department of Basic Education has upheld 11 of the 12 rulings made related to serious offences committed by teachers and other staff in the department. The department said while these cases took varied periods to be dealt with, the appeals against the rulings were submitted to MEC Kwazi Mshengu this month. “In March, 12 such appeals were finalised, with the finding of guilt made by the presiding officers of the hearings being upheld in 11 of those cases.” These cases include five of assault, two of sexual assault, one case of instigating pupils to rebel, a case of absenteeism from school and workshops, an unauthorised school trip, one case of abuse of a state vehicle, and a case of misinterpretation of legislation and the locking…

Nonhlanhla Hlatshwayo Two men have been handed life sentences in the Ladysmith Regional Court for killing their employer. Philani Thulani Mbhele and Sanele Amos Madide were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder, 15 years for robbery and 15 years for obstructing the course of justice in connection with the June 2016 murder. Natasha Kara, KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said Dawood Warasally, the owner of a Ladysmith security guarding company, was out paying wages to his employees across the northern KZN area when he was attacked. She said Mbhele and Madide had been stationed at a vacant hotel and Warasally had called them earlier in the day to inform them that he would come to pay their wages. “When Warasally arrived at the hotel, he was…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE Msunduzi Municipality’s draft budget has raised concerns that it will put further pressure on ratepayers who are already struggling. Opposition parties have raised concern that the budget for the 2021-22 financial year is projecting a surplus at the expense of the small base of ratepayers that are paying for services. The budget is currently under discussion, after it was tabled before the Finance Committee on Tuesday, and will be put before other committees before being released for public comment. It is set to become operational in July. “The city is projecting a surplus R423 million based on this budget, the tariffs structure determines what that budget looks like,” said DA councillor Sibongiseni Majola. He said the estimated budget is at R6 billion, with the tariffs including…

Nkosikhulule Nyembezi THE faction-ridden ANC doesn’t seem to recognise the notion that a democratic government should be open to continuous scrutiny, or that accountability offers the opportunity for improvement. It’s as if the role of the inquiry to probe Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office is to write history on the party failures in the government rather than contribute to good government. This attitude of defensive introspection has been at the heart of widening divisions in the ANC which was recently evident when the secretary-general Ace Magashule’s stance was at odds with that of the national chair Gwede Mantashe. Despite early rhetoric about “the ANC (that) cannot change its character, the ANC (that) cannot sleep with the enemy”, the ANC has in fact not been guided by…

IF POLICE Minister Bheki Cele and Commissioner Khehla Sitole could use the same energy and time spent fighting each other to address the inefficiency and the appalling conduct by some officers, citizens could rest assured that the SAPS was headed in the right direction. The two have been embroiled in a conflict which saw Cele writing to President Cyril Ramaphosa, requesting an inquiry into Sitole’s fitness to hold office. On the other hand, Sitole has pleaded for his job, asking to be given the opportunity to clear his name. The continued instability in the country’s top police brass does very little in addressing the safety issues that so many of us are confronted with. While their boardroom politics continue in the public domain, the trust gap between police and citizens…

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis has ordered cardinals to take a 10% pay cut and reduced the salaries of other clerics working in the Vatican in order to save jobs of employees as the coronavirus pandemic has hit the Holy See’s income. The Vatican said yesterday that Francis issued a decree introducing proportional cuts starting on April 1. A spokesperson said lower-level lay employees would not be affected by the cuts. Francis has often insisted that he does not want to fire people. Cardinals who work at the Vatican and live there or in Rome are believed to get monthly salaries of about 4 000-5 000 euros (R70 000 to R90 000), many in large apartments at well below market rents. | Reuters…

Herman Gibbs 1 The immediate benefit of a victory over Ghana will be that South Africa will head off to Sunday's final Group C match against hosts Sudan needing just one point to secure one of two slots to qualify for a place in the 2021 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals in Cameroon next January. 2 South Africa, with a lone 1996 Afcon conquest, have a Fifa world ranking of 71 whereas Ghana, four-time Afcon winners, slot in at 52. A victory for South Africa will secure a bag full of ranking points, and South Africa will move into the 60s when the rankings are updated next month. 3 Four members of South Africa's 'foreign legion’ - Bongani Zungu, Keagan Dolly, Dean Furman and Thulani Serero have not…

Wynona Louw If the discussions around the British & Irish Lions tour go to “Plan B”, the series could take place in Gauteng exclusively, with all games possibly played in empty stadiums. Reports from England have emerged stating that if spectators are not allowed, the tour may take place only in Johannesburg and Pretoria to ensure that teams maintain a safe bio-bubble environment amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Until now, a number avenues have been considered to ensure the tour goes ahead this year. As part of a revised schedule, all eight matches - including the warm-up games and the three Tests against the Springboks - being played in Joburg and Pretoria is another option after an agreement was finally reached that the tour should proceed to South Africa after…

IT may take a newcomer 15 minutes to learn the basics of the game of lawn bowls. This fundamental knowledge; which includes holding the bowl to ensure the bias is used correctly, positioning oneself on the mat and stepping to carry out a smooth delivery; will allow the new bowler to participate in fun bowling activities and competitions. Once the bowler has established the correct size of bowl for their hand, mastered the draw shot and has developed some management of their weight control, they might find themselves selected for club competitions or representing their club in the relevant league. Does it all end here? Not if you speak to those competitors who are continually listed at the top end of the play-off charts. A perusal of the charts for…

Three of Africa’s top netball nations – South Africa, Uganda and Namibia – will be fighting it out for top honours in the SPAR Challenge International Tri-Nations series at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from today until Wednesday. The SPAR Proteas are ranked fifth in the world, the Uganda She-Cranes are seventh and the Namibian Debmarine Desert Jewels are 23rd. The tournament is very important for all three nations, who will all be seeking to boost their world ranking and gain very important international experience after a year in which the Covid-19 pandemic played havoc with preparations for next year’s Commonwealth Games and the World Cup in Cape Town in 2023. The SPAR Baby Proteas and the President’s XII will also be taking the court during the tournament. Proteas…