Table of contents for 2023-12-16 in Saturday Star

In today's fast-paced world, children and young people are increasingly showing a preference for experiences over material gifts. Instead of asking for the latest toys or gadgets, many are more interested in creating memories through holiday experiences. So what could be driving this shift in priorities? According to a recent survey conducted by ChildTrends, 72% of children and young people expressed a strong desire for holiday experiences over traditional gifts. This indicates a significant shift in the way they perceive the value of gifts. The question is, why are they leaning more towards experiences? One contributing factor is the desire for excitement and adventure. Children and young people are naturally drawn to new and thrilling experiences. Whether it’s a holiday trip to a beach resort, an outdoor adventure, or a…

The Department of Health says it has no record of recent incidents of illegal organ harvesting in the country. However, according to Act Africa.org, organ trafficking, also known as organ harvesting or transplant tourism, is a common occurrence in north and west Africa. In South Africa, Affinity Health says the legal aspect of organ donation is widely welcomed by medical practitioners due to the shortage of people willing to donate organs to those who are desperate to procure these life-changing body specimens. This aspect of legally donating one’s body part while alive or dead is regulated under the Human Tissue Act of 1983. This legal framework for organ transplantation in South Africa sets out the rules and regulations governing the removal, storage, and transplantation of human organs and tissues. The…

South Africa has some 400 political parties and independent candidates going into the election year in 2024. Some political commentators say this is a case of “too many cooks spoil the broth”, or is it the ballot? However, many others believe this is the epitome of a maturing democracy. The mushrooming of new and untested political parties has made the prospects of coalition politics an immediate reality rather than a distant possibility. This week, South African voters welcomed the country’s newest political party with the emergence of Roger Jardine’s Change Starts Now party. The Electoral Commission (IEC) says, after receiving over 70 new applications, this is the biggest number of parties the country has ever seen. Only 60 of the 70 new parties that applied were successfully registered. ANC…

Bush Brothers is not about special forces or heroic, secret missions. Instead, it is an intimate look at the daily life of ordinary soldiers – and the unbreakable bonds they formed under fire. From enduring basic training to witnessing atrocities, this is the story of thousands of infantrymen who were deployed in the SADF, on or across the Border. Colourful characters and wild partying are interspersed with reflections on the warrior spirit awakened by adrenaline and danger, and the life-and-death choices troops were forced to make as they sacrificed life and limb, not so much for their country, but for each other. "Bush Brothers is an authentic, readable account of the events of that time, and the camaraderie that bonded the men of our infantry company. Filled with drama and…

MALE victims of gender-based violence (GBV) often feel isolated and too ashamed to speak up about their trauma and experiences. This is according to the organisation Khulisa Social Solutions, which has been delivering peace-building, community-led mediation and social cohesion interventions to vulnerable communities for more than 25 years. Data and insights gathered through its recent dialogue circles, following the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign, have painted an urgent picture indicating that while GBV disproportionately affects women, it is crucial to acknowledge that men can also be victims. Khulisa’s Sophiatown victim empowerment centre has played a major role in supporting male victims who have experienced domestic violence, child neglect, abuse from partners and where substance abuse affects their household. “Understanding South Africa’s history and the context of GBV,…

Pumla Dineo, a fashion designer and creative, looks back on this year as one of her best with a glittering list of accomplishments to her credit and is still growing in her endeavours. With hopes to take her love for fashion internationally, the creative explains how she tries to stand out with every piece she wears. Her love for fashion can also be seen on her attention-commanding Instagram account which boasts thousands of followers. “I hope the way I dress reflects the person I am. I always try to be different, I always try to stand out. Like my vibe is very futuristic. With a little bit of minimalism.” Pumla Dineo told Saturday Star her love of fashion came from her family, who are similarly passionate about it. “We are…

The Joburg Film Festival will return in the first quarter of 2024, following the spectacular success of the fifth edition, bringing together film-makers, industry experts and cinema enthusiasts for a celebration of storytelling. The festival is known as a platform for showcasing local and international talent and is gearing up for an edition of extraordinary presentation of cinematic excellence. Earlier this year the festival presented some of the finest films from more than 35 countries across the globe, including 20 African and 27 South African premieres. Filmgoers were immersed in films from Tunisia, Brazil, Seoul, Brazil, the US, Japan, Morocco and other countries, with a combination of feature films and documentaries highlighting stories that bridge cultural borders. The first film, Xalé, documented the lives of Awa, a 15-year-old African schoolgirl…

Last-minute lobbying by the business sector led to a week-long delay in the passing of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill by the National Council of Provinces last week. This rather unedifying last-minute loss of nerve by the country’s legislators, particularly the ANC parliamentarians, revealed not so much the contentious nature of the proposed new health system in South Africa but the poor and pusillanimous leadership of the ANC. Cosatu lamented, in a statement on behalf of labour, that the government “wilted like a cheap suit” under pressure from a little bit of lobbying by business. Nevertheless, the bill was passed despite the very loud objections and threats by the business sector. As the statement, issued by Cas Coovadia on behalf of Business Unity South Africa (Busa) and Business for…

Difficulties are mounting ahead of elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo as conflict rages in the east, logistical problems remain unresolved and fears over fraud linger. Some 44 million registered voters are set to cast ballots in the vast Central African nation on December 20 in concurrent presidential, parliamentary, provincial and municipal elections. The sheer size of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is roughly the size of continental western Europe, means staging elections is a logistical nightmare. The country of about 100 million people is also one of the poorest in the world, with very few roads, and the electoral commission, Ceni, is still struggling to distribute voting material. About 100 000 people are standing in the four elections, including 22 for the presidential poll. President Felix…

THE experienced trio of Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka and Nadine de Klerk return to the Proteas women’s team having missed out on the recently concluded T20I series against Bangladesh at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. The tour moves on to the three-match One Day International series that gets under way today at Buffalo Park in East London. With the three senior players back in the squad, youngsters like Ayanda Hlubi, the fast bowler who set up the series levelling victory in Benoni last week, miss out on the ODI series. However, the 20-year-old all-rounder Eliz-Mari Marx has kept her place. Marx’s selection eases concerns from fans about the succession plan, seeing that Kapp and a few other senior players are likely to hang up their shoes in the near future. “As…

When you think of Prime Circle, it’s most likely that one of the first thoughts that comes to mind is the band’s frontman, Ross Learmonth. So it’s understandable if you too can’t imagine what the award-winning rock band will be like without its lead singer. This week news filtered through that Prime Circle and Learmonth had parted ways after a stellar 23-year career. The South African rock group and its frontman announced the end of their journey together. So how does Learmonth feel about his departure from a band he’s been with for over two decades? He’s clearly gutted. “It has been extremely difficult,” Learmonth tells the Saturday Star. “It wasn’t a decision taken lightly by me at all. Change is scary and the unknown is daunting but we have…

National carrier SAA has incurred losses totalling R23.5 billion over four years. This emerged when SAA finally tabled its four sets of outstanding annual reports that date back to the 2018-19 financial year. In letters to Parliament, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said the Auditor-General was now auditing the state-owned entity’s 2022-23 annual financial statements. “It is expected to be completed by April 2024,” he said. However, SAA obtained a disclaimer of audit opinion for each of the financial years 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22. In her damning 2020-21 audit reports, Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke said she was unable to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the consolidation of two SAA subsidiaries, SAA Employee Share Trust and SAA Travel Centre, due to the non-submission of separate financial statements for audit. “I…

The Teddy Bear Foundation, a children’s rights organisation, is concerned about an increase in the number of cases that remain unresolved for up to two years. The clinic says it is increasingly dealing with investigating officers, prosecutors and other officials who fail to finalise matters, and at times fail to communicate reasons for the delays. The director of the non-profit organisation, Dr Shaheda Omar, told Saturday Star that Soweto, the West Rand and other parts of Gauteng were littered with cases of secondary trauma brought on by the lack of effective management of cases involving vulnerable children who had suffered trauma at the hands of abusers. Omar said in spite of policies aimed at protecting the rights of children, the situation on the ground was distressing, with too many unresolved…

AN IMMEDIATE plan to stop attacks on tourist buses in North West province was unveiled during a briefing at Sun City this week. It follows recent reports of three separate incidents in which buses, transporting international tourists to various destinations, came under attack from hijackers. Acting North West Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism head Lebo Diale said with the peak tourist season already under way, they had to move quickly. “We met with key local and national stakeholders from tourism bodies, SAPS, private security entities, tourism operators and our local communities for an urgent think tank. We have deployed 35 vehicles along the N4, the R556 and other significant provincial routes. These vehicles will provide an escort to tour buses as well as maintaining a security presence…

A young Rottweiler has been given a new lease on life following innovative, ground-breaking prosthetic surgery to make him fully mobile again. Three-year-old Covid is on his way to recovery after successful surgery that’s allowed the attachment of an artificial foot to give him maximum quality of life. It’s a huge feat and boost for the team at the University of Pretoria’s (UP’s) Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital, who are celebrating the first known successful intraosseous transcutaneous amputation prosthesis surgery in South Africa. And it seems the recipient of this pioneering surgery is just as upbeat, and has returned to his playful self. His relieved owners say he is walking and running with their other dogs at home and does not appear to be in any pain. Covid arrived at Onderstepoort…

Several of the country’s judges – who are currently suspended – face being carpeted themselves next year, with some even facing the possibility of being removed from office following serious accusations and in some cases findings of gross misconduct. One of them is suspended Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe, whose woes are escalating after the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) this month decided that he should face a second judicial conduct tribunal. This time it is in relation to his long standing feud with his deputy, Judge Patricia Goliath. After several years, the JSC earlier found Hlophe guilty of gross misconduct when he tried to sway two Constitutional Court justices to rule in favour of then president Jacob Zuma. In this regard the justice committee in the National Assembly is…

Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) president Thulani Ngwenya has called for the government to act tough against criminals who shoot and kill law enforcement officials. As the SAPS and other law enforcement agencies gear up for their respective festive season campaigns, Ngwenya urged members to remain vigilant. Earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa led the annual commemoration in honour of police officers who were killed in the line of duty. It was revealed that at least 34 police officers and reservists died in the line of duty between April 1, 2022 and March 31. Ngwenya said the escalating number of police killings would seriously hamper the police in the fight against crime. Records show that more than 69 police officers were killed by criminals since…

Humanitarian agencies are facing dire funding shortages to address a multitude of global crises, the UN refugee agency warned this week, saying it needed $400 million by the end of the year. Addressing the opening of the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi called on donors to strengthen their support. “Many humanitarian organisations are facing severe funding challenges,” he said, pointing out that “UNHCR alone is lacking $400m to end the year with the minimum of needed resources”. That, he said, was “a shortfall we have not experienced in years, and we are looking with much concern at 2024”. From Russia’s war in Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan and a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, conflicts and crises had fuelled record displacement even before the Gaza…

There is a tedious, costly monotony with which beaches along the Durban coast are closed as each holiday season approaches. In the current situation, 11 beaches are closed at the time of writing because of high faecal content in the water due to sewage being washed down to the ocean by the rain. Reports of closed beaches negatively impact the tourism and hospitality industries which depend heavily on the holiday seasons, when upcountry visitors flock to the coast. To be fair to the eThekwini Municipality, it really cannot control the weather. But, it is in charge of the sewage and water reticulation infrastructure, much of it in dire need of repair. The municipality will point to the floods as the cause of the damage, as it should. But that was…

AN AGRICULTURAL spat is brewing between South Africa and Botswana over a restriction placed on certain horticultural commodities. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development said Minister Thoko Didiza had expressed concern at the restrictions on imports extended by the Botswana government. “Minister Didiza’s concern is about the negative impact this will have on bilateral trade. The minister will seek an urgent meeting with her Botswana counterpart in order to raise her concerns and listen to her colleague on what may be the underlying concerns that has made Botswana take this move,” a statement read. Didiza raised concerns during the Southern African Customs Union Summit in July. There was hope that a broader bilateral engagement would take place between the agriculture and trade ministers of two countries…

I recently had the opportunity to visit several schools in Gauteng. When I stood up and asked a small group of children about their experience of having a father in their lives, many met me with blank stares. They simply didn’t have a response because they weren’t growing up with one. They had never had a consistent father by their side. The figures back this up. According to Statistics South Africa, half of all children in the country don’t live with their biological fathers. My experience working in the correctional services space has taught me about the far-reaching implications of this. Absent fathers and crime. There’s a clear link between the access and relationship children have with their fathers and how likely they are to commit a crime – either…

Global peace and collective security, well-being and true prosperity are only achievable through unity of humanity, and the unity of humankind is conditional on observing social justice towards every member of the human family. Human Rights Day, observed on December 10, was a reminder that peace is closely related to justice and to the observance of human rights. “The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established”, states Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith. He asserts that the chief instrument for the transformation of society and the achievement of unity is the establishment of justice in the affairs of humanity. He further states that, “The light of men is justice. The purpose of justice is the appearance of unity among…

THIS year has once again seen the courts in our country making life a bit easier for people – from parents who can now both apply for maternity leave, mothers and children who can obtain free medical assistance, to enabling prisoners to study while behind bars. The courts also did not forget those who are stateless, as it assisted a boy born nearly four years ago who will for the first time officially have a name and legal standing in South Africa after red tape had denied him this right up to now. The parents child did everything asked of them by the Department of Home Affairs to register the birth. The father even underwent a compulsory paternity test. Yet, they received no help in their desperate bid for their…

The examinations for the matric Class of 2023 have come and gone. There is no doubt that there are different options available for those who pass their final examinations. Since the level of unemployment among the youth has reached alarming proportions, matriculants who opt to find work as opposed to studying further may find it difficult to enter the job market due to the fact that basic education does not provide the skills to enable them to make a meaningful contribution to the country’s mainstream economy. So, the next logical step to take is to explore the different qualifications offered by the post-school education sector. Like basic education, the post-school education sector consists of public and private higher education institutions. Those who can afford the tuition at private higher education…

Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan has come under fire from parliamentarians for withholding documents related to the SAA deal after former director-general Kgathatso Thlakudi levelled allegations of corruption in the transaction. The portfolio committee on public enterprises resolved this week to write to Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula informing her that their investigation had stalled because of Gordhan’s failure to co-operate and hand over certain documents. Thlakudi had claimed that the SAA deal was significantly undervalued by billions of rand. Parliamentary legal adviser Andile Tetyana said several unsuccessful attempts had been made to get hold of documents pertaining to the sale of SAA to Takatso “The committee raised concern that the documents that the minister failed to submit were critical for the committee to be able to test the veracity…

An urgent international investigation must be opened into horrific crimes committed by the Israeli army during its land incursions into the Gaza Strip, including field executions, torture, and rape threats, said Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, citing testimonies collected from newly- released civilians. Euro-Med Monitor said that Israeli army forces are re-enacting the same crimes committed by Zionist gangs during the 1948 Nakba, which resulted in the collective displacement of Palestinians. These crimes include premeditated murder, setting fire to Palestinian homes and properties, torture, and insulting and humiliating detained civilians. The human rights organisation highlighted the Israeli forces’ brutal storming of civilian homes in crowded residential neighbourhoods during the ongoing genocide. Members of Israel’s military terrorised and beat residents, plus arrested hundreds of them, including women, children, and sick people. According…

If you’ve dreamed of having a white Christmas at a winter wonderland destination, now is the time to put those dreams in motion. Dr Musa Mthombeni and Liesl Laurie have taken to Instagram to share pictures of their winter wonderland escape in the French Alps. The couple are having a blast exploring the Alps and staying at Club Med Val Disere. It may be summer on this side of the world, but according to the couple, it’s freezing cold in the mountains. “The French Alps called & because we don’t avoid 087 numbers, we answered! Ski season is officially open bangani!” said the couple on their respective accounts. In another post, the couple shared pictures of themselves taking a train ride to the all-inclusive resort and going on a skiing…