Table of contents for SW-2021-04-13 in Star

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za INVESTMENT banking fees generated in sub-Saharan Africa fell 39 percent in the first three months of 2021 to the lowest quarter total since 2014. Data from Refinitiv released yesterday showed that an estimated $99.3 million (R1.45 billion) worth of investment banking fees were generated in the region during the quarter. Refinitiv, a subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange Group, is a well-known global provider of data services. The group said advisory fees earned in the region from completed M&A (mergers and acquisitions) transactions reached $15.5m, down 65 percent from last year to the lowest first-quarter total since 2005. The value of M&A transactions with any sub-Saharan African company involvement reached $6.1bn, almost level with the same period in 2020, and a five-year low. Refinitiv…

VISA, the global payments group, appointed Maurice Newa as the new MD of the southern Africa cluster, a statement said yesterday. Newa would be responsible for the development and implementation of Visa’s growth strategy in the region. He would report to Aida Diarra, senior vice-president and head of sub-Saharan Africa, and would be part of the sub-Saharan Africa leadership team. Prior to joining Visa, Newa worked at Vaya Technologies, an Econet Group subsidiary, where he was chief executive. He brought to Visa over 25 years of experience in regional and global roles in mobile telephony, Fintech (mobile money and mobile insurance), digital technology solutions and blue-chip fast-moving consumer goods companies, Visa said. “We are excited to bring Maurice on board. His appointment reflects the importance we place on the southern…

ZARCLEAR Holdings’s board said yesterday it was in the best interests of the company and its shareholders for it to delist from the JSE and A2X. In November, Zarclear’s public shareholding fell below the minimum spread requirements for companies listed on the JSE’s main board due to the take-up of the general offer to Zarclear shareholders by Legae Peresec Capital. Zarclear’s board said in a statement yesterday that the decision to delist also took into account the impact the Covid-19 pandemic had had and was anticipated to continue to have on equity capital markets in general, and on small-market-capitalisation companies such as Zarclear for an extended period. Zarclear is an investment holding company whose operating segments are market infrastructure and regulation technology investments. An offer would be made to shareholders…

Some political relief for former MEC Staff Reporter FORMER Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku’s name was cleared yesterday after the North Gauteng High Court pronounced that it saw no evidence of corruption by Masuku. Although Judge Roland Sutherland dismissed Masuku’s bid to challenge a report by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) that led to his axing, the judgment brought Masuku some political relief. Gauteng Premier David Makhura sacked Masuku last year after the SIU report found that he had not exercised enough oversight in his duties as MEC during the procurement of Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE). In response, Masuku pointed out that it was he who had initially invited the SIU. The Star has learnt that the SIU was also investigating the accounting officer (HOD) Professor Mkhululi Lukhele,…

Jonisayi Maromo TWO men have been arrested for the murder of a woman in Mapetla, Soweto, who was assaulted in an apparent incident of mob justice on March 26. Jostina Sangweni, aged 59, succumbed to her injuries last week and police revised the case from attempted murder to murder, Gauteng police spokes- woman Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said. “Following the concerted efforts of the (police) to not only apprehend the perpetrators behind the murder… but to also ensure that cases against the suspects are watertight in getting a successful prosecution, police on Friday arrested two suspects in Mapetla,” said Peters. “The two suspects aged 27 and 28 are expected to make their first appearance today in the Protea Magistrate’s Court.” Police said the slain woman was allegedly accused of witchcraft…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THERE is a low risk of a third wave of Covid-19 in South Africa, however, the country is still highly vulnerable, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithm designed by Wits shows. Wits announced yesterday that an AI-based algorithm the university designed in partnership with iThemba LABS, the Gauteng provincial government and York University in Canada, showed that there was a low risk of a third infection wave of Covid-19 in all provinces of South Africa. The university said the AI-powered early detection system functioned by predicting future daily confirmed cases, based on historical data from South Africa’s past infection history. Wits added that the AI-based algorithm worked in parallel and supported the data of an already existing algorithm based on more classical analytics. “Both of these algorithms…

Liam Ngobeni liam.ngobeni@inl.co.za THE 2018 Constitutional Court decision to legalise the consumption of cannabis “in private” has created a number of challenges for employers and employees, according to experts. Among them is the question of whether an employee could lose their job by consuming dagga outside working hours, especially in safety-sensitive industries where workers are prohibited from being under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs. This is among one of the legal and ethical dilemmas raised by medico-legal experts from the University of Pretoria in a recent research article in the South African Medical Journal. Dr JB Laurens, until recently a senior forensic toxicology researcher and lecturer at UP, and Professor Pieter Carstens, a professor of criminal and medical law, said the decision to legalise the consumption of dagga…

SAKHILE NDLAZI sakhile.ndlazi@inl.co.za OUTGOING Miss Sundowns Kadija Makhanya has opened up about reigning at a time when the country was on hard lockdown. The country went into lockdown just two weeks after she had taken the crown at a glittering ceremony last year. “There I was, enjoying my reign and thinking and planning all the initiatives we wanted to conduct during the year and, then, boom, lockdown level 5 happened,” she said. “I must admit, just like everyone else we were caught off guard and had to search for answers and alternative ways to carry out the duties that lay ahead.” She said it had been a different reign as Miss Sundowns was a very hands-on role. “However, I had to learn to carry on, and our voices were amplified…

The world has gone bonkers about racism and it is encouraging racist feelings among all communities, both black and white. I am a believer in the rainbow nation. South Africans get on well with each other and coexist in peace and harmony. But a minority tries to drive a wedge in and inflame racial feelings. Their agenda is to create mistrust, promoting hatred for political purposes. The US killing of George Floyd by policeman Derek Chauvin was a disaster for race relations. George Floyd was a flawed individual, a criminal, and a drug user, but no human being deserves to be cruelly murdered. Chauvin must be found guilty and be sentenced to a very long imprisonment. What fascinates is that, despite the overwhelming evidence, a recent poll finds only 48%…

IT HAS been more than 40 days since a group of artists staged a sit-in at the National Arts Council’s (NAC) Joburg headquarters. At the centre of the dispute is the R300 million Presidential Employment Stimulus package. Artists are demanding answers about a lack of payment from the package. We welcome the forensic investigation launched recently by Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa to look into the situation. The artists have been sleeping on chairs, floors and couches at the council’s offices since the start of the sit-in, and have vowed not to move until their demands are addressed. With the hard lockdown, the arts and culture sector was ravaged by event cancellations. An SA Cultural Observatory study published late last year found that 90% of the live music industry…

ITALIAN magistrates have issued an arrest warrant for Gianluigi Torzi, a financial broker caught up in a scandal involving the Vatican’s purchase of a building in an upscale London area, police said yesterday. Financial police said they were looking for Torzi and three Italian associates on suspicion of fraudulent billing practices and tax fraud. Torzi was also suspected of money laundering. A financial police spokesperson said they could not serve the warrant on Torzi because he was currently in Britain. Torzi’s London-based lawyer, Francesco Meduri, did not respond to a request for comment. Police code-named it “Operation Broking Bad”, an apparent play on the TV series Breaking Bad. A separate 14-page arrest warrant said Torzi had issued bills to the Vatican for a total of €15 million (about R260m) for…

Two small Western Australian towns suffered “widespread damage” when Cyclone Seroja struck a part of the country that rarely experiences tropical storms, emergency services said yesterday. The storm brought lashing rain and winds of up to 170km/h to areas officials said had not seen a tropical cyclone in “decades”. Authorities estimated that 70% of structures in Kalbarri – home to about 1 500 people – were damaged in the fast-moving cyclone. Local media images showed homes with their roofs ripped off and debris scattered across streets. In Northampton, a town of fewer than 1 000 people about an hour’s drive south, there was also “widespread damage”, Western Australia’s emergency services department said.…

JAKARTA: The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from a crashed Sriwijaya Air jet has been downloaded successfully and includes the last minutes of the flight that ended with 62 people dead, an official at Indonesia’s air accident investigator said yesterday. The contents of the recording from the 26-year old Boeing Co 737-500 that crashed shortly after take-off on January 9 cannot be disclosed publicly at this stage of the probe, Indonesia National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) investigator Nurcahyo Utomo said. “(The data is) good,” he told Reuters. “We have downloaded it.” The CVR was recovered in late March after a near three-month search of the Java Sea. It contains four channels of audio, including recordings of the captain and first officer, Nurcahyo said.…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za Pakistan 140/9 (Azam 50; Linde 3/23, Williams 3/35) South Africa 141/4 (Markram 54; Qadir 2/26) SA won by 6 wickets, 4-match series tied 1-1 This match was decided after the first ball. That one ball saw Mohammad Rizwan charge down the wicket at George Linde and attempt to belt him over long off for six. Instead, having connected with the ball with the outside corner of his bat, Rizwan skied it to Aiden Markram at mid-off. Game over. There was some criticism in the aftermath of Rizwan being arrogant, but can you blame him? His four T20 innings against South Africa before yesterday’s match read as follows: 104*, 51, 42 and 74*. His desire to dominate was thus understandable. But it immediately put Pakistan on the…

MIHLALI BALEKA @Mihlalibaleka Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer admits that they have laid the perfect foundation to reach the quarter-finals of the Confederation Cup after climbing to the summit of Group A, but says they will still need to dig deep in their last two matches. Pirates have enjoyed a decent outing in the group stage of the Confederation Cup. The Buccaneers are top of their group with eight points, two and four ahead of second and third placed Enyimba and Ahli Benghazi respectively. Pirates have won two matches and drawn two in their group. Their recent outing was an emphatic 3-0 win over Benghazi at Orlando Stadium on Sunday – thanks to goals from Ntsikelelo Nyauza, Aboubakr Meeld and Kabelo Dlamini. With Pirates left with two games to play…

Sailors Benji Daniel and Alex Burger have made a triumphant return to the country after booking South Africa a spot at the Tokyo Olympics in the 49er class. Just a year ago, the former 29er world champions (who beat 129 teams from 17 countries for that title) were convinced their dream of competing at a first Olympics was all but over. But the event in which they could qualify finally went ahead last week. The pair travelled to Oman for the Mussanah Open Championship on a mission – to secure that coveted qualification spot. A victory in race seven and three second places along with a third spot finish ensured a sixth place overall, enough to see them doing just that. “We feel extremely relieved to have finally gotten through…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za MOMENTUM Investments yesterday joined other economic think tanks in revising South Africa’s growth projections, saying the economy could rebound more than expected this year if the energy crisis and the slow roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination programme were resolved. Momentum said it now projected that the economy would grow at 3.4 percent, down from 3.8 percent forecast in March, as the global vaccination process slowed, with only 129 million people, or 1.7 percent of the world’s population, being fully vaccinated by the end of last month. In South Africa, just more than 288 000 health-care workers have been vaccinated so far, with the second phase of the programme earmarked to start this week. The 17 days of stage 2 loadshedding and the…

THE FINANCIAL Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) yesterday warned the public to act with caution when dealing with Work Your Wealth, Conray Labuschagne and Ewoudt Labuschagne. The FSCA said in a statement it suspected that Work Your Wealth, Conray Labuschagne and Ewoudt Labuschagne were conducting unauthorised financial services business and breaching various financial sector laws. The FSCA had received information that Work Your Wealth, Conray Labu- schagne and Ewoudt Labuschagne were soliciting money from the public and promising them high returns. The FSCA said Work Your Wealth, Conray Labuschagne and Ewoudt Labuschagne were not authorised in terms of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act (FAIS Act) to render financial advisory and intermediary services. “Members of the public should always check that an entity or individual is registered with the FSCA…

SIRIUS Real Estate, the owner and operator of branded business and industrial parks in Germany that is also listed on the JSE, said it would report its seventh consecutive year of like-for-like rent roll growth of above 5 percent in the year to March 31. The group said in a trading update yesterday that like-for-like rent roll growth over the period was up 5.2 percent to €94.3 million (about R1.64 billion). Sirius’s share price increased 1.98 percent to R19.05 by yesterday afternoon. Chief executive Andrew Coombs said: “Over the past 12 months we have continued to grow Sirius from an operational perspective and through the acquisition of further assets where we see a clear opportunity to add value and increase income in the future.” The…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za THE $2.8 BILLION (R41bn) antitrust fine slapped on global e-retailer Ali- baba for abusing its market dominance had little impact on the markets yesterday, with experts saying that the conclusion of the antitrust investigation had cleared the spectre of uncertainty facing the internet giant. A senior analyst at ActivTrades, Ricard Evangelista, said yesterday that while the fine represented a large sum at $2.8bn, it ended up being smaller than many expected, representing 4 percent of the firm’s 2019 revenue, considerably less than the 10 percent set by regulations of such violations. Evangelista said that on the other hand, closing the chapter was seen as positive for Alibaba, clearing the spectre of uncertainty. “For these reasons the markets reacted positively, with shares gaining more than…

| Asian News Tributes have been pouring in since the death of American rapper DMX on Friday at the age of 50, after being on life support following an April 2 drug overdose. A fan has credited him with forging an understanding about her own father who was gripped by addiction. According to TMZ, a woman wrote, “DMX is the reason I forgave my father after he passed for his years of addiction. “We met in 2017 after I heard him from my room in the hallway of my hotel. It was all divine intervention. I ran to the hallway and met him. We spoke for 15 minutes. “We spoke about addiction and he encouraged me to forgive my father for what he couldn’t control. “To this day, I…

RAPULA MOATSHE rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za POLICE Minister Bheki Cele has been asked to address the long-standing problem of broken SAPS vehicles. The request followed a revelation by Cele that 2 170 SAPS vehicles in Gauteng alone were awaiting repairs. This number has increased by 763 since last November, when 1 407 police vehicles were out of service. There were at least 5 967 police vehicles that were operational in the province. Cele shed light on the number of unroadworthy police vehicles during a written question posed to him by the DA’s MPL Adrian Roos in Parliament. Roos wanted to know about the number of vehicles allocated to each police station and those that were out of service. He also inquired about the specific action taken by Cele to deal…

THE FLUID situation in Rabie Ridge, north of Joburg, continued yesterday, with private security personnel opening fire with rubber bullets on protesters. Protesting community members barricaded roads and streets with rocks and burning tyres. It is understood that residents in the Midrand area have been trying to build shacks on privately owned land since Sunday. Several roads around Republic Road in the area were disrupted as police and other security entities clashed with hundreds of informal settlement dwellers who had occupied 800 hectares of private land. It is still not clear who the land belongs to, but police said it did not belong to the municipality. The area was packed with police cars and a space was created between the chanting squatters and the police. A police water cannon was…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE STRESS and burden placed on South Africa’s medical professionals as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic has strengthened North West University’s resolve to open a medical school. North West University (NWU) in North West announced that the coronavirus pandemic had highlighted the need for a medical school despite the financial pressures caused by the pandemic. “This is a matter that we will continue to pursue because we strongly believe that a Medical School would address the needs of prospective students and the public in terms of enrolment opportunities and public health in our country,” said NWU council chairperson, Dr Bismark Tyobeka, after a recent council meeting. The possibility of establishing a medical school at NWU was raised in about 2006, but it was only in 2017…

THE ONGOING National Arts Council (NAC) Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme fund saga seems like a never-ending broken telephone game. What first seemed like a saving grace to artists and creatives has now turned into a nightmare for those who thought they would have received some kind of relief by now. The purpose of the fund was to relieve arts, culture and heritage practitioners who have been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The R300 million fund was separated into two streams, one as a wage subsidy for arts organisations and small businesses that wish to retain existing staff or contractors. The second stream was an open call for project proposals, with a focus on funding new arts or creative projects that will create freelance jobs in the sector. The obstacles…

Karen Hofman THREE years ago, South Africa introduced Africa’s first major tax on sugar-sweetened beverages based on grams of sugar. The tax stands at about 11% of the price per litre. We assessed the impact in recently published research. We found that the health-promotion levy coincided with large reductions in purchases of taxable beverages, in terms of volume and sugar quantities. We didn’t find significant changes for non-taxable beverages. This isn’t the first research to show positive outcomes from the levy. A national study one year after it was introduced found households in urban areas halved the volume of sugary beverages they bought, cutting their sugar intake by nearly a third. Research shows that excess sugar, particularly in liquid form, is a major cause of obesity and is a…

WE NEED to stop using the phrase “vaccine passport”. The term is inflammatory and divisive, and runs the real risk of triggering a lasting backlash against vaccinations. It’s also inaccurate. A passport is understood as a government-issued document that provides proof of the carrier’s identity and citizenship. Israel’s “Green Pass” is a version of a vaccine passport; it is required for entry into gyms, theatres and other designated areas, and forgery of a pass is a crime. While it has some fans, almost no one is proposing this kind of national ID for Covid-19 vaccination in the US. Yet even the suggestion that Americans could be restricted from everyday activities is deeply upsetting to many. Rational counter arguments won’t work (for example, saying some countries already require vaccinations upon entry…

LOS ANGELES: Elise Boucher, the Canadian singer known professionally as Grimes and Elon Musk’s girlfriend, has recently unveiled a new addition to her look – a tattoo covering her whole back. Showing the tattoo on her Instagram account, Grimes complained about the quality of the picture, saying she doesn’t have a better image because “it hurts too much”. She branded the tattoo as “beautiful alien scars”. Her stunt elicited a positive response from her social media audience. Last month, the singer declared on Instagram her readiness to “die with the red dirt of Mars” beneath her feet.…

OSLO: Six environmental organisations, including the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace, yesterday called on Norway to stop plans to open ocean areas for deep-sea mining. The government in January launched a process to open areas on its extended continental shelf for exploring and producing minerals from the ocean floor, with plans to issue the first licences as early as 2023. “Minerals and metals for the green shift should be obtained from consumption reduction and better reuse on land, not from the depths of the sea where brutal mining can do irreparable damage to nature,” the environmentalists said. They also called on Norway to speak up against deep-sea mining in international waters.…

The attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility was plotted “long before” the start of the ongoing meeting of the joint commission of the remaining members of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal, and aimed at weakening Tehran’s negotiating position at the meetings, The Jerusalem Post has reported. The paper’s sources said the attack’s planners were uncertain whether Iran and the US – whose negotiators arrived in Vienna last week but were not allowed to join the talks directly – would return to serious negotiations about Washington’s possible rejoining of the nuclear accord. JPost’s sources also gave the impression “that the covert war against Iran is ongoing, focused on preventing it from getting close to the nuclear threshold regardless of the world powers’ policy on the issue at…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za THE Rainbow Cup has not been cancelled, and South Africa is exploring every possible option to make the tournament happen. That was the official word from SA Rugby president Mark Alexander yesterday following reports that the event was set to be called off due to the fact that the local teams wouldn’t be able to operate out of a bio-secure environment in the United Kingdom. Weekend online and newspaper reports stated that the SA teams were instructed not to apply for UK visas just yet as the British government had not given the necessary clearances for the Bulls, Sharks, Stormers and Lions to be based in a bio-bubble in Bristol. The South Africans are due to start their part of the tournament with derby matches from April…

Julian Kiewietz julian.kiewietz@inl.co.za Sibusiso Sovendle and Conrad Seabi have a few things in common. Not only do they both hold their home – Mamelodi, Pretoria – close to their hearts, but just like Seabi, who can always be seen enjoying music with his family and friends, Sovendle also does things to the beat, with his nickname being “African Rhythm”. And when it comes to the martial arts side of life, the 20-year-old Sovendle did not hold back in sharing his admiration for his senior, “Cagewise” Seabi. “I have met him at Planet Fitness,” says the ‘gym freak’ of the Extreme Fighting Championship professional athlete. “Conrad once came and motivated me and my friend, Tebatso (Mdele, who also won gold this past weekend). I enjoy watching Conrad. I really like him,…

Back in 2011-12, Manchester United held an eight-point advantage over second-placed Manchester City with six games to go, but with Sergio Aguero’s 94th-minute intervention in the final game of the season, City completed a dramatic title turnaround. City’s shock 2-1 defeat to Leeds United on Saturday, coupled with United’s 3-1 success at Tottenham Hotspur, means that should United win their game in hand, it will be roles reversed from 2011-12, but with an eight point gap, six to play. Hopes of an equally dramatic turnaround are slim, however. The pair do not meet each other again this season, as they did in the run-in in 2011-12, and it remains more likely City’s defeat to Leeds was a mere blip. But, you never know. The good news for West…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed that the government was on track to create 100 000 new jobs by the end of 2023 as it ramps up the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) plan. This comes as South Africa last week received a second $1bn Covid-19 emergency loan to finance job creation in the country, in particular the first phase of the PES. Ramaphosa said the aim of this initiative was to create 500 000 new jobs by the end of 2030 in the business services sector, which includes call centres, technical support and back and front office services. He said the PES had already enabled the creation of 8 000 new jobs in the industry during the last two quarters, most of which have gone…

SANDILE MCHUNU sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za RENERGEN’S share price rose by more than 8 percent on the JSE yesterday morning after the domestic producer of natural gas and helium announced its first helium sales agreement with a global acting, tier-one automotive supplier to diversify its customer base beyond wholesalers. The share closed 3.7 percent higher at R28. The group said the sales agreement was its first direct-to-customer helium deal, and for reasons of confidentiality it was unable to disclose its customer or the details of the agreement, but confirmed that the customer operated in the automotive sector. Renergen chief executive Stefano Marani said the company was proud to announce its first helium sales agreement from the Virginia Gas Project. “Importantly, this contract shows the viability of accessing helium directly from the refinery by…

YOUR HONOUR M-NET, DSTV 101, 9.30PM In the season premiere of the new crime thriller starring Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston, a respected judge faces an impossible decision when his son is involved in a hit-and-run that leads to the loss of a teen’s life. THE RIVER 1MAGIC, DSTV 103, 8PM The River introduces a new character, Augustine Moleko (Seipati Motshwane). A staunch Christian with three children, Augustine is strict, especially on her only daughter, Tshepiso. LINGASHONI 1MAGIC, DSTV 103, 7.30PM While getting buddy-buddy with Puleng, Seipati discovers something that could help her in her quest to win Mandla back.…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za Tabloid newspaper Daily Sun yesterday said it stands by its story alleging that EFF leader Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi raped a 23-year-old woman. On Sunday, the paper said Gauteng police were investigating a case of rape, where Ndlozi allegedly raped a woman during a party in Sandton. When other media houses started following up on the story yesterday and there was social media buzz holding Ndlozi to account, Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters cleared Ndlozi, saying he is not a person of interest in the rape case. “The management of the SAPS in Gauteng has noted with worry a news article in the Daily Sun, published on April 11, 2021, wherein Economic Freedom Front leader Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi is accused of rape. “We can confirm that the…

ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za A MOTHER of five embroiled in divorce proceedings against her husband got far less than she bargained for after claiming she could not make ends meet since he left her. The woman claimed she had a R60 000 a month shortfall and her grocery bill alone was R20 000 monthly. The woman told the Limpopo High Court that she and her husband had lived a life of luxury in a five-bedroom house before he left. Now she had to “jiggle around” to make ends meet. She said that as a result of his failure to contribute to the upbringing of their children, her monthly expenditure rocketed to R83 280. Her take-home salary was R23 000, and that left her with a monthly shortfall…

John Whitlock | Germiston Councillor Geoff Makhubo’s comment on March 13, 2021, “Name changes do matter”, raises some interesting questions. He argues that the name change of Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha was done through public participation “proved by government and individuals”. Could he give readers proof of this government and public participation? How was the public participation brought about? Was there robust debate? What were the results and who all were involved? Give us the facts on paper. Makhubo goes on to say that the decision to name William Nichol Drive was taken in 2018, when the city was led by the DA. Could he supply excerpts from the meetings pertaining to the change? How was public participation achieved and by what means? What were the specific results?…

Why schoolgirls continue to fall prey to sexual and physical abuse in SA schools GIRLS experience gender and sexual violence in schools across the world, and South Africa is no exception. Research has shown how pupils, and girls, are vulnerable to violence. Despite the country’s political response to violence against women and girls, schoolgirls struggle with male violence in and out of school. Learners who are victimised at school often show poor academic performance, regular school absenteeism, anxiety and depression, drug and alcohol use, psychological trauma, and dropping out of school. We conducted a study to learn more about South African teenage girls’ experiences at school. Violence emerged as a key aspect of their school life. We looked at the spaces where violence occurs, and how…

India yesterday overtook Brazil as the country with the second-highest number of coronavirus infections and Bangladesh halted international flights and shut offices as a new wave battered South Asia. The region – home to almost a quarter of the world’s population – has been hit by soaring infection rates in recent weeks. India reported a new daily record of more than 168 000 cases yesterday to take the total toll to 13.5 million cases, above Brazil’s 13.48 million. Experts have blamed coronavirus complacency and frustration for the surge. Hundreds of thousands of maskless Hindu devotees thronged the banks of the Ganges River for a ritual bath as part of the Kumbh Mela festival in the holy city of Haridwar. The huge religious festivals and political rallies in poll-bound states have…

LONDON: The British government has opened an official independently-run investigation into former prime minister David Cameron’s lobbying activities for financier Lex Greensill. While Cameron was British premier from 2010 to 2016, the Australian banker was brought in as an adviser to the government. After leaving office, Cameron became an adviser to Greensill’s now-insolvent finance firm. Cameron reportedly contacted ministers to lobby on behalf of Greensill Capital. He denied wrongdoing, saying the loans were not taken up.…

GABORONE: Botswana is investigating the deaths of two among thousands of people who had been given doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine to see if there is any link, the health ministry said. The country has so far administered about 31 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the only vaccine it has started rolling out. India donated 30 000 doses of the vaccine that were manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), and Botswana bought 33 000 doses that were made in South Korea from global vaccine distribution scheme Covax. The two people who died had taken the shots made in India. Botswanan authorities, AstraZeneca and the SII did not immediately respond to how the people died.…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za Golden Arrows coach Mandla Ncikazi was not happy at all with his team’s lack of proficiency in front of goal following their 1-1 draw with Bloemfontein Celtic at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont, Durban, on Sunday afternoon. The draw saw Abafana bes’thende slip from second to third in the standings, below KwaZulu-Natal neighbours AmaZulu, whose current fantastic form sees them move in behind runaway leaders Mamelodi Sundowns. “I thought we did not disappoint in terms of how we played, but I am disappointed that we created so many chances and never took them,” said Ncikazi. “I am not disappointed by the way the players exerted themselves. It was a better effort than in the previous match (a 1-1 draw with Swallows FC). “We need to…

HERMAN GIBBS Mamelodi Sundowns returned to winning ways but made heavy weather of their 2-1 win over lowly Chippa United in their Premiership clash at Sisa Dukashe Stadium yesterday. Three days ago, Sundowns suffered a rare defeat when they were beaten 2-0 by Algerian visitors CR Belouizdad in the CAF Champions League group stage. The loss snapped Sundowns’ 28-match unbeaten streak, which included 20 wins and eight draws. Yesterday’s result allowed league leaders and three-time defending champions Sundowns to move six points clear of second-placed AmaZulu, who have 40 points after 22 games. Sundowns are on 46 points after 20 matches. Chippa remained near the bottom of the standings, but three points adrift of basement dwellers Black Leopards. Sundowns imposed their dominance right from the get-go, and their first scoring…