Table of contents for 2023-03-29 in Star

IMPALA Platinum (Implats) CEO Nico Muller said yesterday that if Implats doesn’t achieve control of Royal Bafo- keng Platinum (RBPlat), a sensible option would be to sell into an offer from Northam Platinum, if one came about. Muller was speaking at the 2023 Platinum Group Metals (PGM) industry day held in Auckland Park, Johannesburg. He said: “If we are not in control it makes no sense for us.” Implats is involved in a bidding war with Northam for RBPlat. Implats is the biggest shareholder in RBPlat, with a 40.71% stake, while Northam owns almost 34.5% stake in RBPlat. On Monday, Northam also said it would consider a joint venture with Implats. Northam CEO Paul Dunne said: “We would like to gain control of the asset, and so would Implats. So…

Bavarian luxury car manufacturer celebrates 50 years in SA with 300 000th BMW X3 BMW Group South Africa has lauded the country’s “very stable” industrial policy which has kept it invested for 50 years, in spite of challenging economic conditions brought by the energy crisis, infrastructure and logistics woes. This is a significant vote of confidence in the country’s investment drive on the back of negative reaction by a number of private sector players over South Africa’s over policy uncertainty and slow progress to implement structural reforms. The Bavarian car manufacturer yesterday celebrated its 50th anniversary in South Africa with the 300 000th BMW X3 rolling off assembly line at its Plant Rosslyn, outside Pretoria. Established in March 1973, Plant Rosslyn was the first BMW production site outside of…

STOR-AGE Property real estate investment trust (Reit), a leading self-storage property fund, said trading in the 11 months to February 28 was resilient in South Africa and the UK, with growth in both occupancy and rental rates. The 2023 financial year had seen a return to a more normalised cycle of trading in line with pre-pandemic seasonality trends, the group said in a trading update yesterday. Demand levels remained robust with enquiry levels in line with expectation. “In both markets we continue to carefully manage occupancy levels, rental rates and promotions to maximise revenue,” Stor-Age’s directors said. In South Africa, occupancy increased by 17 100m² year-to-date to finish at 90.5% On a same-store basis, the average rental rate increased 7.3% year-on-year (y/y), while average occupancy increased by 2.1% y/y. Occupancy…

More than 130 volunteer cast members have spent the past seven months preparing to thrill audiences this Easter in the Durban Passion Play on from April 6 -16 at the Playhouse Drama Theatre. Known as the Oberammergau of Africa, the show strives to restore the true meaning of Easter, depicting Jesus’ passion, covering the final period of his life from his visit to Jerusalem to his execution by crucifixion and ending with the Resurrection. Directed by Dawn Haynes and Jessica Wardle, the cast comprises an inter-denominational, inter-faith, multi-cultural, multi-lingual group of diverse people who vary in age from toddlers and teenagers to young adults and the more mature; able-bodied and differently-abled. “There are also multi-generational family groups, with the older members having performed on multiple occasions. Some of the cast…

Former Botswana president and fugitive Ian Khama has vowed to oust his successor, Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, as president when the country holds their national elections in 2024. Khama is a former Botswana president who served from 2008 to 2018. He is the son of Botswana’s first president, Sir Seretse Khama, and a British woman, Lady Ruth Khama. Khama spoke in a recent interview with Africa News and shared his regret in handing over the baton to his current successor, whom he accused of being a threat to democracy. He said he wants to correct his wrong and will be campaigning vigorously to get rid of Masisi in the upcoming elections. “I have to fix the mistake I made in appointing Masisi to be my successor. It is important that…

THE price of chicken has come into focus in the Competition Commission’s latest Essential Food Pricing Monitoring (EFPM) report which found when chicken imports from the EU were banned in response to the avian flu outbreak, domestic producer prices increased. The commission said food price monitoring remains a priority as poor consumers spend a significant portion of their income on essential food items. “The feed-to-poultry value chain is highly concentrated with five firms making up 70% of total chicken production and the top two firms making up 50% of the market. Feed costs account for more than two-thirds of broiler production costs and are therefore a source of upward cost and pricing pressure throughout the poultry value chain,” Competition Commission spokesperson Sipho Ngwema said. Ngwema said some of the findings…

As the story of ‘Facebook rapist’ Thabo Bester unfolds and more shocking details emerge by the day, Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader, Gayton McKenzie, who is a former convict, has shared his insights on the matter. Bester supposedly burnt to death in his Mangaung Correctional Centre cell in May 2022. He had been serving a life sentence for rape and murder. However, an explosive investigation by GroundUp revealed that Bester escaped from prison and was seen in Sandton shopping at a supermarket two months after he was apparently burnt to death. Correctional Services admitted on Friday that the person burnt to death in May 2022, was not Bester, and that he likely escaped from the public-private prison facility in Mangaung. On Monday, McKenzie, who is the Karoo District Mayor, took…

Remember The Great Escape, the 1960’s blockbuster Hollywood movie with a star-studded cast starring Steve McQueen on his motorcycle, James Garner, Charles Bronson, Richard Attenborough and James Coburn? The film classic was based loosely on a real life drama of World War II when 76 Allied airmen made an audacious bid for freedom from a German prisoner-of-war camp. Sadly, there was no Hollywood style ending for these prisoners- of-war. The Nazis launched a massive manhunt for the daring fugitives who tunnelled their way to freedom right under their very noses from the maximum security Stalag Luft III prison near Berlin. They rounded up 73 of them and 50 were executed by the Gestapo. Only two Norwegians and a Dutchman managed to flee to safety from Nazi Germany.…

The RIGHT to life and security of the person is still violated daily in South Africa, 29 years after the fall of the apartheid regime. This is one of the key findings of the Amnesty International Report 2022/23: The State of the World’s Human Rights, published yesterday. “Violent crime continues to plague South Africa, and the right to life and security of the person, enshrined in the Constitution as well as in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), is violated daily with murder rates soaring, mass shootings, femicides and assassinations continuing unabated,” said Shenilla Mohamed, executive director of Amnesty International South Africa. The report highlighted that murder rates continue to soar, as shown in the crime statistics for October to December last year, which revealed that murders increased by…

Experts and environmental activists waging war against ocean sewage pollution from Cape Town’s marine outfalls are finding international support for their cause. Their fight was reinforced by fresh support from Norwegian and other international academics at a stakeholder engagement last week on the impact of outfalls on Cape Town’s marine environment. Numerous groups have contested the decision by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) to grant the city a 5-year permit to pump sewage into the ocean via marine outflows at Green Point, Camps Bay and Hout Bay. Local and international academics gave alarming input relating to the impacts of this discharge into the ocean at the meeting that forms part of a project funded by Sanocean, a bilateral research co-operation programme by the Research Council of…

AmaZulu FC president Sandile Zungu has revealed that veteran striker Lehlohonolo Majoro will not leave the club just yet, despite numerous reports claiming he is a free agent. The 36-year-old forward was among several high-profile players set to leave the KwaZulu-Natal club after being deemed surplus to requirements. Majoro, who joined Usuthu for the second time in 2019, was said to have left the club already, along with Keagan Buchanan and Ramahlwe Mphahlele. However, Zungu has rubbished those claims, saying that Majoro will not be leaving like the other players mentioned. Zungu stated that the club wishes to make Majoro’s exit one that befits his pedigree and influence at the Durban outfit. “Keagan Buchanan and Ramahlwe Mphahlele have departed the club already, but Lehlohlonolo Majoro hasn’t – and that’s because…

After pulling out of last year’s event on the day of his race, Wayde van Niekerk will be competing at the South African championships in the 400m this week. Athletics SA said in a statement yesterday that the 2016 Olympic champion and world record holder would feature in the one-lap event at the NWU McArthur Stadium in Potchefstroom. Van Niekerk had been training at his US camp in Florida for a number of months, but has been hard at work in his regular SA base in Bloemfontein over the last couple of days. He will begin his campaign in the 400m heats tomorrow afternoon, with the semi-finals on Friday evening and the final on Saturday afternoon. Van Niekerk’s main competition is likely to come from world junior champion Lythe Pillay.…

Springbok flyhalf Manie Libbok is excited by the challenge of facing England star Marcus Smith in Saturday’s Champions Cup last 16 encounter against Harlequins (4pm kick-off). The teams clash at Cape Town Stadium in what is expected to be a contest full of running rugby, with both sides known for a ball-in-hand approach. The exciting Libbok has been the talisman for the Stormers so far, and will look to make his mark even further when he comes face-to-face with one of England’s best No 10s. Like Libbok, Smith is known for his exciting brand of running rugby at flyhalf, and he won’t just be a massive test for the Stormers pivot, but also for the defence of the Cape side. It’s expected that Harlequins will bring their best team for…

JOHANNESBURG has the most millionaires in Africa, with 14 600, according to the latest 2023 Africa Wealth report published by Henley & Partners, in partnership with New World Wealth. This as Africa’s millionaire population is expected to rise 42% over the next 10 years. The report showed that Africa’s “Big 5” wealth markets are South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya and Morocco, which together account for 56% of the continent’s high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and more than 90% of its billionaires. There are some 138 000 HNWIs with investable wealth of $1 million (R18.26m) or more living in Africa, along with 328 centi-millionaires worth $100m or more, and 23 US dollar billionaires. Despite a tough past decade economically, South Africa is still home to more than twice as…

THE FAO GLOBAL Food Price Index, which measures the monthly change in the international prices of a basket of food commodities, averaged 129.8 points in February, down 0.6% from January and continuing its downward trend for an 11th consecutive month. With the latest decline, the index has fallen 18.7% from its peak in March last year. The marginal decline of the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Global Food Price Index in February reflected significant drops in the price indices of vegetable oils and dairy, together with fractionally lower cereals and meat indices, more than offsetting a steep rise in the sugar price index. In an encouraging development for global food inflation, the initiative on the safe transportation of grain and foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports, called the Black Sea…

EMBATTLED Murray & Roberts (M&R) shareholders saw some reprieve yesterday after the share price gained 19.19% to close at R1.18 on the JSE after the group announced an agreement to regain control of a key Australian subsidiary that went into administration. M&R, which posted an attributable loss of R2.5 billion for the six months to December 31 compared with R55 million profit a year before, had also on Monday announced plans to sell its 65% shareholding in Insig Technologies to the AvidSys Group (Avid). Insig is an Australian mining technology company, focused on developing mine automation services, providing sensor, software, and autonomous solutions. On December 5, 2022, M&R volun- tarily put its holding company in Australia, Murray & Roberts Pty Ltd (MRPL), into administration, as well as the…

Afro-pop musician Asanda “Msaki” Mvana’s extra smooth vocals on the re-imagined version of the song Ubomi Abumanga sends shivers down the spine. The new music video, titled Follow The Sunset, features sounds of nature and sees the award-winning artists Msaki and Sun-El Musician perform on Llandudno beach. It includes scenes from the rocks overlooking the ocean as the sun sets. The song is said to be a celebration of the eternal turn of the day into night, an opportunity for rest, and restoring a sense of peace. Follow The Sunset has been released on YouTube ahead of the Corona Sunsets Festival World Tour date in Cape Town on April 1, in which both artists will be appearing.…

Sexual assaults on learners continue in spite of dire consequences TEACHERS in South African public schools continue to sexually violate and assault pupils in spite of facing stiff actions and expulsions for breaching the code of conduct for teachers. This was the essence of Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga’s reply to parliamentary questions from the DA’s Desiree van der Walt. Van der Walt asked Motshekga to give details about the total number of sexual misconduct cases that were reported to the SA Council of Educators (Sace) from 2019 until last year. She also wanted to find out about the number of disciplinary proceedings instituted against the affected teachers as well as the number of teachers who were found guilty of such offences. In reply, Motshekga said in the 2019/20…

THE City of Tshwane has a mayor at last after weeks of political instability. DA caucus leader and former party MP Cilliers Brink was yesterday elected new mayor of Tshwane after he won an election against Cope’s sole councillor Ofentse Moalusi yesterday. There were at least 213 potential voters, and Brink secured 109 votes while Moalusi got 102. Two councillors abstained from voting. In his acceptance speech, Brink expressed the intention to build a city that worked for residents, and where no one would be left behind. The envisaged city, he said, must be a clean, effective, corruption-free administration and provide a continuous and reliable supply of basic services. He also impressed on his audience that the city must provide value for the money that residents pay in tariffs, charges…

An avian specialist consultant has revealed that the Bulwer’s petrel, a seabird that was stranded on a beach, was the first record of the bird in KwaZulu-Natal. According to David Allan, avian specialist consultant and previous curator of birds at the Durban Natural Science Museum, this record of a Bulwer’s petrel is a first from KwaZulu-Natal. There is apparently only one previous record of a sighting of a Bulwer’s petrel and that was from the east coast of southern Africa, off Maputo. Ann Kunz of the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (Saambr) said the seabird was recently released out at sea after spending nine days in the care of the Saambr’s animal health staff. Kunz said that Erin Geldart of Coral Divers, Sodwana, found the petrel stranded on…

In November last year, 9-year-old Caroline Smit, from Tzaneen in Limpopo, suddenly fainted, which led doctors to discover she was living with a large hole in her heart. “We had no idea Caroline had a heart condition until then, and for my wife and I, it was the start of a long and painful journey when the tests showed she needed a very urgent heart operation,” said Caroline’s father, Petrus Smit. However, thanks to a pro bono lifesaving procedure, the little girl, who wants to be a vet one day, recently underwent the procedure at the advanced paediatric cardiothoracic unit at Netcare Sunninghill Hospital in Sandton, to correct the congenital heart defect which was placing great strain on the left side of her heart and risking further permanent damage. “Caroline…

CALEB Opperman of Calvinia, Northern Cape, brought light into his grandmother Sienna Opperman’s life. But soon that light dimmed when the doctors told her Caleb is suffering from a rare type of cancer. Granny Opperman was shattered, but non-profit organisation (NPO) Choc Childhood Cancer Foundation SA stepped in and is making life a little easier for the two. It is a parent support organisation established in 1979 by parents for parents to support a child who has been diagnosed with cancer or a life-threatening blood disorder, and their family. Choc is now a registered and internationally recognised non-profit organisation, whose aim is to provide life-changing and all-embracing support programmes to both the child or teenager and their families, from the get-go, once a diagnosis has been given. The team said…

Kaizer Chiefs are reportedly on the verge of landing two of their biggest transfer targets for next season. TS Galaxy captain Given Msimango and Cape Town City attacker Mduduzi Mdantsane have agreed in principle to lucrative moves to the Naturena-based club, joining SuperSport United’s Thatayaone Ditlokwe, who will also join in the new season. Chiefs were after the signature of Mdantsane during the January transfer window with initial reports suggesting it was City who turned down Chiefs’ offer. But City coach Eric Tinkler set the record straight by saying that it was Amakhosi who pulled out at the last minute when it looked like the deal would go through. “It was literally at the last minute that Kaizer Chiefs opted not to go through with the deal, but I don’t…

The Blitzboks will most probably have a final chance at the Hong Kong Sevens this weekend and the Singapore tournament a week later to secure automatic qualification for the Olympic Games in Paris next year. After a poor showing in the North American leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series, the South Africans are seventh on the overall log on 89 points, just five shy of Australia and Fiji, who are joint fourth. Only the top four teams at the end of the series in May in London will head to Paris without having to qualify via regional tournaments for the Olympics. France, as the host nation, are the other team who qualify automatically. Hong Kong is normally not a happy hunting ground for the Blitzboks. It’s the only tournament…

THE Big South African poultry producers could be involved in uncompetitive behaviour through vertical integration, with smaller players suffering a margin squeeze from unfair price increases in chicken feed costs. The South African Competition Commission – which released a report detailing worrying price increases across bread, cooking oil and poultry products yesterday – is now closely monitoring the poultry sector to protect consumers from unfair price increases. “There appears to be evidence of margins in the poultry industry being under pressure, which may affect the long-term sustainability of small and emerging chicken producers,” the Competition Commission said in its report. South Africa has an annual per capita chicken consumption of 38 kilograms. In contrast, other meat products such as beef have lower per capita consumption of around 17kg per…

MASTER Drilling expects to perform well in the new financial year due to its long-term contracts, diversified footprint, proactive capital management and service orientation, CEO Danie Pretorius said at the release of their annual results yesterday. “Master Drilling … had a stellar year in 2022. Revenue is up 32% to $226.4 million (R4.14 billion) and cash generated was $25m. This is on the back of higher utilisation and investment in new business ventures,” he said in a statement. The group delivers drilling techno- logies and mining solutions through partner relationships with blue-chip and mid-tier clients in the mining, hydro-electric energy, civil, engineering, as well as construction sectors worldwide. Its share price closed 4.21% higher at R14.59 on the JSE yesterday, after rising steadily from R6.70 three…

Mzansi’s theatre A-listers gathered at the Oude Libertas Amphitheatre in Stellenbosch last Sunday for the 58th Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards. The event was one of many celebrating World Theatre Day globally on March 27. Contested Bodies, produced by Abrahamse and Meyer Productions, scooped the most awards after bagging 16 nominations. They won Best Director (Fred Abrahamse), Best Costume Design (Marcel Meyer) and the cast members Matthew Baldwin, Lungile Lallie and Marcel Meyer were acknowledged for Best Performance by an Ensemble. Carlo Daniels won two awards in the category Best New Director for his production No Complaints – New Day, New Dawn and Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Play in The Unlikely Secret Agent. Daniels said: “I didn’t expect this double award. This one is special to…

PUBLIC Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane stuck by her recommendation in the CR17-Bosasa report that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) should probe President Cyril Ramaphosa for possible money laundering. Continuing with her testimony, she said yesterday the complaint from former DA leader Mmusi Maimane had suspected money was transferred from one bank account to another. “During the investigation, evidence before us was showing that indeed there was a lot of money from one account to another,” she said. Mkhwebane also said the Public Protector Act has a provision that during or after completion of an investigation, her office could refer a matter to another authority for investigation. “We referred the allegation that there might be an issue of money laundering and referred it to the relevant institution responsible for prosecution…

THE Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal yesterday lashed out at Chief Justice Raymond Zondo for his “reckless utterances” when he delivered the OR Tambo Memorial Lecture at the University of Fort Hare. In his address on Friday, Justice Zondo said the failure of the ANC national executive committee to recall former president Jacob Zuma earlier than it did had cost South Africa billions of rand that were taken out of the country. He also criticised some ANC leaders, saying they did not deserve to be associated with party stalwart OR Tambo as they had prioritised their own needs at the expense of citizens. ANC KZN provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo yesterday said Justice Zondo had disregarded the separation of powers principle between the executive, judicial and legislative branches…

South Africa is the only country where the wild harvesting of abalone is illegal and lately crimes relating to it have been increasing. Abalone are found in kelp forests and rocky reefs and play an important part in the marine ecosystem by helping to stabilise the community structure of these marine habitats. But wild abalone harvesting without a permit is prohibited by South Africa. It has extremely rich, flavourful, and highly valued meat that is considered a culinary delicacy and it is often offered live in the shell, frozen, or canned, and is among the world’s most expensive seafood. According to Mongabay, South African abalone (Haliotis midae) is an endemic species that only occurs in South Africa. Abalone is a high-value product, easy to access and found along…

Twitter CEO Elon Musk said yesterday that only verified accounts will be allowed to appear in “For You recommendations”, from next month. Musk tweeted: “Starting on April 15, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations. This is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless, losing battle. Voting in polls will require verification for same reason.” “It’s okay to have verified bot accounts if they follow the terms of service and don’t impersonate a human.” Several users expressed their thoughts. When one user said: “You need to invest money into talent and AI tech to detect bots on the platform. This isn’t the way to go. It could tarnish the platform.” Musk replied: “My prediction is…

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu, while giving closing remarks at the Sexual Reproductive Justice Conference, said reproductive justice was everyone’s responsibility. Zulu officially unveiled the second report of the High-Level Commission (HLC) on the Nairobi Summit on International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25) follow-up titled “Sexual and reproductive justice as the vehicle to deliver the Nairobi Summit commitments”. She said the month’s celebrations presented a space to deepen and celebrate the rights to equality, human dignity, freedom of movement and residence, language and culture, and right to life. But Zulu said there could never be a celebration of all these rights without reflecting on what made sexual and reproductive justice. “The concept of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights touch e on various issues including pregnancy, childbirth, sexual orientation,…

And breathe! Bafana Bafana produced a spirited performance to overcome Liberia 2-1 at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex last night to book their place at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast. The South African men’s football side ensured they will definitely finish above Liberia regardless of the results against Morocco for both teams, and will return to the continental showpiece for the first time since 2019. Zakhele Lepasa, who surprisingly started the game ahead of last Saturday’s two-goal hero Lyle Foster, broke the deadlock for Bafana with a well taken goal in the 19th minute. The 26-year-old forward was delightfully played through over the top of the Liberia defence, and after composing himself, he did well to guide home against the on-rushing goalkeeper, putting…

Closing in on 39, Bismarck du Plessis has seen most things on a rugby field. He is longing for his farm in the eastern Free State region, so much so that he didn’t really want to be drawn on his controversial yellow card for a clean-out on Ulster flyhalf Billy Burns in last weekend’s 32-23 United Rugby Championship (URC) defeat in Belfast. “I think we should keep ourselves to the game on Sunday, rather than talk about officiating and the IRB rulings and stuff like that, because like I said, if you phone me in a few months’ time and I am on the farm with my kids, I will give you my 100% co-operation,” the veteran hooker said from France yesterday. “I’ve never been somebody who looks at my…