Table of contents for 2024-02-06 in Star

THE GOVERNMENT yesterday outlined measures it hopes will deal with the crime, energy and logistics problems that are seriously crimping investment, profitability and output in mining. President Cyril Ramaphosa said at the Mining Indaba in Cape Town yesterday that securing the supply of electri- city was the first of four objectives being implemented to develop the sector and make it more competitive. Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe said at the event that commodity price volatility, high energy prices, geopolitical tensions and a global cost of living crisis were dampening the business environment for mining companies. Also, locally, the energy crisis and port and rail bottlenecks had put pressure on miners’ operational costs. Illegal mining, cable theft and infrastructure vandalism also placed a further strain on mining output and…

THE FARMERS’ protests continuing in various regions of Europe are creating concern among South African agriculturalists as to what implications this could have for local production and exports, according to the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz). Wandile Sihlobo, the chief econo- mist at Agbiz, said yesterday that according to various media reports, the protests mainly centred on the declining EU agricultural subsidies, the environmental policy to reduce chemicals and fertiliser use, and the need for protection against imports. Overall, the outcomes of the EU farm protests would be consequential to South Africa, mainly the fruit, wine and beef industries with a specific interest in deepening trade with the EU region. “More importantly, the environmental laws in the EU, because of the importance and influence of the area in the world, will…

Renergen, owner and operator of South Africa's inaugural onshore production project for liquid natural gas and helium, announced yesterday that Mahlako Gas Energy’s investment in the energy company is set to proceed, with all necessary conditions fulfilled. Renergen said it was pleased to announce that following the announcement published on December 27, 2023, wherein the signature of the agreement by Mahlako Gas Energy to invest into the company’s primary asset, the Virginia Gas Project, via investing in a 5.5% equity stake in Tetra4 for R550 million was announced, all conditions precedent have now been satisfied, and cash would be settled into the company's accounts as per the agreement. All material and commercial terms of the transaction, including inter alia the put and security arrangements, had been fully disclosed. CEO…

South Africa has regressed significantly under President Cyril Ramaphosa, as is evident from the highest level of load shedding citizens are being subjected to, Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink said yesterday. “Under Ramaphosa, the country experienced more load shedding than ever before, the extent of the lockdown, unemployment, and more businesses closing. “He throttled the economy, he made it very difficult for municipal consumers to pay for their services,” said Brink. He was responding to Ramaphosa’s comments at the weekend during the voter registration drive, when he told Mamelodi residents they found themselves in unfortunate circumstances due to the metro’s inability to provide services. The president said most complaints he got from residents were about water and non-working transformers in the area. It was the municipality’s responsibility to provide water, take…

A CABLE thief was shot dead in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, after engaging in gunfire with City Power’s private security guards. The confrontation occurred on Vermont Street in Eldorado Park on Friday, where City Power security personnel were investigating a reported cable theft. “When they arrived at the scene of the crime, one of the suspects pulled a pistol and fired shots at security officers,” City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said. “The armed officers fired back and the suspect was fatally wounded. A murder inquest has been opened at the Eldorado Park police station,” he said. A second suspect at the scene was apprehended unharmed. Found with copper cable and 500 LED streetlight covers suspected to have been stolen from a local school, the 22-year-old man is now facing charges…

The Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens better known as “AmaPanyaza” will now train under the supervision of the SANDF to fight crime in the province. This was announced by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi in a tweet on Sunday on his official X account. In his tweet, he said it was not a joke that the provincial government would take crime activities head-on to ensure that the public was safe and protected. “Ready to be handed over to the South African National Defence Force for proper training. “Go and make us proud young men and women. We will fight crime in Gauteng and we mean it,” the post read. Speaking to IOL, his spokesperson, Sizwe Pamla, said the wardens received training from different departments for different roles and the army would be…

Over the past years, World Cancer Day on February 4 has held significance in increasing awareness of early detection to reduce cancer-related cases. It is reported that cancer is the second-greatest cause of mortality worldwide, one that affects millions of people, and presents enormous obstacles for societies and health-care systems around the globe. Bada Pharasi, CEO of the Innovative Pharmaceutical Association of South Africa, and Zodwa Sithole, head of advocacy at the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa), consider the difficulties South Africa is facing in the fight against cancer. Sithole and Pharasi also focus on what can be done to improve patient access to innovative treatments for cancer. They state that numerous obstacles hinder access to cutting-edge innovative medicines for combating cancer, but the path to saving millions of…

King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has said he wants to wrest control of the Ingonyama Trust Board from the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reform. King Misuzulu said he was hopeful that the KwaZulu-Natal government would come up with practical solutions and measures to protect the lives of amakhosi, who were targeted daily. The king said he wanted amakhosi to play a more significant and hands-on role in the governance of the Ingonyama Trust. He is holding consultations on whether it is still necessary for the Ingonyama Trust to be under the auspices of the minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development 30 years into democracy. “Are amakhosi that illiterate and incapable of running their own affairs that they must still report to a minister sitting in Cape Town about their…

Walid Regragui will continue as Morocco coach, in spite of their Africa Cup of Nations failure, the national football federation said in a statement yesterday. Hopes were high for the Atlas Lions in the Ivory Coast after Regragui had led them to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a first for any African nation. After finishing top of their group with two wins and a draw, however, Morocco lost 2-0 to South Africa in the round of 16, which “caused disappointment”, the federation said in the statement. “I failed. It’s my failure, not the players,” said Regragui, who had previously said he would step down if Moroccan did not at least reach the quarter-finals. But the 48-year-old head coach will remain in place with the Moroccan federation…

After MultiChoice spurns the R105 per share valuation there may be little alternative FRENCH entertainment giant Canal+ may be forced to make a mandatory offer for MultiChoice if it decides against raising its R105 per share offer that has been turned down by the South African operator of DStv. MultiChoice said yesterday that its board had considered and decided against the offer by Canal+ as the R105 offered significantly undervalued the company, which also has operations across Africa and offers streaming services via Showmax. “After careful consideration, the board has concluded that the proposed offer price of R105 in cash significantly undervalues the group and its future prospects. MultiChoice has recently conducted a valuation exercise, which has valued MultiChoice significantly above R105 a share,” MultiChoice said yesterday. There was widespread…

SOUTH Africa’s steel industry has revived its call for the government to end the ban on scrap metal exports after more than a year, saying it was threatening to collapse the whole industry. The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) yesterday encouraged Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Ebrahim Patel not to take a narrow and short-term view on the decision on the way forward regarding the scrap metal regulations. This is in anticipation of Patel’s decision on the way forward regarding the scrap metal regulations and following the extended public comment period, which closed last month. In November 2022, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) imposed a ban on the exports of ferrous and copper scrap in a bid to reduce the theft…

IN BETWEEN the noise, Elon Musk has been leading a team that has managed to plant wires on a human brain. The wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) developed by one of Musk’s companies, Neuralink, seeks to evalu- ate the safety of the implant and surgical robot and assess the initial functionality of the BCI for enabling people with quadriplegia and difficulty of movement to control external devices with their thoughts. If they succeed, in the near future, human beings will have the ability to issue commands to computers via their thoughts. In simple terms, this means that one day, our brains will carry out functions that were executed by keyboards and computer mouses. Our thoughts will enable us to make phone calls and we could even open doors just by thinking…

Sentiment within the manufacturing industry in South Africa has remained optimistic about an improvement in economic conditions that could drive up demand in 2024 after business activity plunged for the fifth month in a row in January. The S&P Global South Africa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) remained in contractionary territory in January as demand levels continued to worsen at the start of 2024, signalling the sharpest drop in new order volumes in a year. S&P said yesterday that the PMI ticked up from 49.0 index points in December to 49.2 in January, indicating a slight decline in the sector’s performance for the second month running. The S&P PMI is similar to that of Absa, which plunged as demand and activity faltered, while new vehicle sales and exports also declined to…

Retail sales across Vukile Property Fund’s rural, township and urban shopping centres quickened during the festive season, the company, which owns shopping malls and other properties, said yesterday, although analysts said this masked the company’s less rosy performance in South Africa compared with other real estate investment trusts (Reits). Vukile said sales volumes at its township shopping centres led its overall performance for the period after notching up growth of 13.2%, followed by rural shopping centres that were 7% stronger and urban shopping centres that returned a 4.5% uplift. “Vukile’s SA property portfolio’s sales only grew 2.6% for calendar year 2023. That’s very poor and considerably worse than other retail Reits,” posted The Passive Income guy (@hazelwood_dave) on social media platform X. In the 2023 calendar year, Vukile said sales…

Pop superstar Taylor Swift set another record on Sunday, winning the Grammy award for album of the year for an unprecedented fourth time as women dominated the music industry’s top honours. Swift also announced from the Grammys stage that she would release a new album in April. The 34-year-old won album of the year for Midnights, eclipsing music legends Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder, who each claimed the prize three times. Swift said she was thrilled by the honour and gushed about the fulfilment she feels from writing and singing songs. “It makes me so happy,” she said. All I want to do is keep doing this.” Earlier, Swift claimed the prize for best pop vocal performance and used the moment to announce that she will release The…

The first State witness in the trial of serial rapist and killer accused, Sifiso Mkhwanazi, has told the court of a foul smell coming from the Joburg CBD warehouse. Yesterday, the State called its first witness in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court to testify against the 21-year-old who is facing six counts of murder, seven of rape and several other charges he allegedly committed between April and October 2022. Michael Damien, the building caretaker employed by New City Estate, responsible for managing the building where the remains of the six sex workers were discovered, testified on the stand yesterday. Asked how often he does his inspections, he said he visited the buildings Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 10am. While conducting an assessment of the property on October 9,…

Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla has announced that a review of their approach to employing medical doctors and specialists would be conducted, in the wake of mounting concerns over the rising numbers of unemployed doctors in the country. Speaking at a briefing in Hatfield, Pretoria, earlier yesterday, the minister said his department would review the current employment status of doctors to establish whether there were areas where funds could be reassigned to enable the employment of more health professionals. Phaahla added that they would in addition appeal to the finance minister to assist with better budget allocations, highlighting how an increase in the number of health-care professionals would also reduce the workload of those already employed in the sector. The update by the minister came after unions representing health-care professionals…

EMBATTLED businessman Edwin Sodi’s companies linked to a R295 million tender to upgrade Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant could be blacklisted from doing business with the government, should Tshwane municipal manager Johann Mettler have his way with the National Treasury. This comes after Mettler announced that he submitted a request to the National Treasury to restrict from the central database of suppliers both NJR Projects and Blackhead Consulting companies, which were contracted for the Rooiwal upgrades. The two companies are linked to Sodi. Mettler said: “At my discretion as an accounting officer and in line with the relevant legislation, I have requested the Treasury to impose restrictions on the said companies as well as their directors to prohibit them, as suppliers, from doing business with the public sector.” He said the…

Ingredients 4 cloves garlic, minced 30ml (2 tbs) salted butter 15ml (1 tbs) olive oil 100g cream cheese 5ml (1 tsp) Dijon mustard 10ml Robertsons Paprika 125ml (½ cup) seafood stock 30ml lemon juice 30ml Parmesan, finely grated 30ml Italian Parsley, finely chopped 500g mixed seafood, half-shell mussels, white fleshed fish, prawns and calamari or octopus, cleaned and steamed Robertsons Salt & Pepper to taste Method Get a cast-iron skillet on to the stove at a medium heat, sauté the garlic in the butter and oil until soft. Add the cream cheese, Dijon mustard, Robertsons Paprika & seafood stock. Whisk together to combine. Stir in the lemon juice, Parmesan and half the parsley. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the steamed seafood and pasta, using tongs, make sure that all is…

As the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference, the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) in Dubai drew to a close, the air was thick with determination among the 200 delegates. Acknowledging that the era of fossil fuels was on its last legs, they collectively pledged to hasten its demise. This was heralded as “the beginning of the end” for coal, oil and natural gas. The nails and hammers were poised to pound the coffin of a sure- to-be- dead fossil fuel industry. The conference culminated in a comprehensive agreement known as the “global stocktake”. This ambitious strategy set forth key objectives: tripling renewable energy capacity, doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030, expediting the reduction of coal power without carbon capture, and intensifying efforts to shift away from fossil…

Arsenal blew the Premier League title race wide open with a 3-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday to close within two points of the leaders. Manchester City were not in action until last night, when they travelled to Brentford, but could now go top if they win their two games in hand. Chelsea were on the end of a 4-1 thrashing by Liverpool on Wednesday and a woeful week for Mauricio Pochettino was rounded off by a 4-2 home defeat to Wolves. Manchester United, though, are showing signs of life as they beat West Ham 3-0 to go sixth. Here, we look at three talking points from the Premier League weekend. Gunners rise to the occasion Arsenal are aiming to end a 20-year wait to win the title and appear…

ZAMBIA is aiming to produce 3 million tons of copper per annum within a decade from 830 000 tons currently, the Zambian Minister of Mines and Minerals Development, Paul Kabuswe, told an audience at this year’s African Mining Indaba 2024 in Cape Town yesterday. “Mining currently accounts for 12% of GDP, 70% of foreign exchange earnings and 30% of government earnings, but we aim to expand copper mining substantially in the next decade as Zambia is open for business and investors are rushing in,” he said. KoBold Metals said yesterday in an announcement in the Financial Times that it had found Zambia’s largest copper deposit in a century. It said the Mingomba project was likely to become one of the world’s top three high-grade copper mines. In addition, First…

FAILURE has always intrigued me. That’s partly because, as a (mainly) avid student of life, setbacks have tended to be a richer source of learning and insight relative to success. There’s also the awkward reality that, as an entrepreneur, I’ve experienced far more failure than success, which, when you think about it, is probably true for most entrepreneurs across Africa. I generally bristle at our post-modern culture’s obsession with winning. It’s fair to say that the world has capi- talism coverage a la Media USA to thank for enthusiastically helping to mainstream this now global fascination. Think catchy headlines and coverage angles pedalled by everyone from publishers like the New York Times and TechCrunch to cable news networks like Fox and CNN. Local and foreign media covering Africa’s early-stage tech…

Italtile, the tile, sanitaryware, decor and design accessories importer, retailer and wholesaling group, said headline earnings per share (Heps) were expected to de- crease by between 13.1% and 17% in the six months to December 31, 2023. Heps was expected to be between 68.8 cents to 65.8c, compared with 79.2c at the end of the same period a year before. Earn- ings per share was also expected to fall between 13% and 16.8%, to between 69.2c and 66.1c from 79.5c at the same time a year before. On the X social media platform, Smalltalkdaily Research (@small- talkdaily) said: “The residential & home renovation market has been out of favour for nearly 2-years; we all know the reasons why … Sector just needs a glimmer of hope for a tiny…

In the lead-up to rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes’s one year death anniversary, the Forbes family continue to keep his memory alive. The family announced the launch of the Kiernan Forbes Foundation. On Instagram, via the award-winning rapper’s page, they posted: “Through the @kiernanforbesfoundation, the Forbes family intend to honour @akaworldwide by building on and living his legacy of inspiration to make meaningful and empowering contributions to society.” It added that the platform will be used to develop young talent in the music industry through education. “Kiernan Jarryd Forbes is an inspiration to many. His music gives pleasure to many and his own journey as a musician has inspired up-and-coming artists to be bold, creative, hard working and to use music to tell their stories. “Kiernan truly loved his country and…

Music sensation Tyla won her first Grammy award on Sunday. The 22-year-old took home the Best African Music Performance award for her hit song Water. She beat African global superstars Burna Boy, Davido and Ayra Starr and her South African “brother” Musa Keys, in the coveted category. Not one to shy away from showing the world that she is proudly South African, on accepting the award Tyla used the most South African expression ever, shouting: “What the heck!” She never thought that she’d win a Grammy at just 22. Tyla now joins other South African Grammy award winners Zakes Bantwini, Black Coffee, Wouter Kellerman, Nomcebo Zikode, Eddie Kramer, Dave Matthews, Phil Ramone, Trevor Rabin, Lebo M, Soweto Gospel Choir, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Miriam Makeba. While some fans were extremely…

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has hinted at yet another possible legal action against Lily Mine, in a bid to retrieve the bodies of the three mine workers who died eight years ago, on February 5, 2016. Speaking at an event in Barberton, Mpumalanga held to commemorate the deaths of three – Yvonne Mnisi, Pretty Nkambule, and Solomon Nyirenda – who have remained entombed underground for eight years – Mashaba said he had consulted his lawyers on the next move to be taken against the mine. “Of course I can’t reveal at this stage what will be our next step. However, I have been speaking to the lawyers and we will be in a position to announce what legal steps we will be taking in the next few days,” Mashaba said.…

A witness testifying at the Commission of Inquiry into the Marshalltown Building fire has told chairperson of the commission, Justice Sisi Khampepe, that one of the water tankers had no water while another tanker had half a load of water. Yesterday, Siphamandla Sibiya said that on arrival, the firefighters from the two tankers were unable to help the residents and never showed eagerness to help. “They stood idle, doing nothing for almost an hour, and only started showing interest in their work once the sun was starting to come up. “Other firefighters started to arrive and they then started to work. By then, the raging fire had caused considerable damage. “In my opinion, had they been fully prepared and ready to work, many lives would have been saved. “When I…

The emergence of social media platforms and online job portals has made it easier to find your ideal job, but it has also given rise to fraudsters who prey on job seekers desperate for work. Larisha Naidoo, the head of Zimele, Anglo American’s enterprise and supplier development division, has provided advice on how to be safe online while applying for jobs and outlined red flags to look out for. Awareness is essential since scammers deploy sophisticated strategies, she said. Sumsub’s third annual Identity Fraud Report states that South Africa saw a 1 200% rise in deep-fake frauds in the past year where people steal images to impersonate them and even manipulate their voice to sound like them. “So it’s crucial to stay informed and exercise caution throughout your job…

The DA is giving President Cyril Ramaphosa five days to open a case of corruption against his deputy, Paul Mashatile. The DA says Mashatile has been involved in many cases of corruption dating from the time he was minister of human settlements but continues to have more scandals exposed even now as deputy president of the country. No one can blame the DA, as we all know that Ramaphosa, on becoming president, promised South Africans a clean government free of any form of corruption, that all those who were implicated in state capture would be prosecuted for destroying the economy of the country and the money that was lost would be recouped. However, DA leader John Steenhuisen should be well aware that there is something seriously wrong with his approach…

Ireland’s emphatic Six Nations defeat of France at the weekend has underlined how tough they will be when they tour South Africa in July. Independent Media has been exploring the options available to Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus in a series that has so far covered positions 15 to 11. Today, we look at flyhalf. The incumbent: Handre Pollard Pollard came into the Springbok World Cup squad through the back door, and he was walking on water by the end of the tournament. Originally left out of the 33-man squad because of injury, he was called up to replace the injured Malcolm Marx. After cameos against Tonga, France and England, he started in the final against New Zealand and his kicking arguably won the World Cup. The contenders: Manie Libbok, Sanele…

THERE have always been double standards in sport, and depending on your status or position in the hierarchy, you are either a lotus-eater or find yourself on the receiving end of all the negativity. In cricket, the ‘big three’ – India, England and Australia – can enjoy the luxury of not worrying about practical concerns, and thus they get away with a lot of what the smaller nations usually get slaughtered for. A prime example is how, despite losing a Test match in India yesterday, a Ben Stokes-led England are being praised for being “bold” and “brave”. India, meanwhile, toured South Africa during the festive season and came with an opener, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had played only two Tests in a move viewed as being one for the future,…