Innehållsförteckning för 2022-04-21 från Star

ESKOM yesterday painted a gloomy picture of the country’s energy stability ahead of winter, but strenuously dismissed energy analysts’ concerns of a total system collapse. In a state of the system briefing, Eskom chief executive Andre de Ruyter said Eskom had a 50 Hertz buffer that was safeguarded by safety measures, which gave the utility “headroom of up to stage 8 load-shedding”. Power systems operate at a specific frequency. This protects the national grid against total collapse, which, if it happened, would plunge the whole country into darkness for a week at least. “We have never had that possibility in South Africa, perhaps we would have to look further afield for the experience of what a blackout is like. There is an incident in New York in 1978 and…

OLD MUTUAL has announced a R2.8 billion broad-based black economic empowerment ownership scheme named Bula Tsela, to its staff and the black public, which will take its BBBEE ownership to more than 30 percent. The transaction would result in an approximate 4 percent increase in the BBBEE shareholding in Old Mutual, a statement from the 177-year-old life assurance and financial services group said yesterday. When Old Mutual did its “managed separation” from its former UK base and operations in 2018, it made a commitment to the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition to achieve a B-BBEE ownership percentage of at least 25 percent by June 2021, which was achieved. It also committed to be best in class (measured at that time) within five years or by…

Johnny Depp accused Amber Heard of giving “grossly embellished” accounts of his substance abuse. The 58-year-old actor is suing his ex-wife for defamation over a Washington Post oped she wrote, in which she referred to herself as a victim of domestic violence, and she has counter- sued her former spouse, with the legal battle taking place in Virginia. On Tuesday, Depp took the stand at Fairfax County Courthouse, and though he admitted to developing an addiction to pain medication following an injury on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean 4, taking his mother’s “nerve pills” from the age of just 11, and indulging in various substances over the years to “numb myself of the ghosts, the wraiths that were still with me from my youth”, he insisted the Aquaman…

DA FEDERAL Council chairperson Helen Zille’s “outrageous” comments that it was better to be poor in Langa, Cape Town, than in other townships is a slap in the face for Langa residents, many of whom lost everything in a recent fire, says Human Settlements Deputy Minister Pam Tshwete. She said Zille’s statement seemed to justify and glorify informal dwelling in the Western Cape. “No one wants to live in informal settlements. To say living in the latter in Cape Town is better as compared to other townships in the country is a slap in the face for Joe Slovo informal settlement dwellers who recently lost their structures as a result of fire and are currently displaced,” said Tshwete. Zille has been under fire since the comments she made during a…

WHILE the family of the late Matwetwe actor Sibusiso Khwinana were geared up to hear the fate of his killer, Julius Lucas, the Tanzanian fired his lawyer as he wanted to “satisfy his heart”. North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, Judge Portia Phahlane was ready to hear arguments in mitigation of sentence yesterday followed by delivering her sentence when Lucas announced that he no longer wanted his Legal Aid South Africa-appointed lawyer. Lucas was convicted of murder and robbery in February, which took place outside Sterland in Pretoria’s CBD. The court accepted the evidence of three witnesses that he was the man who stabbed Khwinana outside the movie theatre complex that night and robbed him of his cellphone. But as his jail time was looming, Lucas suddenly told the court yesterday,…

REMAKING old classics into contemporary style is a fashionable way for artists to keep the songs alive. In South Africa, more artists have joined this wave, giving each hit song a new flair that will spark fresh interest for listeners. Popular long-standing record label Gallo has chosen music icon Theo Kgosinkwe, along with De Mogul SA, to give a new spin to one of their old classics, Khomba Ra Mina, by music legend Paul Ndlovu. The music duo add to the list of artists who have been part of Gallo Remixed in reimagining songs, taking up the challenge of bringing this song into a new era bridging Tsonga disco, Afropop and amapiano. The Gallo record company celebrates its 95th birthday by reimagining valued African hits from Gallo’s catalogue for a…

As we count the days to the Cotton Fest, people are buzzing with anticipation for an event that won’t only be entertainment but a celebration of the late Rikhado “Riky Rick” Makhado’s extraordinary creativity. Apart from his musical legacy, the Cotton Fest is one of his greatest achievements, a demonstration of his deep-rooted affinity for the world of fashion. We spoke to festival director Alain Ferrier, who was Riky’s business partner, to give us a glimpse of what people can expect this year. “We are doing a tribute show each night for him, hosted and curated by his band. So his wife and the band have been working together with a couple of the collaborating artists to do a special tribute set for each night on the Cotton stage.” This…

AS WE are well aware, Covid-19 caught the world off guard and as it grew into a global pandemic all industries were affected, none of them in a good way. The car manufacturing industry was hit particularly badly across all spheres; sales slumped, plants shut down and a semiconductor shortage ensued, making things very difficult for the industry. Cars launched at the end of 2019 also had to play second fiddle as we grappled with an unseen enemy. One of those is the Mercedes-Benz GLB. We attended the international launch in Spain in December 2019 and as quickly as the hype around it picked up, it died down when news of Covid started to make the headlines. Which is why Mercedes-Benz South Africa invited us for a drive of the…

YOU forget how popular Renault’s Duster is. That is until you’re in one and you seem to notice them more often. And it makes sense with more than 23 000 units sold locally since 2013 and two million globally. A friend recently advised his in-laws to purchase one based on the flawless service his parents have received from theirs and I suspect there may be many more such stories. It’s a very good package overall and despite one or two French quirks like the cruise control and speed limiter button placed in the centre console, the SUV has a lot going for it. Most notably fuel consumption. Recently much has been said about EVs and especially hybrid vehicles but what hasn’t been raised is the efficiency of small diesel engines.…

AKANI Simbine has bigger-picture plans in 2022, but he still intends to “dominate” at the Athletics South Africa national championships in Cape Town today. The 28-year-old will contest the 100m event at the Green Point Athletics Stadium throughout today. The heats start at 10.30am, while the semi-finals begin at 2.45pm. The gun for the final will go off at 4.10pm. Simbine has opted for a fresh approach this season, sitting out the first few ASA Grand Prix meetings and running a 300m and 200m race before his lone 100m in Germiston last week. He finished second to Kenya’s African record-holder Ferdinand Omanyala, who won in a superb 9.98 seconds. Simbine’s 10.11 was not to be sniffed at, though, considering where he is in his programme at the moment. The two-time…

ANGLO American chief executive Mark Cutifani stepped down from the helm after a nine-year tenure at the world’s largest mining firm. In his swan song, he said leading the company had been “quite a ride”. Under Cutifani’s leadership, Anglo American share price has risen from R223 a share when he joined the company in April 2013 to R800 in intrady trade yesterday. During the group’s 2022 annual general meeting (AGM) held on Tuesday, and outlined in a statement yesterday, Cutifani said it had been a great privilege to lead the company for nine years. “I am grateful to have had the unwavering support of Stuart (Chambers, the chairperson of Anglo American) and the board for what I and your management team have been seeking to accomplish. “I also wish…

QUILTER plc, the UK-based advice, investments and wealth management company, said yesterday that the outbreak of conflict in Ukraine had created uncertainty in its markets in the quarter to end-March 31 after strong early net funds flow momentum. The company said in a trading statement yesterday, however, that gross and net flows remained resilient, despite this uncertainty, and net inflows of £1 billion (about R19.29bn) were in line with those of the same period in 2021, and this represented 4 percent of opening. “Net inflows in the first two months of the year were comfortably ahead of the comparable period in 2021, but the invasion of Ukraine in late February dampened investor sentiment for most of March. “Our resilient overall performance throughout this period has underlined the strength…

Police Minister Bheki Cele has introduced top SAPS members to deal with the spates of violent clashes that left one person dead and five others injured in Soweto with immediate effect. Cele gave police at least 48 hours to arrest those who committed the murder and attempted murder. “Our top priority is that those who committed this murder must be arrested at least in the next 48 hours. I am told that this was a peaceful march, nothing provoked them but they killed an innocent life. As police, it is our job to investigate and protect the communities,” said Cele. Cele said this during his visit and addressing a group of Kliptown community members yesterday, following shooting incidents that left “Operation Dudula” member Kgomotso Diale dead and five others injured.…

CONVICTED insurance serial killer Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu made another appearance in court yesterday, this time for plotting to murder her former boss – an officer investigating her – from behind bars. Ndlovu appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court, neatly dressed with fresh make-up. She stands accused of plotting the murder of her former station commander, Nthipe Boloka, as well as the investigating officer who gathered evidence against her, Benneth Mabunda. Ndlovu was not alone in the dock. She was joined by her friend Nomsa Mudau, who was a police officer at the Norkem Park police station. Mudau and Ndlovu are accused of conspiring to murder Justice Mudau, Nomsa’s husband. Justice was present in court yesterday and he told the media that he was relieved that his ex-wife was finally…

The beautiful mountainous backdrop of Simon’s Restaurant in Groot Constantia provided the setting for the celebration of International Chinese Language Day, organised and hosted by the Confucius Institute at UWC. The Confucius Institute is a collaborative programme with two Chinese universities, Zhejiang Normal University and Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. The goal is to establish academic exchange and co-operation and also promote the Chinese language and culture to the local community, which will strengthen the mutual understanding of China and South Africa to enhance the relationship between the two countries. Ling Lin, language instructor for the Confucius Institute, spoke about why the collaboration between the universities started. “It started because the universities wanted more than an academic exchange and an exchange of students. We want students from China to come here…

Pregnancy and childbirth should be a joyous event, often long anticipated. Everyone involved should therefore ensure that pregnancies are planned and that everything possible is done to ensure that women are healthy during their pregnancy and are able to have a safe and respectful delivery. Deaths of women during pregnancy or childbirth therefore should always result in significant introspection, especially on the part of the health system. South Africa has had high maternal mortality rates for decades. In 1998 it was estimated by the Demographic and Health Survey that of every 100 000 live births, 150 women died in childbirth. The HIV epidemic, however, contributed to a massive increase in maternal deaths through the next decade and by 2010 it was estimated that 270 women died for every 100 000…

Suzuki’s recently launched Celerio is a completely new version, redesigned from the ground up with an impressive list of achievements. It’s the most fuel-efficient petrol five-door hatchback in South Africa. It’s the most fuel-efficient Suzuki in South Africa and the most fuel-efficient petrol car under R230 000. It’s the most affordable car locally with ESP (electronic stability programme) and also the only entry-level car with an auto stop/start system. The Celerio now runs on a new version of Suzuki’s HEARTECT platform, which also does duty in the popular Swift as well as the soon-to-be launched Baleno. The platform has allowed the wheels to be moved to the outermost corners of the car and also dropped the weight to 805kg. Powering the lightweight is Suzuki’s DualJet engine, which is new…

RAMADAAN, the Muslim month of fasting, changed my life. Not because of any holiness on my part. As a Christian, the closest I come to a day-long fast is to give up chocolate for Lent. Instead, it was during Ramadaan in 2006 that I was invited to an “iftar” dinner at a Philadelphia hotel. Iftar is the sunset meal that Muslims celebrate to break their day-long abstinence from food and drink. I was invited by people inspired by Fethullah Gülen – the Muslim preacher and scholar who has inspired a global movement called “Hizmet”, which means “service” in Turkish. Now, 16 years later, I look back and realise that that iftar changed my life for the better in countless ways. From the outside, the month of Ramadaan…

MEN’S tennis world number two Daniil Medvedev is set to be barred from this year’s Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament as The Times reported organisers are to ban Russian and Belarus players due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian and Belarusian players have been able to continue to compete in ATP and WTA events under a neutral flag since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. It was believed this would extend to the three remaining Grand Slam events – though the ITF banned both countries’ teams from the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup. However, The Times says sources have told them that after almost two months of talks Wimbledon organisers prefer to ban the players rather than adhere to a compromise solution offered by the British government. That…

THE SOUTH African Reserve Bank (SARB) could increase interest rates aggressively for the remainder of the year as consumer prices are expected to remain elevated underpinned by an increase in fuel prices. Data from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) yesterday showed that consumer prices continued to increase in March due to rising global oil and food prices as a result of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Stats SA said the annual inflation rate in South Africa rose to 5.9 percent in March from 5.7 percent in February, and just below the upper limit of the SARB’s monetary policy target range of 6 percent. This consumer price index (CPI) print also marked the 11th consecutive month in which annual inflation has been higher than the midpoint…

MASTER Drilling yesterday told its shareholders in its annual report that it continued to show resilience in its growth path notwithstanding a challenging year due to the pandemic’s lasting effect on the global economy. Last month, the company posted its results for the year ended December 31, 2021. The group posted record revenue in US dollars, up 40 percent to $171.8 million (R2.55 billion), while cash from operating activities increased by 27.5 percent to $32.5m. “Free cash was invested sensibly with the long-term growth plan in mind. We are pleased with the group’s financial position, as this will help us confidently face the uncertainty of future trading conditions,” chief executive Danie Pretorius and Hennie van der Merwe said in their statements in the annual report. In the…

As mayor Mpho Phalatse delivers her maiden State of the City address (Soca) for Joburg today, tensions between her and city manager Floyd Brink are high over the suspension of the city’s anti-corruption unit head, Shadrack Sibiya. Sibiya, who is also the head of Johannesburg Group Forensic Investigation Services (GFIS), was suspended after controversies about him not being in possession of a clearance certificate from State Security to occupy his position and that due process was ignored during his appointment. Sibiya is also accused of gathering intelligence by illegal means. Councillors have complained that a “rogue unit” is operational, where information is sourced illegally, phones are tapped and “foreign” stripping devices are used against councillors and staff who don’t agree with the DA. The Star has seen a strongly worded…

The Star is collecting non-perishable foods, clothes and blankets to help the displaced and homeless people of KwaZulu-Natal following days of floods. As of Sunday evening, 443 people were confirmed dead with 63 people still missing. Rescue efforts are continuing but thousands of people are displaced and homeless. Please deliver aid to The Star’s offices or call the editor and deputy editor. Our team will pick up the goods from all over the country. No offering is too big or too small. The people of KZN need us more than ever right now.…

I am sure many in KZN, and the country must be wondering, like me, about the devastating floods that have ravaged our province. So many deaths, so much destruction, and so many left heartbroken to see their homes damaged and destroyed. If you feel sorry for the homeowners in the suburbs, then what about those living in the jondols, who watched in disbelief their tin shacks and all their meagre belongings washed away by the angry waters? Floods in Durban have become a regular occurrence. There have been numerous floods over the years, and it's getting worse each time. Before we rush and give it a biblical explanation, we must look at what really causes such catastrophic floods. While climate change is having a major impact all over…

What is ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)? ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviours (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active. Children with ADHD often have problems with sitting still, staying focused, following instructions, staying organised, and completing homework. While this may not be considered a learning disability, it can certainly disrupt learning. The exact cause of ADHD is not clear. Symptoms sometimes lessen with age. However, some children never completely outgrow their ADHD symptoms. While treatment won’t cure ADHD, it can help a great deal with symptoms. Treatment typically involves medications and behavioural interventions.…

There is cheap and nasty, and then there is cheap and cheerful. Given that the Suzuki S-Presso is one of South Africa’s least expensive new cars, one might expect it to fall into the former camp, but after spending a week with one recently we feel that it falls onto the cheerful side of that spectrum. Don’t get us wrong, this car has its fair share of foibles. But compared to some of its rivals, such as the Renault Kwid, the S-Presso is still a fairly decent car for the money. Regardless of what you think of the styling, you’ll have to admit the packaging is impressive, and this is what we’ve come to expect from modern Suzukis built on the Heartect platform. It’s tiny, measuring just 3 565mm…

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has conceded that Morocco are the best team in Group K of 2023 Afcon qualifying. Bafana have been drawn in the same group as Morocco and will also play against Zimbabwe and Liberia. Morocco are ranked second on the continent on the latest Fifa standings while South Africa are 13th. “It’s clear that Morocco is the best team in our group. They were in the Afcon in January and were eliminated by Egypt – they are a very good team,” said Broos. Ranked 24th in the world ratings that were released at the end of March, Morocco will play at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar this year. They boast several players who play in Europe’s top five leagues such as Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi,…

There can be no denying the fact that the Lions team that played in three consecutive Super Rugby finals late in the last decade, and the current squad bear very little resemblance to one another. Indeed, the players that swept all before them in 2016, ‘17 and ‘18 are long gone, dispersed around the world, leaving the union gutted and in a difficult cycle of constant rebuilding. Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies was the latest of that eminent group of players to leave Johannesburg last year. It is, therefore, important that the Lions rebuild themselves with what they have, and if they are to become a competitive outfit which once again challenges for championships, then the partnership between scrumhalf Morne van den Berg and flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse must be given priority…