Table of contents for 2021-08-17 in Star

Itumeleng Mafisa Itumeleng.Mafisa@inl.co.za THE WIDOWS of the Marikana miners who were killed by the police nine years ago in a labour dispute have begged President Cyril Ramaphosa to be compassionate and make August 16 a public holiday in honour of their husbands. Speaking at a commemoration event in Bryanston yesterday, Ntandazo Nokamba’s widow Nosakhe Nokamba said the wives lamented that their husbands’ memory had not been honoured. Ramaphosa had also promised to apologise to the widows for the ruthless manner in which the 34 miners were gunned down by the state. The widows also complained that their husbands’ souls could not rest in peace because no monument had been erected at the site. Ramaphosa, who was a director at mining company Lonmin, has faced criticism over his role in the…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za WITH NO donor heart available for a life-saving transplant, an electrician recently became the first South African to have the latest state-of-the-art mechanical heart device implanted. Electrician Johan van Wyk, 38, who was diagnosed with heart failure almost 10 years ago, is regaining strength after the young father and husband became the first in South Africa to have the latest state-of-the-art mechanical heart device implanted in his chest. “It came as a real shock to discover that I had a serious heart problem at such a young age,” Van Wyk said. Earlier this year, he and his family were devastated when his health sharply deteriorated, placing his life at major risk and robbing him of energy. “Johan just could not wait any more. His heart failure had…

Allan Wolman | Tel Aviv, Israel AN OPINION piece in an IOL publication last week by Minister Naledi Pandor, titled, “We stand with the people of Palestine”, which castigated the AU for granting Israel observer status, has taken precedence over a host of much more important and vital issues impacting on the country. This is a simple and crude attempt to deflect the embarrassment of the ANC’s failure to perform the function it was voted into power for. Giving evidence at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into state capture, none other than the president, in reply to a question about the State Security Agency (SSA), actually said, “a number of really good people who are there serve the interests of our country and advance its development path”.…

A WOMAN’S place is in her home, in the workplace and in the community. On the streets and in public parks. In politics and leadership. In grocery stores, classrooms and on college campuses. A woman’s place is everywhere, and in every space, she has the right to feel safe and welcome. Yet, gender-based violence are an everyday occurrence for women and girls in every country around the world. The empowerment of women is about dealing with the legacy of apartheid and the transformation of society, particularly of power relations between women, men, institutions and laws. Without doubt our society has undergone a sea change since 1994, but it is not enough. It is not enough for a woman to make a formal wage, only to find that her husband resents…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za THE Gauteng Health Department is said to have spent more than R40 million on security guards and surveillance at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital (CMJH) annually, but thieves have managed to breach security and steal valuable items. This was said by Gauteng Health MEC Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi in her written reply to questions by DA’s health spokesperson Jack Bloom in the provincial legislature. Bloom asked MEC Mokgethi what items have been stolen from the hospital since the fire which broke out in April. She said 10 desktop computers, one fridge, six plasma TVs and three laptops, with the value of the desktop computers being R120 000. Retail price for the fridge is R3 500. The six TVs amount to R30 000. Three laptops cost R45 000. In his…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) wants EFF councillor Anthony Matumba, accused of running the Tracy Zille Twitter account, found guilty of harassing black women. Matumba’s case at the Equality Court in Louis Trichardt, Limpopo, is due to begin this week. Matumba, 32, denied being the person behind the controversial Twitter account. The SAHRC dragged him to the court on grounds that he was responsible for the account which made racial remarks. “Tracy Zille” came across as a racist white woman inordinately critical of black people, more so black women for partaking in trends such as skin bleaching and wearing non-African hairpieces. In one tweet, the account said: “Where have you seen white/Indian/Chinese people buying black people’s hair? Our pride will never allow us to do that.”…

MIHLALI BALEKA @Mihlalibaleka Phakama, Mandla Ncikazi, ixesha lifikile! (Stand up, Mandla Ncikazi, your time has come!) That phrase must have gained momentum yesterday when Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer resigned, citing family reasons. Early in December 2019, Pirates made the audacious decision of appointing Zinnbauer, who was an unknown figure in African football and had an underwhelming pedigree, to take over the reins from Milutin Sredojevic. As expected, his appointment was met with jeers. But Zinnbauer appeared to turn his detractors into admirers, inspiring the team to a top-three finish in the Premiership. A lot was expected from him in his first full season with the club last season. Zinnbauer appeared to heed the call, inspiring the team to the MTN8 crown as they ended a six-year trophy drought. But…

Prosus and Naspers successfully implement their share swop EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za GLOBAL consumer internet group Prosus and parent Naspers’ share price slipped yesterday in spite of announcing the successful implementation of the capital restructure and share exchange offer between them. Despite initially drawing criticism from some of Nasper’s institutional shareholders about the complexity and reasons for the new cross-shareholding structure, chief executive of the two groups Bob van Dijk said yesterday: “We are pleased with the outcome of the Prosus voluntary share exchange offer. The transaction increases the size of the Prosus free float and more than doubles its ownership of the group’s outstanding global consumer internet portfolio.” Prosus’ share price fell 2.36 percent to R1 278.17 by mid-morning yesterday, while the price of its about 30…

Mayibongwe Maqhina SEVERAL national and provincial departments owe the SANDF R130.9 million in debt for services rendered over more than three years. Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise revealed this when responding in writing to DA MP Kobus Marais. In May 2021, the Budget Review and Recommendation Report revealed that several departments still owed the department for services rendered. Marais asked for the total amount owed by each department, the period of the debt and the details of the payment arrangements that were agreed to with each department, among others. In her response, Modise said a total of R130 994 127 was owed by the Department of Correctional Services, the North West Department of Health, the Gauteng Department of Health, the Department of Military Veterans, the Department of Public…

Bongani Nkosi WOMEN liberation fighters formerly detained in the apartheid regime’s notorious John Vorster Square prison have told their stories in a gripping documentary film. A brainchild of Mmagauta Molefe, jailed following the 1976 Soweto Uprising, Surviving John Vorster Square takes one through the traumatic experiences of the female political prisoners. Nine women take turns to tell tales about their arrests and detainment at a prison that was infamous for the mysterious deaths of those who put up a fight against apartheid. A number of anti-apartheid activists never made it out alive after being taken to the prison. Claims that apartheid security operatives made for the deaths included that the activists had jumped to their deaths or simply that they had slipped in the bathroom. “Are they going to kill…

JOHN Whitlock | Germiston SOUTH Africa not only has Covid-19 as a great concern, but also has to contend with the malady of mediocrity that is permeating throughout society. The recent shocking and extremely embarrassing haul of three medals from 185 athletes attending the Tokyo Olympics is indicative of this malaise. We condone mediocrity. Mediocrity is defined as “the quality of being average or not very good”. This can be seen in all three tiers of government, the public service, the almost non-existence of service delivery, the collapse of vital infrastructure as well as law and order, and now out pathetic sports achievements. No doubt the cost of mediocrity is disappointment. A country that has mediocrity as its goal is destined for the scrapheap. When leaders tolerate…

More proof of state’s commitment to improve logistics infrastructure, says Gordhan Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za Transnet yesterday moved forward with its R100 billion expansion plans for the Port of Durban, issuing Request for Information (RFI) solicitations for potential private-sector investment partners. President Cyril Ramaphosa first announced in April that the expansion of the troubled port precinct would require R100bn in new investment over the next decade. The upgrade of the port is aimed at improving efficiency at one of the country’s key drivers of economic growth, and is part of structural reforms. Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan yesterday said this was the second part of structural reforms to attract investment following the separation of Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) from the group. Gordhan said TNPA had already started issuing RFI…

Hawks inquiry: VBS saga now enters the era of consequence management CORRIE KRUGER LAST WEEK SAW the arrest of an individual in Klerksdorp in relation to the VBS Mutual Bank looting. Twitter lit up as people started trying to guess who this person could be. It was clear that there were two groupings among the tweeters. Those who suggested the person was a member of the EFF, and those who said the individual could be from another political party, perhaps the ANC. A small minority expected it could perhaps be someone from Insure Group Managers, which till now have been largely ignored by the media in relation to their dealings with VBS. Very few VBS transactions seem to have been at an arm’s length and based on sound business…

Sihle Mavuso DESPITE the nod for a fresh inquest having taken two decades, the nephew of Ahmed Timol, Imtiaz Cajee, is confident that the reopened Dr Hoosen Mia Haffejee inquest will finally reveal the truth. The inquest was supposed to begin yesterday under Judge ZP Nkosi of the Pietermaritzburg High Court, but most of the day was spent in the judge’s chambers, where all parties held a meeting to iron out some issues. According to Cajee, Haffejee was a 26-year-old dentist who was driving to work on August 2, 1977 when he was abducted and arrested by members of the Special Branch of the SAPS, including James Taylor and PL du Toit, and was taken to Brighton Beach police station. Within 20 hours of his abduction, he was found dead…

Sonri Naidoo MINING industries are heeding the call to raise awareness for gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). The Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua) and Women Affected by Mining United in Action (Wamua) are expected today to launch a GBV training campaign in Klerksdorp, North West. This launch will take place in six other provinces, the North West being the first. The programme is made possible through a collaboration involving Macua, Wamua and the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (Cals). Programme Director Fatima Valley said provinces due to take part in the four-month training are Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng, Free State, Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.…

Cometh Dube-Makholwa | Midrand THE cat is out of the bag, thanks to The Star World (August 13). “Built under the late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, Cuba’s universal public healthcare system is one of the revolution’s most treasured achievements, but a deep economic crisis has seen shortages of medicines and other basic goods.” Volunteers from the Cuban diaspora have been transporting tons of aid to Cuba. This is an important eye-opener to other countries who aspire to follow this initiative, to look before they leap. It is important to not only introduce universal healthcare coverage services but to ensure that it will be successful and sustainable. There are many factors to consider before a country can embark on this journey. The economic environment being the most important factor.…

Tottenham Hotspur thoroughly deserved their 1-0 win over a toothless Manchester City on Sunday. The bad news for Tottenham is that City are now much more likely to stop at nothing to sign their striker and talisman Harry Kane. City won the title last season often without a recognised striker and said farewell to record scorer Sergio Aguero at the end of it. They dominated possession against Spurs but managed only four attempts on target, their build-up play over-complicated and laboured. At their best, City’s plethora of creative talents, now boosted by England’s Jack Grealish, means the lack of a traditional frontman does not matter. But on days like Sunday with Ferran Torres not looking comfortable in a central attacking role, they were crying out for a striker of Kane’s…

HERMAN GIBBS Talk of Keagan Dolly resurrecting the lethal ‘CBD’ triumvirate has gained momentum after his cameo stint for Kaizer Chiefs as a second-half substitute against his former team Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday. Ahead of the weekend’s MTN8 quarter-final showdown, Dolly took some flak after he looked overweight at pre-season training, but he now seems destined to play a vital role as Chiefs look to reinvent themselves following last season’s rollercoaster ride. After the match, Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi was the first to highlight Dolly’s timely intervention. He pointed out that Dolly’s pass led to Chiefs scoring the equalising goal in the clash. “Good pass from Keagan and good finish from Khama (Billiat), I must say,” Mngqithi remarked. At the time of Dolly’s signing, Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za AS impressive as the new-look Springbok team was in defeating Argentina 32-12 last week, assistant coach Deon Davids says they have to get significantly better ahead of the overseas leg of the Rugby Championship. After playing a return match against the Pumas on Saturday, the Boks have a week off before heading to Australia, where they play the Wallabies twice and then the All Blacks twice. There were 12 changes to the match 23 for Saturday’s game and the Boks surprised many by hitting the ground running and completely dominating the Argentinians. “The plan the players made for the last game was correct, but our execution was not always as effective as we would have liked it to be,” said Davids. “That said, the players found solutions…