Table of contents for 2023-02-14 in Star

Throughout his career, AKA never shied away from confronting his adversaries – whether in song or on one of his infamous social media rants. His character and competitiveness often saw him feud with some of his closest rivals (or anyone who he felt needed to be addressed for that matter). Simply put, the Supa Mega was not to be played with. Here are five of his most infamous beefs: Cassper Nyovest AKA and Cassper Nyovest’s beef has been ongoing for almost a decade now. From 2013 to 2015, the two rappers found themselves going head to head for virtually every award and every radio chart show they were both eligible for. This constant jostling ultimately led to friction between the two. Throughout the beef, AKA and Nyovest criticised each other…

A CONTRACT of R96 million issued by Eskom for pipeline maintenance at its Matla power station in Kriel, Mpumalanga, has been overturned by the South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg. The court found that the power utility was “selective” in its treatment of the two companies that were the front-runners. Acting Judge N Redman said the conduct of Eskom was “concerning”. Eskom invited bidders in July 2020 for pipeline maintenance at its Kriel slurry and ash plant for a period of 36 months. At least 12 bids were received for the multimillion-rand contract, including that of Mbali Industrial Solutions (applicant) and Thenga Holdings. Four of the bids were disqualified as they did not meet the criteria. The remaining eight were technically evaluated. The front-runner was Mbali which scored 100% in its…

Unions in the private security sector have condemned the fraudulent deductions of millions of rand from the salaries of poorly paid security officers. According to Numsa, Satawu, and other unions organising in the security sector, scores of security companies do not care about workers or their families. They say security officers are facing an onslaught from all sides. “On the one hand, the state has adopted austerity measures that attack workers through high fuel and food prices as well as high interest rates, whilst on the other, non-compliant security companies collude with unscrupulous health-care service providers to deny workers their well-deserved health-care benefits despite deducting millions from their salaries as part of the collective agreement of the National Bargaining Council …” the unions said in a statement. They said they…

Did anyone take note of the theatrics perpetrated by the EFF, while the president stood at the podium, waiting to deliver his lines. Like a Shakespearian production, there were dark and light moments as the director, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula attempted to get the actors into some semblance of order. At times, the scenes were tragic, prompting heavyweight men and women, dressed in white, to push and shove those clad in red overhauls and aprons, out of the building. The overall production was a dismal affair, except for the state of disaster imposition that opens the doors to more gluttony and graft. The president stood ramrod and motionless as he waited for the red gremlins to be removed. Then he proceeded to make yet another speech, full of fantasy. Aesop’s fables and…

“THE RESOLUTION of this problem does not depend on a democratic dialogue. It depends on, as I keep on saying, the total destruction of white civilisation, and that would mean you have no right, in fact, as a white person to claim anything in this country and perhaps in the world.” (Andile Mngxitama in Writing Transformation at the 16th Time of the Writer). The interminable series of racist incidents are making it apparent that the “negotiations” for “a transition from slavery by coercion to slavery by consent”, which ushered in the so-called post-apartheid “new” South Africa, only postponed the inevitable collapse of white South Africa, stemming from the betrayal of the question of historic justice, namely to whom does the land belong? To whom does Azania belong? To whom does…

Yangon: Three people were killed and nine wounded in a bomb blast at a railway station in southern Myanmar yesterday, the junta said. The blast hit a station at Nyaunglaybin township in Bago region about 150km north of commercial hub Yangon. Residents also reported that three people had died and at least nine had been wounded. The junta statement blamed anti-coup “People’s Defence Forces” (PDFs) for the attack. The military and PDF groups have traded blame over several deadly blasts in recent months. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power two years ago, with anti-coup rebels clashing with junta troops across the country. | AFP…

Caracas: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has urged the country’s youths to fight and defeat “the challenge of the blockade, sanctions and attacks” of the US. Addressing thousands on National Youth Day at the weekend, he called on the younger generations to “fight so that Venezuela will not be a colony again”. Young Venezuelans marched in support of the Bolivarian Revolution and the reforms it had achieved, as part of celebrations on the day. February 12 was declared National Youth Day in 1947 in tribute to the students who fought Spanish colonialism on that day in 1814. | IANS…

The Stormers do not necessarily have a psychological hold over them, although the Bulls are keen to break their hoodoo against the Cape side. In four matches in the United Rugby Championship (URC), the Bulls haven’t been victorious over their rivals from down south, but the team feels this Saturday is a perfect opportunity, in front of their home crowd, to change their fortunes. Cornal Hendricks, the Bulls’ versatile backline player, says they have a couple of plans up their sleeve to stop the domination of the defending champions. “One can’t run away from the fact that the Stormers are a very good team,” the Springbok said. “Especially over the last two years, they’ve become a strong team. I won’t say they have a psychological hold on us, it’s just…

Bayern Munich take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16, a heavyweight clash between clubs who faced off in the 2020 final. Here, we look at some of the key match-ups which could determine where the tie is won and lost ahead of tonight’s first leg. Galtier v Nagelsmann After a strong start domestically, PSG’s form has dropped off considerably since the turn of the year and coach Christophe Galtier potentially finds himself entering a critical stretch of the season without Kylian Mbappe. The France star, the joint-leading scorer in this season’s Champions League with seven goals, could miss the first leg with a thigh injury and there are concerns over Lionel Messi too after the Argentine hurt his hamstring during Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Marseille in the…

KwaThema residents in Ekurhuleni organised a shutdown that saw all roads leading in and out of the city barricaded with burning tyres as locals protested over prolonged electricity outages. Roads remained closed from the early hours until afternoon, and the community vowed to shut down the area until the issue of prolonged power outages was addressed. People wanting to go to work and children who wanted to go to school could not exit their homes as the streets were covered with debris, bricks, trees and other objects. Some residents resorted to closing the N17 in both directions and started pelting moving cars with stones. Traffic was badly affected as motorists were urged by EMPD members to use alternative routes. A security office at KwaThema Customer Care Centre burnt, forcing firefighters…

Following months of anticipation, the multiaward-winning and double platinum-selling songstress Kelly Khumalo will be performing an exclusive album showcase at the Theatre of Marcellus at Emperors Palace on February 18. “Her Vocal Highness”, as she is known to fans, will be treating her audience to an evening of Afropop, gospel and soul with songs from her new album, From A God To A King. The hitmaker of the 2021 anthem Empini is set to release her 10th album this month with a visual performance that will take the audience by storm. Her lead singles Bazokhuluma and Akathintwa are already favourites on South African playlists. “To be able to share my journey with my loyal fans and friends and family is incredibly special and I am very excited to be celebrating…

IF THERE is anything South Africa excels in, especially the government, it is producing plans to address problems. Planning is critical but an incessant focus on always producing plans is counter-productive because the result may be to manage that change in and of itself. This is exactly what President Cyril Ramaphosa has done by introducing a Ministry of Electricity in the Presidency. What on earth is this person going to be doing? There are many structures dealing with the energy crisis. Adding another layer of bureaucracy is going to lead to confusion. We have the ministries of Energy and Public Enterprises, a state of disaster has been declared, there is a monitoring unit in the Presidency and so on. Who is going to be doing what about the electricity crisis?…

The president missed a big opportunity to commit the government to the well-being of children, by not making one reference to alcohol. His promise to the Enyobeni families at the funeral of the 21 children, for justice and accountability, and ensuring that it does not happen again, has not been met. Two more children died in Hofmeyer in a tavern. We have a stalled Liquor Amendment Bill of 2017 that would begin to address the well-being of children. It talks to raising the age of legal consumption to 21 years. It talks to holding distributors and traders accountable. It talks to creating no-trading zones around educational institutions. Instead, we have a proposal from the Ministry of Education to allow schools to sell alcohol at school events on and off school…

Librarians are the curators of creativity. They collect success stories and share them with the world. Traditionally, the success was from published authors, which libraries shared with the local community. More recently, the model has been flipped: libraries have started to collect from the local community to share with everyone. In academic libraries, this is best seen in the work of repository librarians. They collect not only the published output of researchers but also all the digital ephemera that might be created through the research process: the data, the software, the code. The movement that makes all the ingredients of a research project available on the internet, with as little restriction as possible, has been termed “Open Research” or “Open Science”. This umbrella term includes open access, open data and…

Gaborone: Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi has warned that his country may sever ties with diamond giant De Beers if talks to renegotiate a sales deal prove unfavourable to his government. The country is Africa’s leading diamond producer, and Masisi called on the nation to rally behind his government as it tries to hammer out a better deal. A 2011 sales agreement was set to end in 2021. It was extended to run up to June 30 this year. Under the agreement, De Beers sold 90% of diamonds while Botswana auctioned 10% through its Okavango Diamond Company. In 2020, Botswana’s share was raised to 25%. | AFP…

Humbled by Tottenham Hotspur’s trashing at Leicester City, Antonio Conte’s future looks more uncertain than ever as the Italian leads his spluttering side into tonight’s Champions League clash against AC Milan. Conte is back in Italy for the last-16 first leg tie just two weeks after undergoing gallbladder surgery in his homeland and his return is likely to be just as uncomfortable as his previous visit. The Tottenham boss has looked increasingly unsettled this season and, with his contract expiring at the end of the campaign, it would be little surprise if he decided to quit the Premier League club in May. Conte has expressed unhappiness at Tottenham’s transfer dealings, while repeatedly making it clear he believes it is unrealistic to expect his side to compete with their big-spending Premier…

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola claimed his squad depth is the lowest in the Premier League after Sunday’s victory over Aston Villa left his team just three points off the top. Goals by Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan, and a penalty by Riyad Mahrez sealed a 3-1 win at the end of a week in which the champions were charged with more than 100 cases of alleged financial wrongdoing by the Premier League. City have spent close to £2-billion (about R43bn) on players since Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan became owner in 2008, winning six league titles in that time. Guardiola’s current squad is valued at €1.05bn (R20.2bn) by website transfermarkt and on Sunday he started with the likes of England internationals Kalvin Phillips and Phil Foden, and Argentina…

The ANC in Gauteng says the resignation of Tshwane mayor Randall Williams was further evidence that the DA has failed to lead Gauteng municipalities. Williams resigned from his position after adverse findings from the auditor general concerning the finances of the City of Tshwane. Williams issued a statement yesterday morning, indicating that he would no longer be at the helm of the municipal leadership structure. He said his resignation was in the best interests of the municipality and the stability of the multi-party coalition in the City of Tshwane. But ANC provincial secretary TK Nciza said the ousting of Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse and the removal of a DA speaker in the City of Ekurhuleni, and now the mayoral resignation in Tshwane, were evidence that the DA had failed to…

The Constitutional Court has agreed to hear a cry for help from jailed Ethiopian human rights activist Beneyam Deselegn Ashebo, who is detained at Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Pretoria because he is in South Africa illegally. The Pretoria High Court had refused to hear his case because of technical reasons, and he has now petitioned the Constitutional Court, which has agreed to hear it. Ashebo fled Ethiopia in May 2021, after being persecuted for his religious beliefs. He entered South Africa illegally, not at a port of entry, on or about June 11, 2021. Upon his entry, Ashebo was advised to approach the Refugee Centre in Pretoria to apply for an asylum seeker permit. He made several attempts to go to the centre, but was turned away on each occasion.…

The VIVIAN Mokome Foundation and the George Sebulela Foundation descended on Alexandra Secondary School in Alexandra for a sanitary pad drive, which resulted in Grade 12 pupils receiving a year’s supply of sanitary pads. Joy, singing, dancing and motivational talks graced a rainy Alexandra day. The event was supported by The Star’s editor, Sifiso Mahlangu, Joburg mayor Thapelo Amad, musician Lady Du, football legend Brian Baloyi and actor Meshack 0. Sebulela and Mokome told the pupils that success was possible with diligence and patience. “My hope is that no girl child should miss school because it’s that time of the month. I want girls to go to school; this country depends on it,” network-based entrepreneur Mokome said. “I too am from the very background as you are; it took education…

FOR THOSE too late to secure a booking at a romantic restaurant today, there are still many ways to create a memorable Valentine’s Day night-in. RE/MAX of Southern Africa has shared some inspiration for couples to create some romantic memories in their own home. “It might be difficult for homeowners to find spare cash for a night out, especially after the latest interest rate hike. But spending the night at home can help couples save some money and create lasting memories,” said Adrian Goslett, regional director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa. 1. Gift your partner with a room makeover Surprise your partner by redoing a room while they are out at work. For an added element of surprise, tie a ribbon around the entrance or escort them inside…

ON THURSDAY, President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered one of the most difficult State of the Nation Addresses. This is because he did so when the country was on the brink of collapse; with the highest number of unemployed people since democracy, the persistent load shedding and high levels of poverty, one will lose hope for a better future. It was not surprising that the president began his speech by trying to give the nation hope, hope that things will be better if we work together. However, the promises of the past that were not fulfilled makes us lose this hope. With the country facing power blackouts for a long time now, one would expect this issue would have long been dealt with; instead, we are given promises which, to an ordinary…

AT last week’s State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national State of Disaster. As he was informing citizens of the government’s bold response to the country’s energy crisis, another group of South Africans was responding to an entirely different disaster – in a land 10 000km away. Volunteers from the humanitarian aid organisation, Gift of the Givers, had arrived in Türkiye to join search and rescue efforts in the earthquake zone on the Syrian border. The death toll has risen to nearly 40 000, while thousands of survivors have been dug up from the ruins, thanks to the heroic efforts of emergency workers. Now, a week after the devastating 7.8 magnitude tremor, efforts to treat, house, clothe and feed the 15 million people affected by the…

Rescuers in Türkiye pulled out several people alive from collapsed buildings yesterday and were digging to reach a grandmother, mother and daughter from a single family, a week after the country’s worst earthquake in modern history. With hopes of finding more survivors in the rubble fast fading, the combined death toll in Türkiye and neighbouring Syria from last Monday’s 7.8-magnitude quake rose above 37 000 and looked set to keep rising. The rescue phase is “coming to a close”, with the focus now switching to providing shelter, food and schooling, UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said in Aleppo, Syria yesterday. But as he was speaking, teams in south-eastern Türkiye plucked more people from the rubble. Officials said a young girl named Miray was rescued in Adiyaman 178 hours after…

BUENOS AIRES: Argentinian officials have blamed organised “mafias” for promoting birth tourism to the South American country by Russian mothers-to-be amid a boom in numbers travelling there since the invasion of Ukraine looking to get their children citizenship. Thousands of expectant Russian mothers have arrived in Argentina over the past year, including 33 last week. Some were detained. Russians can travel to Argentina without a visa, where all newborns are granted citizenship automatically, fuelling “birth tourism”. The immigration office passed the data to the judiciary to defend the integrity of Argentina’s passport issuance. | Reuters…

Proteas women’s superstars Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail were the only South Africans to be picked up in first round of the the inaugural Women’s IPL auction yesterday. Kapp was involved in a bidding war between the Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Giants and UPZ Warriors before the Capitals forked out a hefty sum of $183000 (R3.2million). Ismail, meanwhile, was also in high demand as she fetched $122 000 (R2.1m) with the UPZ Warriors securing the fast bowler’s services. Proteas captain Sune Luus and her World Cup teammates Laura Wolvaardt, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka, Nadine de Klerk and Tazmin Brits were not picked up in the first draft. Wolvaardt’s omission is a major surprise as she is one of the classiest batters in world women’s cricket, having been selected…

Manchester City may have the threat of being stripped of league titles in the courts hanging over their heads, but the champions are back in the race to win another Premier League crown on the pitch. City closed to within three points of Arsenal at the top of the standings after beating Aston Villa 3-1 on Sunday. The Gunners dropped points for the second consecutive game in a 1-1 draw at Brentford, but had a right to feel aggrieved as referee’s body PGMOL admitted the Bees’equaliser was wrongly allowed to stand by the VAR officials. That was just one of many controversial calls from the referees with Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers also affected. Here, we look at three talking points from the Premier League weekend. VAR-cical…