Table of contents for 2023-03-02 in Star

CASHBUILD’S interim dividend fell by 32% after growing numbers of its lower income customers struggled to find the additional spending power for new builds and home improvements, the chief financial officer Shane Thoresson said yesterday, “It is a hell of a tough trading environ- ment at present. For many of our customers, they need to focus on survival, as they have been severely impacted (by the weak economy, including rising prices for food, energy and interest rates), Thoresson said in a telephone interview. The share price fell sharply by 5.1% on the JSE yesterday to close at R188, some 29.5% lower than at the same day a year before, following the release of the weak results. Gryphon Asset Management analyst Casparus Treurnicht agreed that in the retail sector, particularly for…

Domestic new vehicle sales rose by 1 128 units, or 2.6%, to 45 352 units, compared to last year THE AUTOMOTIVE Business Council (Naamsa) has expressed disappointment at the lack of government support for the struggling industry on the back of the energy crisis and the rising cost of living squeeze. Naamsa yesterday was reflecting on new vehicle sales performance for February, looking at how monetary policy amendment and the Budget Speech influenced the automotive industry. Naamsa CEO Mikel Mabasa said the escalating cost of living in the country was slowly putting off buyers of new vehicles as consumers have to contend with other urgent household demands. “The South African Reserve Bank’s decision to increase interest rates for the eighth time in a row is a reminder that South Africa,…

WOOLWORTHS said for the 26 weeks ended December 25, 2022, earnings were up 75% as shoppers returned to brick-and-mortar stores, but its operations in South Africa were hamstrung by load shedding. The financial impact of load shedding on the group’s operating profit was R15 million a month, amounting to R90m for the reported period. Headline earnings per share rose to 294.5 cents from 168.2c the previous year. The retailer declared an interim gross cash dividend per ordinary share of 158.5c per share, based on a payout ratio of 70% of headline earnings of the combined Woolworths South Africa business segments (FBH, Food and WFS) as well as Country Road Group. The dividend increased by 96.9% from the prior period’s 80.5c. Group turnover and concession sales increased by 18.5%…

About 500 families were evicted from illegally occupied RDP houses in the Mackenzieville Extension 2 housing project in Nigel, Ekurhuleni. On Tuesday morning, the City of Ekurhuleni executed an eviction against the occupiers, who are known as backyarders. The RDP houses, according to the municipality, were earmarked for residents in the greater Nigel area, including people from the Snake Park informal settlement. Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department spokesperson Constable Ignatius Maphike, commenting on the execution of the eviction order against unlawful occupants, said the situation was calm and the occupants were not resisting. Maphika said the occupants had moved their furniture out of the houses, while some had made arrangements for pick-up trucks to collect their furniture. “The EMPD is still on site to monitor the situation. No injuries have…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has come under serious criticism from different political parties, including the EFF, which is calling on him to resign. Ramaphosa has a number of issues he has to personally deal with as the country crumbles economically due to the power crisis, but has not revealed the person who will take the position of electricity minister despite assuring South Africans this was urgent. Ramaphosa is also under pressure, as he is expected to reshuffle his Cabinet and announce former deputy president David Mabuza’s successor following his resignation yesterday. As if that is not enough, the Phala Phala cloud will not go away. Yesterday, the highest court in the country, the Concourt, dismissed his bid to challenge the Phala Phala report. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, was quick to say…

A black mamba decided to play cat-and-mouse with a snake catcher who tried to remove it from a TLB on a farm on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. Despite the pursuit, snake catcher Sarel van der Merwe said it was a nice catch. He said he had been in Southbroom on a call-out when the farm owner called and said that they had been loading sugar cane when a snake came out of the dry bundles and dashed into the TLB. The owner asked him to come and remove the snake. Van der Merwe said he rushed to Lynton Farm in Oribi for the black mamba, which had curled itself up by the hydraulic pipes. “I couldn’t put my grab stick in there, so I had to climb in and…

SOUTH Africa is truly the Rainbow Nation. A mixture of races, genders and cultures which was on full display during the absorbing 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final at Newlands last weekend. The Proteas Women’s maiden appearance in a major tournament final had galvanised the famous “Ubuntu” spirit in South Africans to come out in support of their team. They came in their thousands — 12 782 — which was a new record for any women’s sporting event in South Africa’s history. In fact, South Africans had flocked to all three venues in Cape Town, Paarl and Gqeberha throughout the past fortnight and set a new benchmark for women’s sport in the country. “Our Proteas Women’s team have done us very proud. They have made us all ‘experts’ on…

DOLLAR millionaires are flocking to Cape Town seeking a sunnier climate and a bang for their buck, according to The Wealth Report 2023, by Knight Frank released yesterday. The report said the city was currently the 31st place on the Prime International Residential Index (Piri), moving up a whopping 63 places in the past year from 94th. The Mother City, as it is known in South Africa, is increasingly becoming known as a playground for the international rich and famous, while also having seen a rising trend of South Africans moving away from other provinces and semi-grating to Cape Town, lured by its reputation as an area with more reliable utilities and municipal services. In 2022, between January and December, the Western Cape passed building plans worth R37…

The first billion of a R5 billion settlement agreement for miners and their families has been paid to over 11 000 eligible silicosis and tuberculosis patients. The Tshiamiso Trust, which was established the same year, launched the action in 2020. The trust’s acting CEO, Lusanda Jiya, said that after two years of the trust officially accepting claim lodgements, the first billion rand paid out to over 11 000 families is just the beginning. “We know there are many frustrations and that no compensation will ever be enough to undo the suffering endured by mineworkers and their families. However, we are committed to delivering on our mandate and ensuring that every family that is eligible for compensation receives it,” said Jiya. Jiya said that trusts are limited both in terms of…

Political parties have been able to raise millions of rands from private donors, with the ANC receiving most of the donations, followed by ActionSA and the DA. The IEC revealed on Tuesday that for the third quarter, the ANC received R32 million from funders while ActionSA got R4.6m and the DA R2.9m. The EFF received R202 000 and the Patriotic Alliance got R247 000 from donors. Out of all the parties represented in Parliament only the DA, EFF and ANC disclosed their funders. ActionSA and the Patriotic Alliance are not represented in the national and provincial legislatures and are expected to contest elections only next year. “ActionSA’s donations were received from three donors, two of whom are regular donors to the party, namely Martin Moshal (R3.5m) and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung…

Award-winning musician Mthembeni Ndevu, affectionately known as Emtee, has slammed questions and comments accusing him of using drugs. The Roll Up hitmaker took to Twitter to reveal that people should stop pushing agendas. This stemmed from posts where he was being questioned about drugs on social media. “All this drug talk is p***** me off. I even quit lean. I’ve been sober for a minute, so don’t come to me with that drug talk sh**. I’m done with that life! Stop trying to push agendas here, misunu.” He also spoke about the challenges that artists faced. “Artists go through the most. Siyathukwa, siybuLawa, sebelwa izi mali, kuhlekwisa ngathi, kuhletshwa ngathi, on top of that, you as an artist still have to show up, smile, and keep it moving.” He spoke…

A dispute over the control of a family trust, set up in 2007 by an architect who divorced his wife in 2018 and removed her from the trust, leaving two new trustees in control, has been resolved by the Western Cape High Court. The applicants in the case were Cornelius Meier’s former wife Margo and the two eldest of their four children, who are also trustees. The marriage between Margo and Cornelius broke down in March 2015 and their divorce became final in 2018. Along the way, Cornelius had amended the terms of the trust a number of times. The first amendment in 2008 altered the beneficiaries named in the original trust deed to include Cornelius himself, Margo, their four children and any further children born of the marriage. This…

They’re not exactly eye-catching or high on the “must-have” list, but they are an integral part of our economy. Loaded with goods for distribution, mobile workshops and a myriad other practical uses by many SMEs, the panel van has become the go to vehicle for many of them. They’re also handy as mobile billboards for a business with their box-shape and large side panels. There aren’t that many mid-size vans to choose from, but the Volkswagen Caddy is certainly the most popular with consumers when it comes to no-nonsense, reliable everyday transport. My brother has one of those SMEs. He is in the liquor and coffee distribution business, and he swears by them. One of his previous generation models has chalked up nearly 400 000km and, apart from services and…

HPV can cause cancer, head it off Have you heard about human papillomavirus (HPV)? Do you know that HPV can cause cancer and that it can be prevented? Read on to learn more about HPV. Scientists have discovered more than 200 HPV types that can infect the skin and mucosal tissue, which is the internal lining of the body cavities such as in the mouth or genital tract (vagina, cervix, penis). HPV infections are common worldwide in all age groups affecting both males and females. Most HPV infections are mild or do not cause any symptoms, and the majority resolve completely. HPV is transmitted by direct contact (skin or mucosal) to infected individuals. There are some HPV types that have a preference to infect the skin, while other types prefer…

THERE is a heart-rending moment in the documentary Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story – which premiered on DStv last Sunday – when the Springbok captain takes viewers to his family dwelling in Zwide township and how the toilet system works. Even calling it a toilet is not exactly accurate, as it was essentially a deep hole in the ground in a yard that was covered by a wooden structure around it. Kolisi demonstrates how newspaper was rubbed vigorously until it was “softer” and could be used as toilet paper, and he goes on to explain the terrible stench that would envelop the area. It paints a despairing picture of how difficult life was for the little Zwide boy who went on to reach the very top of Springbok rugby in…

Morné Steyn has won so many games for the Bulls and the Springboks, and now he has been rewarded with something few South African rugby players receive: A benefit year. The Blue Bulls Rugby Union announced this week that the 38-year-old flyhalf will be recognised in 2023 for “long-standing commitment and service” over the last 14 years at Loftus Versfeld until his retirement from the game in June. Apart from the seven years at Stade Francais in Paris, Steyn – who was born in Cape Town and attended Sand du Plessis High School in Bloemfontein – has played all of his provincial or franchise rugby for the Bulls, where he has accumulated an incredible 268 caps (116 Currie Cup, 129 Super Rugby, 21 United Rugby Championship and two Champions Cup)…

SENTIMENT about expected business conditions in the manufacturing industry has plummeted to its lowest in nearly three years dragged down by extensive load shedding which continues to undermine business conditions. This comes as data released yesterday showed that manufacturing activity has fallen below the neutral 50 points – which separates contractionary from expansion – for the first time since September 2022. The seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell sharply to 48.8 points in February, from a seven-month high of 53 points in January. In contrast, manufacturing activity rebounded to its highest in seven months in China, while it rose to a more than six-year high in Russia and remained robust in expansion though slightly declining in India. The latest South African PMI reading – conducted…

THE SOFTENING of the key Safex prices will pare back South African farmers’ incomes, despite a higher Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) first production forecast, Anthony Clark, an independent analyst at Smalltalkdaily Research said in a note yesterday. The release of the CEC’s first production forecast for commercial field crops this week showed that the initial maize figure was better than market expectations at 15 615 million tons, or 0.94% higher, than the previous harvest. Clark said yellow maize was more than R1 000 a ton lower than the peak for late last year. And this would also place pressure on farmers given materially higher year-on-year production input costs such as diesel, chemicals and fertiliser, he said. This came from a decline reflected in overall hectares planted year-on-year of…

Controversial YouTuber Slik Talk has taken on late rapper AKA and Nadia Nakai in his latest vlog. Known for his rants, his latest video labels the hip-hop star’s posthumously released album “an absolute piece of s***” and also claims that Nakai is “a glorified rebound”. The post shared by @ThisIsColbert was captioned: “#MassCountry is awful, AKA left us an absolute piece of s*** – Slik Talk gives #KiernanForbes posthumous album a solid 2 out of 10. Nadia Nakai is not a widow but a glorified rebound." Slik Talk goes on to say he hates everything about the new album and claims it is the worst he ever heard. “It’s absolutely one of the worse albums I’ve ever heard in my life, sonically it doesn’t even sound good. The…

Former public protector Thuli Madonsela yesterday failed to give her oral testimony to the inquiry into her successor Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office. However, if Mkhwebane’s senior counsel, Dali Mpofu, has his way, she will be back before the committee “sooner or later”. Madonsela, who had been summoned by the committee for two days of testimony beginning yesterday, spent the morning on the committee’s virtual platform, waiting to be led in evidence by the committee’s senior counsel, Nazreen Bawa. She had been expected to testify on the PPSA’s Vrede Dairy investigation as well as the CIEX/South African Reserve Bank investigation. However, arguments over an amended statement that she sent yesterday, and whether it superseded her original statement, or was even admissible, prevented this. Finally, Madonsela only made a brief…

PUBLIC Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has once again blamed state capture for the unacceptable levels of load shedding in the country, further hinting that there was perhaps a new version of state capture taking place. Gordhan was responding to statements from MPs during a plenary session held on Tuesday evening, where he was accused of making excuses for load shedding instead of fixing the problem. This follows the abrupt stepping down of Eskom CEO André de Ruyter last week, amid allegations he made during a TV interview that there were ministers involved in corruption at the power utility or at least condoning it. “The EFF notes the recent utterances by the former CEO of Eskom Mr André de Ruyter, who has claimed that the ruling party is using Eskom as…

While many assumed that his Twitter account suspension would be the end of his social life, gossip blogger Musa Khawula introduced himself on another platform, breathing fire. Khawula is popular for his excessive slurs thrown at prominent local celebrities, and has garnered a large following on social media. Last year, his account was suspended after he leaked private pictures of the popular DJ Lulo Café. There were also calls for Khawula’s Twitter account to be suspended following a series of allegations posted publicly about various people. Despite the fact that many people celebrated his suspension, he recently introduced himself on a YouTube channel with more than 50 000 subscribers. Among the long list of personalities he took aim at are Lerato Kganyago, Mihlali Ndamase, Priddy Ugly, Kenny Kunene and Gail…

Omphulusa Tshililo, a 23-year-old entrepreneur from Tshikota in the Vhembe District, Limpopo, started to produce a dishwashing liquid called Shesha in order to support his family. “When Covid started, so many people lost their jobs, and my mom was one of them. My dad had to work alone and provide for everyone in the family, and I realised that as a man, I had to do something in order to generate some income so that I can help my father with the things that were needed in the house. “I then started selling home tiles, until I realised that not so many people were interested in them. I had to change and sell something that was in daily use. After a while, I came up with the idea of making…

Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has confirmed there has been an increase in the number of incidents of aggression from seals towards humans over the past three years in False Bay, Hout Bay, Table Bay, and Camps Bay. During the recent summer holiday period, a number of such incidents were reported across Cape Town. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) confirmed at least 26 incidents since 2021. This was revealed in the minister’s response to parliamentary questions by David Bryant, DA spokesperson on environment, forestry and fisheries, to find out if the department has identified any verifiable evidence linking high levels of domoic acid (algae toxins) or any other toxins present in water with unprovoked aggression in fur seals. Creecy said the DFFE had yet to conclusively establish…

It is all our fault but we are not responsible, says our illustrious president, Cyril Ramaphosa; it is the municipalities’ fault that the government does not supply them with the electricity that they, by law, must provide. And he says this with a straight face; he is not joking. The president actually believes the government has no responsibility to provide the country with electricity, so it is not going to bother doing so. When he was elected, I believed that this was a man of honour, a man who was going to sort out the corruption in his party, and a man who was going to put the country on the road to recovery. How wrong I was. He has done none of these things. The man is hollow. He…

Formula One is going bigger, brighter and brasher this season with the Las Vegas Strip set to light up a record 23 race calendar and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen chasing a third championship in a row. The 25-year-old Dutch driver is favourite for the opener in Bahrain this weekend. Testing last week at Sakhir suggested Red Bull remain on pole but with Ferrari’s 2022 runner-up Charles Leclerc and team mate Carlos Sainz the closest challengers in what will be an intense development battle. If Ferrari, now under the management of French boss Fred Vasseur, get their act together and the car working to maximum effect then a first title since 2008 could yet be on the cards. Mercedes have plenty to do if Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of becoming Formula One’s…

First Test, Day 2 South Africa 342 (Markram 115; Joseph 5/81) West Indies 212 (Reiffer 62, Blackwood 37; Nortje 5/36) South Africa 49/4 (Markram 35*; Joseph 2/17) South Africa lead by 179 runs DON’T say this new Proteas team didn’t warn you because this type of Test cricket requires an age restriction. It’s unadulterated action that is definitely not for the faint of heart. It’s certainly not for the purist because it will be ugly sometimes, but it is bloody entertaining. Eleven wickets fell in the final session of the second day of this riveting first Test between South Africa and the West Indies. There was no precursor to what was to come after the tourists had meandered to 136/3 at the tea interval. South Africa had earlier been dismissed…