Table of contents for 2023-04-25 in Star

PURPLE Group’s share price plunged more than 9% after it reported a 152% decline in headline earnings to an 85 cents headline loss per share for the six months to February 28. The group’s expenses increased sharply as new projects took longer and proved more costly than expected to implement. On top of the headline loss, the online share-trading and investing group, said it would shortly announce plans to raise R150 million in new capital to fund growth over the next years. Purple’s share price closed 8.87% lower at R1.13 on the JSE yesterday, after the price had declined over the year from R2.70. The share, a favourite among many retail investors, drew mixed reactions. Junior Smith (@JuniorBuffet) commented on Twitter: “Purple group I still believe in the…

DEPUTY Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Nomalungelo Gina, says government wants small businesses to thrive and grow into bigger entities. Addressing an Imbizo outreach forum in Kuruman on Friday, she said: “While it is the government’s responsibility to encourage the development of small businesses, it is also crucial to emphasise that the government wants those enterprises to grow into sustainable organisations capable of competing with traditional corporations and international corporations.” Gina said while small, micro, and medium enterprises (SMMEs) may be classified at that level, the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition sees them growing into larger firms and creating more jobs. “The primary goal of this business forum is to provide entrepreneurs with the resources they need to grow their businesses and reach full potential. “Our fundamental goal…

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi is intervening to halt millions of rand being withdrawn in crucial funding to vital non-profit organisations. A number of NPOs looking after those needing care due to living with disabilities, said they would battle to stay open after the Gauteng Department of Social Development pulled their funding, saying the money will be spent on other programmes including fighting the scourge of drugs, especially nyaope. The department has withdrawn R416 million in funding. Concerned organisations and political parties fear the funding cut could lead to a situation similar to the Life Esidimeni tragedy, where 144 patients died in psychiatric facilities in Gauteng amid the Health Department’s “cruel decision” to move patients to facilities that did not meet the required standards. That decision was harshly criticised, and a…

World-renowned sculptor Dr Noria Mabasa, 84, has been conferred with an Honorary Doctorate in Art and Design by the University of Johannesburg (UJ). Mabasa, who has been sculpting since 1974, is known for her pottery and wood sculptures. She has national and international accolades for her outstanding artistry and creativity. The artist said she was humbled by the recognition and looked forward to continuing with her work as long as she could. During her successful residency at the sculpture park on the Westrand, Mabasa met Gordon Froud, a senior lecturer from Faculty of Art and Design at UJ and they forged a bond resulting in university students being exposed to her culturally inspired work. “I have done this work for years, and it has put me in many different places.…

Tylo Ribeiro, 30, was crowned Mister Supranational South Africa 2023 at the grand finale at The Venue in Melrose Arch over the weekend. This edition of contest is the third time SA has awarded the title after winners Rushil Jina (2019) and Akshar Birbal (2021) under the new licence ownership by Centre Stage Productions. The glamorous event was hosted by the dashing TV presenter and model, Tino Chinyani. The Top 10 finalists were dressed in the latest fashion by South African designers Lindani Styling, New Romantics Couture, and Black Tie, and there was a sizzling swimwear scene with participants dressed by local brand Bulge & Bum. Singing sensation Tamara Dey kept the audience entertained as she delivered a showstopper performance of the hit song Colours, accompanied by the Top 10…

A Mabopane resident, believed to be the first black South African woman to make shakes from okra, is doing so well with her power drink that she is now selling it to retailers. While operating from a semi- rural area, there is nothing small or even rural about Elisheva Trading, a company in the agro-food processing sector, headed by Mmamosebetsi Isabella Twala. Gumbo Shake, as it’s called, is processed and bottled by the company and features on the shelves of some retail shops. Sometimes called “lady’s finger”, okra, also known as gumbo, is a flowering plant with edible seed pods. Technically it is a fruit, but often gets used as a vegetable in cooking and has a sweet, grassy flavour. It is also a traditional South African crop. Research last…

FlySafair has made the news headlines. Two of its amorous passengers decided to join the mile-high club, in full view of an astonished gentleman who could not contain his anger at having to observe two gyrating bodies, in mid-flight. Fortunately, there was no turbulence at that moment as this could have complicated matters for the sexually charged couple. Jong, this is a “groot” skandaal, encouraging other adventurous couples to join what seems to be a most exclusive club for the shameless. In future, precautions must be taken by all airlines, ensuring that passengers understand the pitfalls of such erotic shenanigans on commercial flights. The perplexed voyeur remains in a state of shock. Hopefully he will recover soon, and continue flying.…

For nearly two decades, South Africa’s capacity for economic development has diminished, resulting in an energy crisis threatening to collapse entire industries. Its regional prominence is also at risk as countries like Mozambique make inroads into handling the bulk of import and export cargo for the region. Cargo handling in the region has historically been the reserve of South Africa. The revamped Maputo ports now handle much of southern Africa’s cargo, even servicing South African clients – and demand is on the rise. While most sub-Saharan nations have harnessed energy production parallel to their industrial development needs, South Africa has not. Plagued by an energy crisis since 2009, the increasing demand for goods and services to satisfy a steadily growing middle class requires a reliable energy supply, a factor that…

Foreign nations pushed yesterday with evacuations of their citizens from chaos-torn Sudan which, the UN chief warned, is “on the edge of the abyss” after 10 days of brutal fighting between rival forces. As army and paramilitary troops again clashed in Khartoum and across the country, terrified Sudanese have sheltered in their homes from roaming fighters and looters amid acute shortages of water, food, medicines and fuel as well as power and internet blackouts. The US and multiple European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian nations have launched emergency missions to bring to safety their embassy staff and Sudan-based citizens by road, air and sea. At least 427 people have been killed and more than 3 700 wounded, according to UN agencies, which reported Sudanese civilians “fleeing areas affected by…

NAIROBI: Kenya’s main opposition party said yesterday it will resume protests over high living costs and alleged election fraud because of the government’s “lack of commitment to talks”. Opposition leader Raila Odinga halted protests early this month after an appeal from President William Ruto, who agreed to talks and to reform the election commission, one of the opposition’s main demands. The protesters have accused Ruto of mismanagement, while his supporters have accused Odinga of using anger to press for concessions. The next protest on May 2 will be confined to Nairobi. | Reuters…

Plan to do it over the next four years in a bid to recover at least 7 000MW into the grid and end the load shedding ESKOM has proposed to embark on a R16 billion programme of installing smart-meters in every household in South Africa over the next four years in a bid to recover at least 7 000MW into the grid and end load shedding. If this demand management strategy is given the green light, it would represent a change of approach in Eskom’s cocktail to end rotational power cuts as load shedding is a tactic of limiting electricity supply based on generation capacity. Eskom first touted an approach to demand-side management in 2012 as it warned that 3 000MW of committed capacity from supply…

The family of Katlego Mpholo, who said yesterday that they had suffered irreparable damage as a result of his death, went to identify his body. Mpholo’s inconsolable mother, Monica Matsie, was seen breaking down and and struggling to talk about her son. When DNA from Matsie and that of the burnt body discovered in Thabo Bester’s prison cell were compared, Mpholo, 32, was positively identified. His body was used as a decoy by convicted murderer and rapist Bester. The family of Mpholo want answers on how his body ended up in cell 35 of Mangaung Prison, where Bester faked his death. Bester’s girlfriend, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, claimed several bodies from government mortuaries, saying one was her customary husband’s burnt body and the other her father. Magudumana is expected back in…

In 2014, a charity foundation, Wings for Life Foundation, became a beacon of hope to thousands of people worldwide in its support of cutting-edge research into curing spinal cord injury. Today, millions globally participate in the Wings for Life World Run with the end goal of finding a cure for spinal cord injury. All entry fees and every donation goes to spinal cord research. A total of €38.3 million (about R740m) in donations has been raised, all of which is invested in research. To mark its anniversary, on May 7 people all over the world will come together for the 10th annual Wings for Life World Run to run for those who are unable to. Approximately 18 000 South Africans have participated in the Wings for Life World Run…

It is very sad that South Africa has now fallen into the trap of allowing itself to being disrespected at the expense of its sovereignty to accommodate foreign investors. The fallacy is that foreign investment develops countries. But what we are seeing is how these “investors” are just undermining the country’s dignity. The UAE president is reportedly in the country on a private visit to the Eastern Cape. What is galling is the accompanying information about his visit. He is reported to have privately invested money to develop a runway at an airport in the area to accommodate his entourage and his planes. These are said to include helicopters, ambulances, and what have you. Surely, this president takes this country very cheaply and does not even trust its security or…

THE closure of a popular Cape Town daily tabloid comes as another heavy blow to the print media industry. The Son, an Afrikaans tabloid title in the Media24 newspaper stable, has been a colourful part of the Western Cape media landscape for about 20 years. The “skinner koerant” has been a daily staple for previously under-served coloured, working-class communities in Cape Town, as well as in dorpies in the Winelands, Overberg and West Coast. In its heyday, it was also published in the Eastern and Northern Cape. That was before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, wreaking permanent damage on the industry. In 2020, Media24 announced the shutdown of several newspapers and magazines, resulting in the retrenchment of 510 employees. One of the casualties was the weekly Son op Sondag title. Now…

Berlin: Environmental activists blocked dozens of streets in Berlin yesterday in a bid to push the government to do more to tackle climate change, an action condemned by Germany’s finance minister as “physical violence”. Last Generation campaigners halted traffic across the city by glueing themselves to the street surface, including on the busy motorway A100. About 33 sites were blocked, the Berlin police said, adding that around 500 officers had been deployed to secure the streets and remove the protesters. Police used a drill to dislodge one activist. | AFP…

London: Extreme weather events in Malawi and Pakistan have driven “very sharp” rises in malaria infections and deaths, a global health chief said ahead of World Malaria Day today. Cases in Pakistan last year, after devastating floods left a third of the country under water, rose fourfold to 1.6 million, says the World Health Organization. In Malawi, Cyclone Freddy in March triggered six months of rain in six days, causing cases there to spike, Peter Sands, head of the Global Fund to fight Aids, TB and Malaria, said. Pools of water created ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. | AFP…

Safa are ready to pull the plug on their partnership with the SABC if things do not improve. After agreeing a four-year contract in 2019, Safa were expected to see the SABC plough a significant amount of money into the association, while ensuring that their matches across junior and senior national teams are televised on SABC 1, 2 and 3. But the national broadcaster has failed to live up to expectations on both ends, cutting the R110-million yearly investment to a measly R25m, while some crucial Safa matches have only been broadcast on streaming services such as OTT. Those irregularities have backed Safa into a corner in terms of the day-to-day operations, despite reporting that they have incurred a loss of only R2.9m in the 2022 financial year. With the…

Multi-talented Ntobeko Sishi, who goes by the stage name Sishii, has become a well-known actor in South Africa thanks to his role on the award-winning soapie Gomora. Earlier this month, Mzansi Magic said the popular show would be coming to an end after its fourth season, which concludes in October. Sishii will be leaving the show in May to focus on his music career and he has also released a new single, I Don’t Dance. IOL Entertainment caught up Sishii to find out more about his experience working on Gomora and his bubbling music career. Sishii’s journey began with him following his heart after receiving a call to audition for the role of Ntokozo on Gomora while presenting on Hectic Nine/9. Since then he has gone on to hone…

One of the major criticisms of the mining and resources sector in Africa over the years has been that it simply extracts resources without benefiting the countries in which it operates. According to the De Beers Group beneficiation manager, Kagiso Fredericks, the key to unlocking a sustainable future for the diamond industry lies in one word: beneficiation. He said beneficiation was a process that improves the economic value of the rough diamonds mined, which included cutting and polishing diamonds, jewellery manufacturing, marketing and distribution. “There are a couple of reasons why developing a bigger local beneficiation industry is important.” For one, South Africa’s economy benefits from keeping more of the downstream value-generating activity around mining diamonds in the country. “Local beneficiation allows communities and broader society to benefit directly…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has accepted the withdrawal of three people nominated to receive respective Orders in a ceremony scheduled to take place on Friday in Pretoria. The Presidency said the withdrawal of the names follows objections from sectors of society and recommendations by the National Orders Advisory Council (NOAC). The names of esteemed film-makers Duma Ndlovu, Freek Robinson, and Mike Horn have been withdrawn from the list of 35 chosen recipients to have orders conferred upon. “To uphold the integrity of the National Orders, the NOAC will further adopt measures to strengthen the selection process. These measures include a workshop to be undertaken by council members at the end of April. Timelines of the selection process will also be reviewed,” it said. National Orders are the highest awards that a…

The Emfuleni Local Municipality has spent more than R6 million on lawyers and legal processes just to discipline the municipality’s suspended chief financial officer (CFO). The CFO, Andile Dyakala, was suspended in March 2022 on five charges related to financial misconduct, unlawfulness, and derogatory statements on social media. Since his suspension, he has received R1 614 747 for his salary, and the municipality has additionally paid a total of R6 479 606.88 in legal fees. This information was provided by the Gauteng MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mzi Khumalo, in a written reply to the DA’s questions tabled in the Gauteng provincial legislature. The Star understands the bulk of the legal fees was spent on lawyers, the Council for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration and Bargaining Council processes, and…

The world can take important lessons from 101-year-old Ella Blumenthal, a survivor of the brutal massacres in the Warsaw Ghetto. The Holocaust, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi-sponsored genocide against European Jews during World War II saw some six million brutally killed. Survivors like Blumenthal teach us to adopt a positive attitude in a world filled with so much hatred. She further inspires and ignites the spirit and needs for unity across the world. The end of the systematic genocide in the Warsaw ghetto did not translate into the end of the scars and effects of the Holocaust itself. Speaking at the Yom Hashoah (Holocaust remembrance) memorial function in Johannesburg this week, Blumenthal’s daughter, Evelyn Kaplan, eloquently described how her mother’s harrowing experiences continue to impact her and her family even many years…

Education is not valued in South Africa. Graduates with diplomas, junior degrees and post-graduate qualifications are unemployed. Some of the graduates’ studies were financed by the government but it is not employing them. In other words, the government is not getting value for the money spent. In our country, you have to be connected to get a job. You also have to be a comrade to get a better position, irrespective of your competency or qualification/s. Some managers in government departments have only matric. It is what it is. That said, many people are asking how convicted criminal Thabo Bester managed to accumulate billions while having only a Standard 5. The world tends to judge the IQ of a person based on their education level. Former president Jacob Zuma went…

The benefits of experiencing nature for physical, psychological and spiritual well-being are widely documented. But much of the research on these benefits has been done in relatively affluent countries in the global North. There’s little research that has been done in developing countries on the benefits of being in nature. Development and urban planning approaches in developing countries reflect this. While they rightfully emphasise economic development, housing and sanitation, they commonly treat access to green space as a luxury to enjoy once basic needs are met. In an era of accelerating urbanisation, particularly in developing countries, nature experience is becoming increasingly rare. And as with many other types of amenities, access to nature and green spaces is highly skewed along socio-economic lines. In South Africa, there remains a stark contrast…

MOSCOW: A Russian court denied bail yesterday to a woman charged with terrorism over a bomb attack that killed a pro-war Russian military blogger earlier this month. Prosecutors have accused Darya Trepova, 26, of killing blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, by presenting him with an explosive device concealed within a statuette at a public talk he was giving in a St Petersburg cafe on April 2. Investigators say she was working on behalf of a pro-Ukrainian group with connections to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, and charged her with terrorist offences. Trepova’s husband has said he believes she was framed. | Reuters…

JERUSALEM: A Palestinian man drove his car into a crowd on a Jerusalem street yesterday, injuring five people before being shot dead by a passer-by, Israeli police said. Hours earlier, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian during a raid in the occupied West Bank, the latest in a series of incidents during an upsurge in violence over the past year. Israel’s ambulance service said it treated five injured people before transferring them to hospital, including a man, 70, who was in a serious condition. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the 30-year-old car driver from East Jerusalem, had tried to hurt civilians deliberately. | Reuters…

They are not in a good position on the Currie Cup log at the moment and that's why a desperate Western Province side will rock up for the North-South derby with the Blue Bulls on Saturday in Cape Town. Both teams sit just outside the top four in South Africa's premier domestic competition, with the Bulls (17 points) in fifth and WP (16 points) in sixth, looking to break back into the play-off spots. The winning team will most likely jump up the log, leapfrogging one of the Griquas (19 points) or the Sharks (19 points), who meet each other this weekend when the second round of the competition starts. "Both the teams will be desperate for a win," WP defence coach Norman Laker said. "It will be important for…

Kaizer Chiefs are getting their just desserts as they continue to play ‘housie-housie’ with the iconic club by allowing the chairman’s family to occupy strategic positions in the day-to-day running of the organisation. On Sunday, Chiefs suffered a 1-0 defeat to a very ordinary Sekhukhune United side. Without the usual penalty or opposition red card, Chiefs slumped to defeat after a four-match unbeaten streak in the Premiership. During this fruitful Premiership streak, Chiefs either won after a penalty proved decisive or they were advantaged by playing against 10-man opposition teams. This occurrence prompted coach Steve Barker to remark, “Chiefs must be practising against 10-man opposition”, after his side suffered a red card and a penalty in a 2-1 defeat. Sunday’s loss prompted an outcry from the Amakhosi faithful, and a…