Table of contents for 2023-06-01 in Star

It has acquired the PIC’s 9.26% shareholding in the platinum company IMPALA Platinum (Implats) has finally achieved control of Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) after a long drawn-out process and takeover battle after it acquired the Public Investment Corporation’s (PIC) 9.26% shareholding in the platinum group metals (PGM) company. This move would make Implats hold RBPlat shares comprising an aggregate of approximately 55.46% of the RBPlat shares in issue. “Implats will control the majority of the issued shares in RBPlat, and RBPlat will become a subsidiary of Implats,” the group said. Implats CEO Nico Muller said securing control of RBPlat solidified a stronger, more sustainable future for the Rustenburg region, the North West province, and the South PGM sector – collectively a major employer in the mining sector and a key…

SOUTH Africa’s financial markets were in turmoil yesterday as the rand continued to weaken while stocks fell to their lowest in more than two months as investors fled to safer haves on the back of an uncertain economic climate. The rand remained subdued almost unchanged at R19.81 against the US dollar by close of trading at the JSE after hitting a new all-time worst level of R19.86 on Tuesday on the back of the stronger US dollar, along with local political and electricity issues. There have been growing concerns about South Africa’s relationship with Russia alongside domestic economic risks. Investor sentiment in South Africa has soured over factors including a heightened power crisis and US allegations that the country supplied weapons to Russia last year. Investors have also seen the…

FINANCIAL stress is affecting us in many different ways. Some people are struggling to pay bills, feed the family, or maintain a place to live. Others are meeting their basic needs but are dipping into their savings for extras. Financial stress is increasing and, understandably, is causing some distress. But understanding and finding ways to reduce our financial stress – and its emotional impact on us – can help make this challenging time a bit easier. What is financial stress? If you’re finding it difficult to meet your current expenses or are worried about your current or future finances, you’re under financial stress. Like other types of stress, financial stress has two components: ■ Objective: financial difficulty, where you don’t have enough funds to cover necessary expenses or debts…

GLOBAL PV and smart energy total solutions provider Trina Solar is expanding its footprint in South Africa to respond to the country’s growing demand. The Chinese firm said in a statement yesterday that it had tripled South Africa sales volume of panels in quarter one 2023 compared to full year of 2022. The company, which has made investments in the South African market over the years, said it had recently opened a new office in Johannesburg and a warehouse in Cape Town. This was in addition to an existing warehouse in Durban. This would allow the company to deliver solar products faster and more efficiently to customers across the country and neighbouring regions, Trina Solar said. This as the solar firm also expands in its home market, China. It announced…

The Africa Harm Reduction Alliance has described South African laws that govern cigarettes and nicotine as backward and unhelpful to those who want to quit smoking. This week, the Health Department is expected to present the new tobacco control bill to the Parliamentary Health Committee. The Alliance described the bill as outdated, short sighted, and unscientific. It said the department was expected to reveal some of the world’s harshest restrictions on alternative nicotine products when it briefed the health committee in Parliament. The bill will prohibit vapes and pouches being sold as less risky alternatives, ban them from display, and introduce a wide range of new offences – including vaping in your own flat if your neighbour objects or in a car carrying a non-smoker – that will incur draconian…

WHILE health stakeholders have noted a downward trend in new cholera cases across the country in recent days, the “elephant in the room” regarding the source of the outbreak remains “in question”. This was according to Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla during an update yesterday on the outbreak of cholera in different parts of the country. Phaahla, speaking at the briefing in Hatfield, Pretoria, said at this stage, the outbreak of the disease could be defined as being limited to very specific areas in the country. He credited the “hopeful” turnaround in the past seven days as being due to the collaborative efforts of the provincial Health Department, working with the City of Tshwane municipality and other entities such as the World Health Organization. The minister said although there was…

The new rhino calf orphan that is being rehabilitated at Care for Wild Sanctuary has found solace in the company of other rhino orphans. Care for Wild Sanctuary, a non-profit rescue, rehabilitation and rewilding organisation, said that on Sunday it received a call from Timbavati Private Nature Reserve to assist with the rescue of a young rhino calf that had been seen wandering alone, pursued by a relentless clan of hyenas. The hyenas had already injured the calf, biting at its tail and face. Care for Wild said vet Dr Ben Muller took to the skies with helicopter pilot Gerry McDonald to dart the calf, which was being monitored and protected from the hyenas by Timbavati rangers. Dr Hayden Cuthill and Louis van Wyk of @wildlifevets.com_sa joined vet Dr Gunther…

Snake rescuer Nick Evans said that Saturday was exactly a year, to the day, that he last had a call for a puff adder. He said that around Durban, puff adders started occurring in the Upper Highway area and become more and more common the further inland one went. Evans said that over the weekend, he received a call from an old friend in Assagay to catch a pair of puff adders, and he could not resist going. “The pair, I was told, were in a large wood pile. I took my snake-catching friend, Nick Saunders, with, for help,” Evans said. He said the caller was not exaggerating: it was a large wood pile. Evans said he and the caller started removing the long planks together, going slowly and carefully.…

BASIC Education Minister Angie Motshekga and Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane were joined by Chinese ambassador to South Africa Chen Xiaodong and his wife Zhang Bin during a donation handover of a consignment of stationery and school bags for pupils at Bonwelong Primary School in Ivory Park. The Chinese ambassador made the donation to the school on Tuesday, a day after he visited and made a donation to the Bramley Child and Youth Care Centre in Pretoria, accompanied by Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. “It is my great pleasure to come to the Bonwelong Primary School as we are about to celebrate June 1, International Children’s Day. I always feel great energy and vigour whenever I join a youthful group…

IT IS not often that substance abuse addicts kick the habit and get back on the saddle towards a brighter future with some becoming successful politicians, businesspeople, teachers or even police officers. These are some of the success stories coming from a Soshanguve NPO dedicated to mop up substance abusers from the streets in and around Pretoria. The Clean Up Hub, set up six years ago by Reikhutsitse Malala, has a programme to take abusers off the streets and give them hope of a better future. After reading a story of a young nyaope abuser who wanted to quit in Pretoria News two weeks ago, Malala reached out to the publication to trace the addict, who lives on the streets. “Every day we recruit new users so we can take…

Veteran actress Connie Chiume, who this year celebrates 46 years of being an actor, is looking forward to teaching her craft to thousands of aspiring actors across the country. The Black Panther actress will be spending her time teaching and mentoring young people through a series of workshops in provinces such as the Eastern Cape, North West, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Free State, which she said were underserved provinces when it came to arts and cultural initiatives. She said she has partnered with the National Arts Council to make this dream a reality. The initiative, in celebration of some of her biggest milestones, will be run in conjunction with a group of young professionals who are stepping up to help realise her dream to give back to the industry…

Jazzathon 2023, the People’s Festival, will make its 26th appearance in the Mother City this month, making Cape Town the most popular destination this winter. A superb line-up, featuring the renowned American guitar maestro Stanley Jordan, will make Cape Town’s Jazzathon’s African Celebration come alive from June 23-25. The weekend’s jazz performances at the Grand Arena, GrandWest Casino & Entertainment World in Goodwood, Cape Town, are set to feature an outstanding array of local and international jazz musicians. The three-day festival will feature performances by many different artists, including Jimmy Dludlu, The Lady Day Big Band, Penelope Radsma, Adelia Douw, Chad Saaiman, Seth Grey, Sarah-Jane, Youngsta, and The Black Ties, among others. This year’s Jazzathon festival, which boasts a number of brand-new elements, will feature a wide range of musical…

We can all agree that running the day-to-day aspects of a household is generally challenging, even when bigger responsibilities are removed from the equation, such as assets management (cars and house), long term planning (children’s future), investment (future expenses), among others. What remains are everyday decisions, time and human resource allocations, expenses, and the maintenance thereof, and these tend to compound over time. The City of Joburg services 1.96 million households on a day-to day basis with various services. Johannesburg Water delivers water and sanitation services to most of these households. A lot goes on behind the scenes at the water utility, in terms of what eventually affects the customer. With that said, I hope it can be appreciated that Johannesburg Water as a utility faces as many headaches as…

LOCATED in the German state of Bavaria, Delta4x4 has been making off-road vehicles more bush-worthy for over 40 years. It has worked on quite a diverse range of vehicles, from the diminutive Suzuki Jimny right through to Mercedes G-Class and there are a few wild cards in its portfolio too, such as a Tesla Model Y with off-road rims, roof racks and all. However the company’s latest project transforms the second-generation Volkswagen Amarok into something of a “Beast”. The Delta4x4 Beast, as they call it, rides a significant 150mm higher than the regular Amarok bakkie thanks to a 100mm lift kit, which includes aluminium spacers and lengthened components, as well as a 50mm suspension distance kit. This theoretically raises the ground clearance to around 380mm, pitching it higher than the…

A HANDFUL of Proteas players will buckle down this weekend, working on their match fitness ahead of the Netball World Cup, but one suspects that they will also be applying some valuable psychological lessons throughout the tournament too. With the World Cup now less than two months away, several locally-based national players will return to their provincial team to compete in the Netball League from tomorrow onwards at the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria. The tournament will play out every weekend until July 1, when the final will be contested. The pressure of hosting netball’s showpiece event at the end of July, however, will no doubt be in the back of their minds. This past week, some of the players will also have clapped eyes on the World Cup trophy, which…

THE LIONS travel to Durban tomorrow and one suspects that they go there with the express objective of being the team that stops the Sharks’ six-game winning streak in the Currie Cup. That was at least the inference picked up, however tongue-in-cheek, from Darrien Landsberg earlier this week, when he spoke of the coming clash at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday. The Lions have already beaten the Sharks this season – a 34-22 victory at Ellis Park at the beginning of April – and they will surely also hope to notch the double on their bedpost after this weekend. Moreover, the Lions must win the clash if they are to remain in the competition’s semi-final discussions. Landsberg, who played in the first-round victory, made it clear that the Lions will…

NEXT MONTH the fate of troubled sugar refiner Tongaat Hulett (THL) will be revealed by its business rescue practitioners (BRP) with eight potential strategic equity partners (SEPs) interested in the acquisition of, or investment in the business, or parts of its SA Sugar businesses. The sugar sector will anxiously awaiting the outcome as the sugar sector, with cane growers, mills and supply chains supports thousands of jobs in KwaZulu-Natal. The sugar and property group, with a legacy of 130 years under its belt was implicated in an accounting scandal in 2019 and despite being put under new management with a turnaround plan, was forced to enter business rescue after a potential rights offer or funding plan hit the wall. Trevor Murgatroyd, Peter van den Steen and Gerhard Albertyn of…

THIS IS THE first article in a series on planning for retirement, focusing on the different phases of the journey. Over the course of the series, we will also look at the transition phase, the active phase, the passive phase and the late retirement phase. Just SA is a retirement income and life annuity specialist that partners with best-of-breed independent asset managers and administrators to provide an enhanced value proposition to meet the different needs of South African retirees. Retirement is a significant milestone that requires careful planning and preparation. If you are one of the many South Africans who will retire in the next 5 to 10 years, it is crucial to start thinking about your goals for your golden years and taking proactive steps to ensure a financially…

GLOBALWORTH, a leading owner of offices in Bucharest, Romania, and Poland and 30% owned by JSE-listed Growthpoint Properties, is benefiting from a shift by financial services and fintechs in Europe to relocate their back-office and other units to central and eastern European countries, where skills, utilities and other services cost less. Large companies in developed Europe are struggling in the once con- sidered unheard-of environment of high interest rates and inflation that has seen the costs to companies of goods and services soar. Business Report was granted a rare opportunity this week to visit several of Global- worth’s Bucharest office properties. Office vacancies are at an all-time high in South Africa due to an oversupplied market that was made worse by the work-from-home trend that arose out of the Covid-19…

GLOBAL mining company Anglo American said yesterday that it was reorganising its team to enhance value and growth. In a statement, the group said it had been refreshing the executive team steadily over the past 12 months, and it welcomed this new generation of Anglo American leadership. The organisational would take effect from July 1. The tweaking of its management comes at a time commodity prices are expected to wane. Global commodity prices are expected to decline this year at the fastest clip since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, clouding the growth prospects of almost two-thirds of developing economies that depend on commodity exports, according to the World Bank’s latest Commodity Markets Outlook report. “As a team, we are embarking on our next phase of sustainable value creation,”…

Ingredients Apple filling 7 medium golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1-2cm cubes 115g castor sugar, sifted ¹/₂ tsp ground cinnamon ¹/₄ tsp ground ginger Juice of 1 lemon Pinch salt 5ml vanilla essence 35g melted butter Crumble topping 140g castor sugar, sifted 285g cake flour Pinch salt 5ml ground cinnamon 90g rolled oats 5ml vanilla essence 225g butter, melted Zest of 1 orange Zest of 1 clementine To serve Icing sugar Cream or custard Method Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the apple cubes, along with the remaining apple filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Transfer to a ovenproof pie dish. For the crumble topping, place the 140g castor sugar, flour, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk to combine, then stir…

AN EDUCATION expert says proposals made in the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (Bela Bill) have good intentions, but it remains difficult for the system to create quality where it lacks the means to enforce compliance. Currently, the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education is conducting public hearings on the bill, and some of the proposed changes have come under fire from some sectors. For one, the residents of the Cape Winelands District Municipality recently, during public hearings held at the Montana Community Hall in Wolsely, called for the bill to include a clear clause that would ensure the freedom of curriculum and protect the environment against what they described as proposed “draconian regulations”. Furthermore, they argued an unambiguous clause would assure them that they would not be compelled to use…

How can President Cyril Ramaphosa be in the dark about the fact of what a Russian ship was doing at our naval base in Simon’s Town? Especially since the government has been courting the Russians and Chinese quite openly. Why would he have to have an inquiry by a special panel to be headed by a judge? Who is he trying to fool? As a US president once said: “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.’’ This government seems to be immersed in innuendo. There has been a lot of talk about whistle-blowers being protected, on the one hand, and, on the other, as in…

AT LEAST four people have been arrested by the Hawks in North West while they were selling two pangolins at a mall. Spokesperson for the Hawks in North West, Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso, said the two pangolins were being sold for R200 000. “Members of the Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation arrested four suspects aged between 29 and 45 in Mahikeng on May 30, following their attempt to sell two pangolins for R200 000,” said Rikhotso. “The team was following up on information regarding the suspects who were allegedly looking for a buyer for the pangolins. The quartet was cornered at Mahikeng Mall where they were found in possession of the endangered species.” She said the four were set to appear before the Mahikeng Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where they will…

IN A community where stories of struggle often go unnoticed, a remarkable tale of compassion and transformation has unfolded. Trapped within the confines of poverty, Kokwana Masombhuka and her four children lived in a single- room house in Mathyszensloop, KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga. Through the collective efforts of employees of the SANTS Private Higher Education Institution, the family’s story has taken an extraordinary turn. Rising from a foundation of love and shared humanity, the single-room house was renovated, two living areas added and furnished, a kitchen with appliances fitted, a water tank supplied, and a new roof constructed. The new home stands as a testament to the remarkable power of collective action. Ward councillor Faro Mabena, who played a vital role in identifying the family, expressed, profound gratitude to SANTS for their…

Unathi Nkayi has broken her silence about her ongoing spat with her former employer, Kaya 959, revealing that she is prepared to fight as they head to the High Court. After nearly two years of working with the broadcaster, the media personality’s contract was terminated last year amid allegations that her conduct was “intolerable”. This came after an intense verbal exchange with media personality Sizwe Dhlomo, which resulted in her being axed immediately. In a video on Instagram, Nkayi claims she knew she would be sent packing, but her dismissal was unjust. She also reveals that she has a strong support system and is psychologically prepared for the fight. “I am shooting this video for my mother; she has instructed me and given me the blessing to tell my side…

The South African creative industry is mourning the loss of veteran actor Patrick Ndlovu, pictured. Ndlovu was 85 when he died, and details surrounding his death have not been disclosed. He was best known for his portrayal of Sizwe “Ntate Moloi” Moloi in the SABC1 drama series Zone 14, and also played iconic roles in popular TV shows like Yizo-Yizo, Shaka Zulu, Gaz’ Lam, The Wild and The Queen. His agency, Moonyeenn Lee Associates (MLA SA), confirmed the news of his death on social media. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of legendary actor Patrick Ndlovu, whose acting career spanned more than four decades. Patrick was best known for his roles as Sizwe Moloi in the SABC1 drama series Zone 14 and as school principal Mr Thembu in the…

The government’s announcement that a basic income support for all unemployed people between the ages of 18 and 59 would be prioritised, has been welcomed. Human rights advocacy group, the Black Sash Trust, demonstrated outside Parliament as Department of Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu tabled her Budget vote. She listed 10 items that would be prioritised during the 2023/24 financial year. “Working together with other mandated government departments, we will produce South Africa’s poverty alleviation strategy which includes the policy on the basic income support for 18- to 59-year-old people who are not working. “We will optimise the performance of non-profit organisations while implementing a risk-based supervision framework that will prevent the abuse of NPOs in money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing,” said Zulu. The department would also create…

Two people were accosted and robbed in Groblersdal, Limpopo, while they were in a queue to deposit money at a bank. Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the incident happened on Tuesday, and the victims said they lost R150 000. “While waiting, an unknown African male approached the victim, who is a foreign national, and tried to grab a black plastic bag containing the money.” Police said the man who was intending to deposit the money, attempted to fight off the assailant, but another attacker came and pointed a firearm at the victim, threatening to shoot him if he resisted. “The victim surrendered the bag and the duo immediately rushed to the victim’s fellow countryman who was also standing on the line, waiting to deposit, and robbed him of…

WHAT used to be known as the Subaru XV is now the Crosstrek and the car you see here is the all-new version that’s launching in South Africa soon. According to the Subaru South Africa website, the new Crosstrek will be launched locally within the next four weeks, but information specialist Duoporta has listed pricing for the new model, as reported by Cars.co.za. Two models will be on offer, with the entry-level Crosstrek 2.0 iL coming in at R579 000 and the 2.0 iS listed at R669 000. Like the XV that it replaces, the Subaru Crosstrek is based on the Subaru Global Platform, and is closely related to the new-generation Impreza hatchback, which is not sold in SUV-obsessed South Africa. Its rivals include the Nissan Qashqai (R568 200 to…

IT MAY have been more than two months ago that the Blue Bulls were stunned by the Griffons in Welkom, but the Pretoria side have not forgotten about it. In fact, hooker Johan Grobbelaar feels that Jake White’s team “owe them one” in tomorrow’s Currie Cup encounter at Loftus Versfeld (5.05pm kick-off). On March 31 in the northern Free State, the Griffons pulled off a sensational 32-28 victory over the Bulls, and the result had far-reaching consequences, with head coach Edgar Marutlulle relieved of his duties and sent back to the junior team, while director of rugby White took on the role of Currie Cup and URC head coach. It was a tricky balancing act for the former Springbok coach, and now the Bulls are in a situation where they…

S&P GLOBAL has revised South Africa’s growth forecast for 2023 as the intensifying electricity crisis and rising cost of living cripple every prospect of meaningful economic activity. The ratings agency yesterday forecast that South Africa's economy will now grow 0.7% this year, down from a 1.6% forecast given in June 2022 due to the ongoing bout of power cuts. This growth forecast is more optimistic than the Reserve Bank’s estimate of 0.2% this year as load shedding is expected to worsen during the winter months amidst rising levels of unplanned breakdowns of Eskom’s coal-fired power fleet. Eskom has been implementing heightened load shedding of up to stage 6 for the better part of this year, with an unprecedented stage 8 load shedding also forecast in winter when…

THE OFFICES for the Ombudsman for Short-term Insurance (Osti) and the Ombudsman for Long-term Insurance (Olti), which operate under a single insurance ombudsman, jointly clawed back more than R330 million for consumers in 2022. This is revealed in the latest joint annual report of the two schemes, released last week. In 2022, the Olti recovered R220 836 922 for complainants in lump sums and an additional R857 544 was awarded as compensation. Over the same period, the Osti reported it had awarded R109 439 635 to consumers who had approached the office for assistance. Long-term insurance “In general, the reported numbers for 2022 were lower than those of 2021, which is not surprising given that the brunt of the Covid-19-related insurance claims was felt…

THE Little Mermaid shows there indeed can be wonderful things on the ocean floor, and above the sea… at least in the photo-realistic re-imagining of the story, that is. There initially was concern about the modern live-action re-imagining of the studio’s Oscar-winning animated musical classic. But Disney did the smart thing by taking its time with an adaptation. In doing so, the new version delivers all the feelings of the animated film but also doesn’t get stuck in a near-identical adaptation. We learn more about the characters from the animated film but also get a colourful look into the film’s oceanic world. There has, rightfully, been concern about how the film would deliver with Disney live-action remakes being hit-and miss but this one knocks it out of the ocean. And…

Mzansi’s much loved Ndlovu Youth Choir has announced its South African tour dates. The choral group has become the most treasured and globally recognised choir in South Africa since its inception in 2009. After numerous sold out shows, the Ndlovu Youth Choir’s SA Tour kicks off at Montecasino’s Teatro on Friday, August 25, at 7.30pm followed by two performances on Saturday, August 26, at 3pm and 7.30pm and two shows on Sunday, August 27 at 2pm and 6pm. Cape Town concerts at the Artscape take place on Friday, October 13, at 7.30pm, Saturday, October 14, at 3pm at 7.30pm and Sunday, October 15, at 2pm and 6pm. Tickets are available via www.showtime.co.za or Ticketmaster. The choir consists of 15 choristers, accompanied by a three-piece band with their conductor, composer…

l Devastating writ of execution issued The Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, has issued a devastating writ of execution allowing the sheriff of the court to attach goods belonging to the governing party, the ANC, and sell them to pay R102 million to Ezulwini Investments. Ezulwini Investments supplied the governing party with campaign material for the 2019 general elections, but the company was never paid – until it sought the court’s intervention to recoup the money. This is a formal, legal document that orders a person or entity to perform or to cease performing a specific action or deed, in this case to get the ANC to honour its obligation to the aggrieved company (Ezulwini Investments). Ezulwini’s latest application comes as the governing party has battled to pay its staff members…

Student nurses from various campuses of the Gauteng Department of Health’s nursing colleges braved the wet weather yesterday as they marched to Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s office in Newtown, Johannesburg. The march by more than 300 students was supported by various trade unions in the sector, including the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa), the Young Nurses Indaba Trade Union, and the Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union. Secretary-general of the South African State and Allied Workers’ Union (Saswu), Mmeli Gebashe, lamented that Lesufi has money to fund his crime prevention wardens and other initiatives, while he fails to fund the provision of health services, which is more important than some of the recent pothole repair programmes. “We, as Sasawu, support you as workers. We do not see you as…

Ingredients Meatballs 2 tins Lucky Star Pilchards in Tomato Sauce 2 eggs 250ml breadcrumbs Salt and pepper to taste Fresh basil to garnish (optional) Parmesan shavings to garnish (optional) Sauce 30ml olive oil 1 medium onion, thinly chopped 300g spaghetti 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tinn whole tomatoes in sauce Pinch of salt Method Meatballs Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove only the pilchards from the can, reserving the tomato sauce, and place them in a bowl. Debone and flake. Combine with remaining pilchard meatball ingredients and mash with a fork. Roll a tablespoon of mixture into small meatballs with your hands. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Place fish meatballs on a baking tray and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. Take the fish meatballs out of the fridge, and bake…

The MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works, Sipho “KK” Nkosi, has said that the new JG Zuma Secondary School cost R71 million, and was nearing completion. Nkosi said he was happy that the community of M-section in KwaMashu, near Durban, where the new multimillion-rand school named after former president Jacob Zuma was being built, had provided the construction project with security. “We are here to do an inspection on how the construction project is going, and when it is going to be completed. “We want to make sure the school is completed this year, so that the learners are moved from the Bester area school premises, which is congested, and have fewer classes.” He appealed to the community of KwaMashu to continue protecting the school. “We are happy that…

THE CITY of Tshwane has successfully passed a proposed budget for 2023/2024, consisting of an operating budget of R44.5 billion and capital investment of R2.35bn despite stinging criticism by opposition parties that it was “grossly imperfect and imbalanced”. The budget was delivered last week by MMC for finance, Peter Sutton, and was debated yesterday during a special council meeting at Tshwane House council chamber. ANC councillor France Boshielo said Tshwane residents have not received decent service for the past seven years under the DA-led coalition. “The budget that has been delivered is grossly imperfect and imbalanced. We are subjected to a lip service budget which will not significantly change the living condition of our people. The MMC missed an opportunity to use the capital investment of R2.3bn to allocate money…

“To me, I’m just playing guitar,” says Stanley Jordan. “Then somebody points out the technique, and I remember, ‘Yeah, it’s weird’.” Most musicians would be loath to describe their own performance method as “weird”. But Jordan, who first astonished the jazz world more than a quarter-century ago, is well aware that his trademark approach is unconventional. His two-handed touch style, tapping the strings as if playing piano, allows Jordan to play melody, chordal harmonies and a bassline at once – or even to play two different guitars, or guitar and piano, simultaneously. “When I released my first album on Blue Note, Magic Touch, in 1985, I made a conscious decision to focus on the technique from a marketing standpoint,” the Chicago, US native recalls. “There’s a fragility and an honesty…

A security company has warned residents of the dangers of marketplaces, after a scammer uses Facebook Marketplace to scam people. AET Security spokesperson Renée Veenstra said the private security company has noted an increase in people reporting that strangers have been coming to their doors to collect items allegedly bought via Facebook Marketplace. Veenstra said the scammer advertises an item on Facebook Marketplace. Then the unsuspecting, and usually trusting, victim pays the scammer, who agrees to have the buyer collect the item from “their home address” at an agreed-on time. She said the buyer then arrives at the given address, often having travelled a distance, only to be greeted by very confused residents who know nothing about the sale. This is because the scammer has taken the money and given…

THE new Citroën C3 comes at a time when the ground is shifting beneath South Africa’s compact hatchback market. Suddenly, it seems that just about everything in the so-called B-segment costs well north of R300 000, and cars that used to sell well are struggling, or even exiting the market altogether. It’s hardly surprising, given that there are many SUVs now available in that price range. And yet, further downstream, hatchbacks costing under R250 000 are selling up a storm, particularly those manufactured by Maruti Suzuki in India. In these tough economic times, South Africans just can’t get enough budget cars, which is why Stellantis South Africa has made a smart move by sourcing the new Citroën C3 from India. Launched locally this week, it is somewhat different to the…

McLaren said Marshall will take the role of technical director, engineering and design when he starts at Woking on January 1, 2024. Marshall has been at reigning champion Red Bull for 17 years, serving as chief designer from 2006 to 2016 – during which period Red Bull won four successive drivers’ and constructors’ crowns with Sebastian Vettel. He previously worked at Renault, helping them to both titles in 2005 with Fernando Alonso. “His work on the generation of cars that gave us four incredible championship doubles between 2010 and 2013 was truly outstanding,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. “His influence will be missed but once again we thank him for all he has done and wish him the very best in his new role.” Former champion McLaren said…

THE murder of innocent citizens in Desai township, Mariannhill, continues unabated – and the police are keeping mum about it. On Tuesday night, a ward 13 committee member was shot and killed in the Desai area, and the killers are still at large. In its response to the ongoing killing in the province, the IFP wrote a statement in which it said political will is key in addressing the crime rate in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). In the police minister’s report on crime statistics on Tuesday, uMlazi and Inanda were named as the most crime-ridden areas in eThekwini. According to the portfolio committee on police on Tuesday, violent crimes increased by 4% between January and March this year when compared to the same period last year. Furthermore, third-quarter crime statistics released by…

USAIN Bolt says he is desperate to play a role in reviving the sport that made him a global superstar, but has experienced something of a decline since his retirement six years ago. The Jamaican, who dominated men’s sprinting for nearly a decade after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said he had subsequently found plenty to do to keep himself busy, but was really keen to remain involved in sport. “I spend my time doing a lot of family things; when it comes to track and field, not as much as I would want to, but I still try and stay in touch with what is going on,” the 36-year-old said. “I’m still waiting on a position from (World Athletics). I’ve reached out to them and let them know I would…