Table of contents for 2023-10-30 in Star

‘Strategic thrust is a response to the weak, long-term economic prospects in South Africa’ Growthpoint Properties, one of the biggest commercial property owners in South Africa, plans to increase its exposure to the positive performances of the KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape coastal regions, and reduce exposure to the Gauteng market, specifically Sandton. The group has a R197 billion portfolio in South Africa, rest of Africa, Australia, Poland, Romania and the UK, with 45.8% of the value located in this country. It also owns 50% of the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Gauteng, and specifically Sandton, is considered to be the commercial heartland of South Africa. “This strategic thrust is a response to the weak, long-term economic prospects in South Africa,” Growthpoint’s board said in its 2023 annual report, released…

Premier Fishing & Brands, in conjunction with Cape Gulf Brands, is bringing two South African favourites back to the dinner table: Redro fish spread and Peck’s Anchovette. Pick n Pay announced on Friday that it is working closely with the two companies to relaunch the popular fish spread products, after they were discontinued nearly two years ago. They will be exclusive to Pick n Pay stores. The endearing 1980s Redro advert, featuring a little boy who affectionately referred to everything he loved – including his pet dog, his cat, his tricycle and even his mother – as “Wedwo”, after his favourite spread, still lingers in the minds of many South Africans. Afrinat managing director Sam Sidar said the two brands, rich in healthy omega fatty acids,…

Cashbuild, a retailer of building material and hardware products from 318 stores, plans to remain true to its strategy, even though in the past year earnings fell hard as consumers held off on home improvement projects, whereas in the past, South Africa’s DIY stores were mostly immune to economic downturns. This was according to chairperson Alistair Knock, who, in the group’s integrated annual report to June 25, 2023, said they “are of the firm belief that the group’s strategy remains steadfast …”. He said the outlook for the industry was likely to remain the same and the wider view was that consumer confidence would only really improve when the country was seen to be a viable location for capital investment. “This will require a perception that South Africa is a…

EQUITY prices across the board struggled last week after just as bad a contraction the previous week. Fears of an interest rate hike in the US, as well as the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, have led to risk aversion away from equities. Any positive sentiment that the US Federal Reserve will take a dovish stance at their meeting tomorrow and on Wednesday on interest rates was blown out of the window after the release of the US Private Consumption Expenditure (PCE) last Thursday. The core (PCE) price index, which excludes food and energy prices, and is one of the three core key variables of inflation the Fed uses, increased by 0.3% in September (month-on-month). This is the highest increase in four months and much higher than the 0.1%…

AS SOUTH Africa embarks on the 2023/24 agricultural season, a multifaceted landscape of challenges and opportunities is unfolding within the farming sector. Animal diseases are a significant challenge to livestock farmers, with South Africa continuing to battle outbreaks of foot and mouth disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and African swine fever. More cases of HPAI have been confirmed in recent weeks. The poultry sector, in particular the egg industry, has been impacted negatively both on the breeding as well as the commercial side of the business. Of the industry’s 27 million commercial birds, about 30% have been lost due to the disease. The only effective way of managing it is by culling, as vaccines are not yet utilised. The industry is working on a solution, looking into importing…

Bongani Mohosana aka Mörda recently visited the Kaya FM studios to promote his recently released Asante 2 album. But listeners were treated to much more than a deep dive into his new offering. Speaking to Thabo T-Bose Mokwele on the Best T in the City mid-morning show, Mörda, who is usually not a chatterbox, shared how he went about his rebranding from Murdah Bongz to Mörda, how he met his wife, DJ Zinhle, and opened up about his friendship with Grammy award-winning DJ, Black Coffee. “It’s still (pronounced) Murdah, but it’s the Dutch version of it. The English Murdah doesn’t look right. I changed it because I am thinking international and I like the logo, you can’t forget it. “It took me six years, even when I was with my…

South African Navy commander Vice-Admiral Monde Lobese has warned that the country is at risk of being attacked from the sea because it is short of patrol vessels. Lobese was speaking at the welcoming ceremony of a new vessel named after King Shaka Zulu in Durban on Friday. He said for the navy to be able to protect the country from the sea it needed 15 ships, adding that the SA Navy had only two ships with more than 2 800km to patrol. Lobese blamed the government for not adequately funding the navy, adding that his troops were struggling to intercept ships that were entering the country’s waters illegally. “We are under-resourced and we are at risk. I can tell that on Thursday we found ships fishing in the…

IT IS all systems go for the matric Class of 2023, whose exam season kicks-off this morning and concludes on December. English will be the first paper to kick-start the five-week exam period which begins at 9am. Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga addressed the media on the state of readiness for this year’s matric class during a media briefing in Pretoria yesterday. According to the department, more than 717 377 matric candidates are expected to sit for their final exams across 6 898 centres as the 2023 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams get under way. The minister also sternly warned this year’s candidates on the dangers of being involved in paper leaking and cheating, saying they could be blocked from participating in three exams as a result.…

Thursday, October 26, 2023, marked exactly nine years since the former footballer Senzo Meyiwa was murdered in mysterious circumstances at the Vosloorus home of his girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo. Initially, it had been believed the murdered captain of Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates succumbed in a botched robbery, but evidence presented in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria by the Investigating Officer Brigadier Bongani Gininda says the goalkeeper was a victim of a contract killing. This was revealed when one of the accused, Bongani Ntanzi, applied for bail in April. He was denied bail. The accused are Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, and Fisokuhle Nkani Ntuli. IOL revisits all that has transpired since October 26, 2014, until now. October 26, 2014 Meyiwa is murdered on October 26, 2014,…

IT WAS no storm in a teacup when employees of a car dealership lost their tea and coffee privileges at work. The Motor Industry Staff Association (Misa) stepped up and came to the rescue of employees whose dealer principal took away their privilege. They were expected to pay for the beverages in future. Martlé Keyter, Misa’s CEO of operations, said the union enquired about the status quo after receiving a complaint from a member in distress. The member said the staff used to get coffee and tea, and a kettle was available. The dealership decided to open a coffee shop for customers to use while waiting for their vehicles. The practice of providing employees with beverages was stopped with immediate effect, and they were told to buy from the coffee…

Two women who were married to the same man are recognised as the deceased’s legal widows and, if they so want, can have both of their marriages registered, according to a ruling by the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg. The ruling comes after Mpho Molokane approached the court to have Rosy Williams’ marriage to her husband declared invalid. Molokane and Williams were both married to Alfred Mohlale. After Mohlale’s burial in 2015, Molokane approached the Department of Home Affairs to have her customary marriage to the deceased registered, which was done and a certificate was issued. Subsequent to that, Williams also went to the department to have her marriage with Mohlale registered and that’s when she learned that Mohlale has a registered marriage with Molokane. In March 2015, a meeting…

THE SECOND half of financial year 2024 should represent a significant inflection point for Aspen Pharmacare and form the foundation for sustain- able future earnings growth, according to chief financial officer Sean Capazorio in the company’s 2023 annual report, released on Friday. This as chief executive officer Stephen Saad said Aspen aimed to build and advance its commercial pharmaceuticals footprint with a focus on emerging markets, with a particular focus on further developing in China. Capazorio said that in delivering an exceptional performance in the second half of 2023, the group had achieved a solid set of results for the year. “The positive strides made in bolstering our product portfolio and securing contracts to utilise its sterile manufacturing capacity positioned the group for strong performance in second half financial year…

Diversity and inclusion practitioners have concluded that one of the reasons workplaces do not transform to be inclusive, or transform at a slower pace, is unconscious biases that make it impossible for those hiring and promoting to see talent among certain individuals or groups because of ingrained biases that they themselves may not be conscious of. These biases may be beliefs about people belonging to certain categories, such as race, age, gender, sexuality, personality, education level and so on. As a result of these beliefs, they cannot see the individual and situation for what it is but their judgement is informed by these beliefs, whether applicable or not to the individual being judged. This is when an organisation may have the right policies to drive change, but those hiring keep…

THE FESTIVE season is almost upon us and, as usual, consumer spending will rise over the next two months. The country’s economy is driven by private consumption, with roughly 64% of South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) generated from consumer spending. This year has witnessed a significant rise in inflation, which peaked above 7% in March. Food price escalation, coupled with a rise in fuel prices, were among the chief drivers of the upward inflation trend. This prompted the SA Reserve Bank to sharply increase interest rates in its fight against elevated inflation. When higher interest rates started eroding consumers’ disposable income, much attention was directed to higher food and fuel prices in the country. Indeed, agricultural commodity prices have been relatively high in 2023, impacted by global factors such…

Local content queen Nadia Jaftha is always serving us lewks and funny hot takes with her bae Xavier Haupt. But the type of content that amassed her thousands of social media followers was that of the hilarious banter between herself and her mom Nawal. Judging from their videos, there’s never a dull moment in the Jaftha house. And now the mom and daughter duo have appeared on Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp’s Parent and Baby Brunch podcast to spill the tea on what their relationship is really like. It was refreshing to listen to Nadia and Nawal speaking with brutal honesty. When asked if Nadia was a planned pregnancy, Nawal said, “I wasn’t ready at the time. But I already knew I was going to get pregnant. It wasn’t not planned.” Nawal also…

IN A night filled with electrifying energy, astounding performances, and heart-pounding beats, Sjava emerged as the victor in the highly-anticipated Red Bull SoundClash 2023, triumphing over the talented Focalistic in a musical battle that will be remembered for years to come. The Red Bull SoundClash, an event known for pitting the industry’s finest talents against one another, set the stage for an unparalleled evening of musical magic. The arena was alive with anticipation as fans and music enthusiasts gathered to witness history in the making. Sjava, the maestro of African Trap Music, left the audience spellbound with his mesmerising melodies and soulful vocals. With a powerful fusion of traditional and contemporary sounds, he proved why he is a force to be reckoned with in the world of music. The crowd…

The Hawks have made a breakthrough after arresting a man believed to be responsible for the murder of former politician Loyiso Nkohla Mabandla. He was killed on April 17 as he attended a meeting at the Philippi Station in Cape Town about railway squatters. Two other people were shot and wounded, one of them a pregnant woman from Heinz Park. At the time of his death, Mabandla was working with the Langa and Philippi residents who invaded the Central Line to ensure that they were relocated. After six months of investigation, a 38-year-old man was arrested on Friday and charged with murder and attempted murder. Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said: “A Cape Town man, 38, believed to be one of the suspects investigated in the slaying of Loyiso Mabandla,…

It is commendable President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered the millions used to sponsor the SAMAs in KwaZulu-Natal should be curtailed. He can do better than that though. When will he realise something is wrong and needs action, where there is a lot of malfeasance going around every day regarding wasteful expenditure of our taxes? The president has a ministry supposed to be monitoring and evaluating such things. What are they working on daily that Ramaphosa is unable to act in the decisive manner regarding the other rot in the country? For example, it is depressing that when one opens the Sunday papers, we see all the shenanigans with respect to public funds in North West. Why is the ministry in the Presidency not advising him that he should publish edicts…

AFTER months of anticipation, a record number of enthusiasts decked out in their finest and eager to learn more about the world of sexuality attended the Sex Expo for four eventful days at the Gallagher Convention Centre. The exhibition opened its doors to some of the steamiest experiences, which included: • Josh and Lulu demonstrating the power and beauty of bondage and sensual touch in the Theatre of Erotica. • OnlyFans Models Lacy Lexi: A first for the Johannesburg Expo meeting SA’s favourite OnlyFans models in person, creating some exciting live content. • Pricasso, the world-famous penile artist from Australia, showing off his talents to visitors. The crowd watched the master artist at work and could take home a unique portrait their mothers would be proud of. •…

Mohammed Shami led an inspired bowling display as India hammered England by 100 runs yesterday to stay unbeaten in the World Cup and all but push the defending champions out of the semi-final race. Chasing a tricky 230 for victory in Lucknow, England collapsed to 129 all out in 34.5 overs to suffer their fifth defeat in six matches and leave their title defence at the mercy of a mathematical miracle. The hosts have six wins in as many games and are virtually assured of a semi-final place. Skipper Rohit Sharma led the charge with 87 as India posted 229/9, a total that looked below par but proved enough for a struggling England side on a sluggish pitch. "It was a great performance and we would take that win any…

Thapelo Maseko’s solo goal guided Mamelodi Sundowns to an invaluable win over Al Ahly in their African Football League semi-final first leg yesterday. The Brazilians now face a return leg in Cairo on Wednesday night and an aggregate win for Sundowns would see them reach the final of the inaugural AFL where they'd face either Esperance or Wydad Casablanca. Maseko scored the all-important goal of the game, but Sundowns should have won by a greater margin as they dominated possession. So now with Sundowns only leading by a slender margin, Al Ahly will fancy their chances in their return leg. The Brazilians were unfortunate not to head into the break with the lead. It was an impressive half from Sundowns and Al Ahly’s Percy Tau was left frustrated on his…

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has issued a stark warning that South Africa could go over the fiscal cliff by March 2024 if it does not make additional borrowings as the government finances have severely deteriorated on the back of rising expenditure and dwindling tax revenues due to weak economic growth. Delivering the keynote address at the annual Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation Investment Growth Forum on Friday night, Godongwana explained a Catch-22 situation in which the country found itself. Godongwana said the government needed to increase its borrowing to prevent drastic reductions in expenditure. “The first thing we've done is to manage this in a more prudent way through a combination of cutting expenditure and bumping up borrowing,” Godongwana said. “We’ve been forced to bump up borrowing a bit more than we…

JSE-LISTED City Lodge Hotels, a South African-based hotel group with 59 hotel properties across Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa, has handsomely rewarded its top executive teams for steering the group through torrid Covid-19 tough times. Looking at remuneration, chief executive Andrew Widegger was paid R11.2 million, from R6m the prior year, an 86% leap; chief financial officer Dhanisha Nathoo was paid R4.8m, from R2.8m the prior year; and chief operations officer Lindiwe Siddo got paid R4.9m, from R2.9m the prior year. According to City Lodge Hotels annual report 2023, released last week: “The world is changing rapidly. The impact on South Africans in particular is palpable. The cost of living is skyrocketing, load shedding is a regular affliction, and deteriorating infrastructure often results in an erratic water supply.”…

THE EVIL COALITION of the elite captured in Lehohla’s judgement is one where these elites cling together like a banana bunch and ripen in the dark away from public scrutiny. The era of indifference and the evil project of coalition of the elite is running on steroids, yet running out of rope. Four significant summits in which I participated have taken place in South Africa on this subject in the past 30 days. They highlight the urgency and the importance of human agency to arrest the lived negative and deplorable consequences of indifference of the evil coalition of the elite in South Africa. There are many examples that assist to foreground how human agency is the single most important tool to address and resolve an evil coalition. These evil accords…

TURKISH multinational Karpowership SA could soon have one of its three controversial gas-to-power projects up and running after jumping a crucial regulatory hurdle. Karpowership SA on Friday was granted environmental authorisation by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment for its Richards Bay environmental impact assessment (EIA) application. This is a critical milestone in Karpowership SA’s participation in the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme that will lead to reaching financial close on the project. The company has proposed to locate its three powership projects at the ports of Richards Bay, Ngqura and Saldanha to generate electricity from natural gas and transmit it to substations linked to the national grid. The proposed projects aim to provide over 1.2GW of urgently-needed, reliable power to the grid, which has an over…

It’s no secret that virtually every young urban act dreams of working with Canadian rapper Drake. Over the past 15 odd years, Drake has served as a kingmaker for many new artists, including the likes of Lil Baby, Migos, ILOVEMAKONEN and Tems. It has been proven time and time again that once Drake gives you his stamp of approval by jumping on your record, everyone starts paying attention. Even veteran J. Cole finally landed his first Billboard chart-topping single through a Drake collaboration last week. South African “popiano” sensation Tyla seems to be well aware of this. During a Spotify Q&A, the 21-year-old revealed that the God’s Plan hitmaker was her dream collaborator. “My dream collab is Drake, 100%,” she said. She then pointed towards the camera and added, “It’s…

BLOEMFONTEIN mayor Gregory Nthatisi is in hot water following The Star’s 10 questions sent to him on a raft of corruption allegations levelled against him. A source inside the metro has levelled serious accusations labelling Nthatisi as corrupt and the main reason behind the collapse of the once-glorious city. These accusations come as the Mangaung metro has been mired in service delivery challenges and other issues in recent years. Early this year, ANC Umkhonto weSizwe veteran Nthatisi was elected as acting mayor of Mangaung after a court set aside Papi Mokoena’s election. However, since his election, there has been a series of accusations against him with concerned community members alleging that corruption in Mangaung has only worsened since Nthatisi’s rise to the mayorship position. A source close to the situation…

DESPITE the surge in snaring of animals in the Kruger National Park officials are scrambling to come up with ways to curb the emerging onslaught to the game for bush meat. With less than two months left until the end of the year Field Rangers and Honorary Rangers claim to have removed over 3000 snares that were placed across the park to trap the animals. According to the statistics this ruthless form of poaching has been on the increase in recent years claiming more than 7 000 snares in last year as opposed to 4000 in 2021. According to SA National Parks spokesperson Ike Phaahla, the most affected parts are the boundaries of the park and its villages. The snares come in the form of a wire that is shaped…

Police at Phalaborwa, in Limpopo, have launched an extensive search for a man who allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl in the community. The rape took place at Majeje village, under the Namakgale policing area, last Monday morning, according to Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, provincial police spokesperson in Limpopo. “The incident was reported to the police on Wednesday, after the man’s wife raised her suspicions with the victim’s mother – that the minor was sleeping with the man who is now a fugitive. “The victim was questioned about the incident and she confirmed that the suspect slept with her and thereafter gave her a certain amount of money to keep silent,” said Mashaba. The matter was immediately reported to the police. “A case of statutory rape was opened and police commenced with…

IN A groundbreaking move for the aerospace industry, Pegasus Universal Aerospace, led by visionary founder Dr Reza Mia, has unveiled significant progress in the development of their Vertical Business Jet (VBJ). The spotlight shines on the redesign of the fan louvre cover system within the wings, promising a leap forward in safety, simplicity, weight reduction, and cost-effectiveness. The revamped system takes inspiration from nature, creating a more organic and responsive mechanism. During vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), the covers will gracefully open, propelled by the flow of air over curved surfaces, while in forward flight, they close snugly to enhance aerodynamics. Quarter-scale models with a four-metre wingspan are undergoing final electronic fittings to enable remote operation and flight. Unexpectedly, these models equipped with first-person cameras have inadvertently become large drones,…

E-HAILING companies operating in South Africa said they are not afraid of bringing down the hammer on drivers who are demanding cash from passengers as more complaints surface. But while the corporations put rules and regulations in place, the debate about the situation on the ground, in the face of an economic trough, intensified. Last week, South African broadcast journalist Desan Thathiah posted on Facebook about an e-hailing driver demanding cash from him. The post attracted over 100 comments, all from people who have experienced the same thing or have family who have experienced it. There was also talk about how the prices of e-hailing rides are low while fuel prices are high, putting the driver in a difficult financial position, which could justify them requesting cash from passengers…

Banyana Banyana striker Hildah Magaia says they’ll have to be at their best against the Democratic Republic of Congo this afternoon to progress to the next round of the Olympic qualifiers. Banyana gained an invaluable away goal in Kinshasa after the game ended 1-1 in the first leg, while the return leg is scheduled for this afternoon (4pm kick-off) at Orlando Stadium. With the Springboks making history by defending their World Cup crown in Paris on Saturday night, Banyana will be eager to make their own piece of history in the Paris Games next year. But before they can think that far ahead, they have to ensure that they get the better of DRC in this qualifier and progress to the next round. “We are home. So it’s not going…

Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City inflicted more pain on Manchester United with a 3-0 win at Old Trafford yesterday to close within two points of Premier League leaders Tottenham. Haaland slotted home from the penalty spot midway through the first half and headed in a second just after half-time before setting up Phil Foden for City's third. City began the match outside the top four after an indifferent start to their title defence. But Pep Guardiola's men remain the favourites for an unprecedented fourth consecutive English top-flight title and showed they are a class apart from their local rivals as they moved up to third. A fifth defeat in 10 league games this season leaves United down in eighth, 11 points off the top. United great Bobby Charlton…