Table of contents for 2023-11-06 in Star

CAS COOVADIA, the CEO of Business Unity South Africa (Busa), said at the Agoa Forum on Friday that he expected South Africa to reach 3% economic growth in 2025. “At the moment we are concentrating on stopping the slide jointly with the government through various crisis committees. Next year we expect to turn the ship around and by the end of next year we expect to show significant progress so that we can reach 3% growth in 2025,” Coovadia said. The formal collaboration between business and government was initiated in June 2023 with the aim of significantly growing South Africa’s economy, by restoring public and investor confidence through critical interventions to address the key challenges of energy, logistics, as well as crime and corruption. A critical part of engendering investor…

ON THE EVE of the 20th Agoa Forum 2023, the Biden Administration announced significant changes to the list of sovereign States that will be eligible for preferential trading access under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa). For 2024, the White House has reinstated the eligibility of Mauritania and terminated the eligi- bility of Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger and Uganda. These actions carry significant domestic and foreign policy implications. One of the most important is that they will reinforce the notion that the Biden Administration sees Agoa as a useful tool for coercing African governments into alignment with US national security and foreign policy interests. That may be welcomed by Members of Congress. However, it could also lead to blowback from African governments. Background context Each year, a sovereign…

THE INCLUSION of the healthcare sector in a revamped African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) could help this sector boost its value added exports, Stavros Nicolaou, a group senior execu- tive of Aspen Pharmacare Holdings, said at the weekend. “President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this week at the Agoa forum said that boosting value added exports was a key component of any expansion of Agoa, and that call has been echoed by Trade Minister Ebrahim Patel. “This is a call that will not only benefit Aspen, as we are already the largest African exporter of healthcare products to America, but other African healthcare product manufacturers as well,” Nicolaou said in an interview. The theme of this year’s forum is “Partnering to Build a Resilient, Sustainable, and Inclusive Agoa to Support Economic…

ON NOVEMBER 3, history was made when the Economic Modelling Academy (EMA) joined forces with the Gordon Institute of Business (Gibs). The offerings of EMA share mutual complementarity with the offerings of Gibs. EMA in the Sesotho language offers a dual meaning that in English would connote reflect. EMA means stand up, but also means wait. EMA offers a unique foresight training based on system thinking and system design for economic policy. Through its powerful economic modelling, EMA captures the complex economic laws of motion and digests the interactions and reverberations among variables in time and space, and presents these in a way that enables rational policy conversations. For Professor Morris Mthombeni, the Dean of Gibs, establishing the relationship and locating EMA at Gibs was a no-brainer because the programme…

“THIS YEAR MARKS the first full financial year in which the group is truly diversified and not dependent on any one of its operating segments thus ensuring its resilience against adverse economic circumstances,” Damien Franklin, the chief financial officer of Rex Trueform said in the 2023 annual report. Rex Trueform is a South Africa- based investment holding company, with units including retail, with clothing brands such as Queenspark; property; water infrastructure and group services. Franklin, said: “We shall continue to use our entrepreneurial flexibility to capitalise on investment opportunities and optimise existing investments in order to maximise shareholder returns, and grow acquisitively and organically over time.” This despite the financial year under review being characterised by low economic growth, high inflation and high interest rates that inevitably resulted in reduced…

With days to go before Spinners premières on Showmax, there is a lot of hype around this local series, set in the Cape Flats. It centres on Ethan (Cantona James), a 17-year-old working as a driver for a notorious gang in the neighbourhood. With a younger brother to support, this is his only way of ensuring they have a roof over their head and food on the table. But the more time he spends on the job, the more disgusted he becomes with the gang life. And when he learns of an extreme motorsport known as spinning, he is not only intrigued, he sees it as a way out, especially with his skills behind the wheel. With a gang war looming, though, can he turn his life around fast enough?…

EFF leader Julius Malema has promised to solve the Eskom crisis that has plunged the country into the worst levels of load shedding since the start of democracy. Last week, the power utility reported a staggering increase in the net loss after tax, which rocketed to R23.9 billion from R11.9bn, demonstrating a precipitous financial decline. The energy availability factor, a critical indicator of efficiency, plunged from 62.02% to 56.03%. This is as the party kick-started its election campaign ahead of the 2024 general elections. He said the EFF was not preparing for elections but for the total victory that would emancipate the people of South Africa. Malema was addressing a gathering of EFF members and volunteers at the Standard Bank Arena, Doornfontein, yesterday. “We will solve load shedding and as…

The Airbnb Africa Travel Summit 2023 was a dynamic one-day event that brought together policymakers, tourism experts, innovators and changemakers to explore, innovate and collaborate on building an inclusive and sustainable tourism industry across Africa. The Summit, which took place at Victoria Yards, Johannesburg, was the second of its kind, having first taken place in Langa, Cape Town in 2018. The event saw over 20 speakers and panelists discuss the role of tourism and technology in driving continued inclusive and sustainable economic empowerment and growth across the continent. Speaking at the event, Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille, said the Airbnb platform has been a technology platform that inspires and excites her as it has a profound economic impact all over the world. “It has allowed more homeowners to tap…

MORE than 250 people were left homeless by a raging fire that engulfed about 45 shacks at the infamous Plastic View informal settlement, east of Pretoria. This is the second such incident in a month in the capital after scores died at Cemetery View informal settlement near Centurion at the end of September. City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department Deputy Chief Charles Mabaso confirmed that the fire that started in the early hours of Saturday morning was extinguished before any fatalities. Mabaso said while three people were treated for smoke inhalation and moderate injuries, three others were treated on the scene for minor injuries. However, Independent Media can reveal that some of the victims who lost their belongings refused to get transport to medical facilities and also rejected the…

The majority of South Africa’s youths are facing a battle with mental health issues. This is according to a recent explosive report from the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef), which has indicated that South African youth are facing an uphill battle with mental health issues. Last week, Unicef’s South Africa U-Report 2023 poll was released, and the report showed that as many as 60% of children and youth in South Africa felt they needed mental health support over the past year. Of those, however, only 63% of the respondents who needed support actively sought it – mainly because they just didn’t know where to go. The report, however, comes as no surprise to Dr Alex Plowright, Community Health and Well-being lead at Anglo American, who says that South Africa’s youth have…

Following Moja Love’s announcement that it was distancing itself from Sizok’thola host Xolani Khumalo, who is under investigation for possible murder, many South Africans have vowed to keep supporting him. In September, Khumalo appeared in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on a charge of murder, a case that relates to the suspected drug dealer who died in Katlehong in July during the filming of one of the episodes of the show Sizok’thola. The channel released a statement on Saturday stating that, while it will wait for the legal process to conclude, it has chosen to honour cultural customs and the families of those who may have been impacted by not making any more comments on delicate matters. The statement came as a surprise to Khumalo, who claimed that it was…

Newly-appointed Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka will oppose the Hola Bon Renaissance (HBR) Foundation’s bid to overturn her Phala Phala report exonerating President Cyril Ramaphosa in the 2020 theft of undeclared US dollars at his Limpopo farm. Gcaleka came under heavy criticism after clearing Ramaphosa in her report. After weeks of bickering, Gcaleka filed her notice of intention to oppose the legal action launched by the foundation soon after she released her Phala Phala report in June. It emerged that Gcaleka filed her notice of intention to oppose the matter on September 5 through her lawyers, Moeti Kanyane Incorporated. HBR Foundation and the African Transformation Movement have asked the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to review and set aside Gcaleka’s report on her investigation into allegations of violation of the executive ethics…

Steve Barker, the victorious Stellenbosch coach, says his players were fuelled by “energy and intensity” as they dumped Polokwane City of out the 2023 Carling Knockout competition on Friday at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium. Stellenbosch made their intentions clear early in the match by taking a 2-0 lead 16 minutes into the opening half. The youthful Stellies ran their socks off for the rest of the match and Polokwane were not able to recover from the double setback. “It was an awesome performance,” said Barker afterwards. “I thought we started the game well, with the two early goals. Then after that, it was just a typical Stellenbosch performance from the team who dug deep and worked hard for each other. “The players were tactically well-disciplined and showed good tactical…

NO South African runner was more deserving of the honour of ending the more than decade-long foreign domination of the Soweto Marathon than Ntsindiso Mphakathi. The Entsika Athletics Club runner was in imperious form yesterday as he finally won the African Bank Soweto Marathon after many years of playing second fiddle to Ethiopian and Lesotho runners. The soft-spoken athlete, fondly referred to as “Tata”, crossed the finish line first in a time of 2:19:13 ahead of defending champion Daba ifa Debele. For years, Mphakhathi finished in the top 10 but just could not get the breakthrough his hard work and determination deserved, as the east Africans and the men from the Mountain Kingdom left him to play the bridesmaid’s role. He was fifth last year, having also previously finished…

Scoring eight tries and over 50 points against Zebre will restore the Bulls’ confidence on their four-week United Rugby Championship tour of Europe. But what impressed coach Jake White the most about the performance in Parma on Saturday was that the Pretoria side didn’t go into their shells when the Italian outfit put real heat on their opponents. With the Bulls’ victory seemingly secured at 35-15 after the first of David Kriel’s hat-trick of tries in the 51st minute, the South Africans allowed the hosts back into the game with two touchdowns that changed the score to 35-29 with 12 minutes left at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi. But the visitors showed proper resolve to run in three tries of their own in the closing stages. “After last week when you…

Benetton (7) 15 Tries: Fekitoa, Mendy; Conversion: Albornoz; Penalty: Umanga Lions (3) 10 Try: Ntlabakanye; Conversion: Nohamba; Penalty: Hendrikse There will be few acceptable excuses that could forgive another loss after the Lions once again fell to defeat by less than seven points – this time to Benetton in Treviso. It was the Lions’ third such result this season after they previously lost by one point to Edinburgh and two points to the Stormers in their first two matches of the United Rugby Championship. Although they attempted to burgle a win in an energy-sapping four minutes of extra-time at the end of the match, the same errors witnessed over the past few seasons continue to plague the Lions. Silly handling mistakes, an inability to protect…

Spokesperson for Implats confirms to BR that the company’s mutual retrenchment exercise is being implemented AFTER delaying management salary increases and cutting capital spend, Impala Platinum (Implats), which completed the acquisition of Royal Bafokeng Platinum three months ago, has initiated a voluntary retrenchment exercise at its head office and Rustenburg operations on a one-month’s notice and two weeks’ pay for every year of service completed. Another big platinum miner, Sibanye-Stillwater, said last month that a restructuring of its platinum group metals (PGM) operations in South Africa could result in the retrenchment of more than 4 000 workers. Implats recently said that it was cutting capital expenditure for some of its projects, including its Zimplats operation in Zimbabwe, as the commo- dity downturn ate into profitability of miners of the…

THE SECRETARY-general of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, told a media briefing at the 20th African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) Forum in Johannesburg that there should be complementarity between Agoa and AfCFTA. “What we need to do is ensure that a new Agoa that excludes certain African countries does not lead to fragmentation of the African market,” Mene said. The AfCFTA is a free trade area currently containing 47 countries. In response to a question about whether he had received any cancellations of delegates and exhibitors to the third Inter Africa Trade Fair (IATF) that will be hosted in Cairo, Egypt, from November 9 to 15, he said he was not aware of any cancellations and as far as he was concerned the Egyptian government…

LESOTHO Trade Minister Mokhethi Shelile said the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) had helped Lesotho to create jobs and lift thousands out of poverty and his interaction with American buyers at the Agoa Forum in Johannesburg showed there was scope for many, many more. “I spoke to a major South African buyer and they buy 17 million clothes annually, but then I spoke to an American buyer and they were looking to source 100 million, so as much as Agoa has helped Lesotho over the past two decades, there is the potential for much more,” Shelile said. A major constraint on the further expansion of Lesotho’s clothing exports to the US is that it sources a fair amount of its textiles from China and the US…

THERE was a time when transformation in rugby was hotly debated. In 2015, the Springbok coach at the time, Heyneke Meyer, announced the names of the team that would play at the Rugby World Cup, and caused a public outcry because of the non-selection of deserving black players and the poor performance of the Springboks at the time. The then Minister of Sport and Recreation Fikile Mbalula had to issue the following message in response to the intense transformation debates: “The Minister takes this opportunity to remind all South Africans that we are delivering sport under conditions that were not chosen by ourselves. “We have accepted these objective and subjective conditions under which we had to operate to change the sporting landscape. We realised earlier on that there are no…

From athletes to fashion designers and musicians, South African stars are making their mark on the international stage. Amapiano star Kamo Mphela is the talk of the town following her collaboration with American rapper T.I. The Dalie hitmaker has been featured on T.I.’s upcoming single, Vacay, which dropped on November 2. In tapping into the amapiano sound, T.I. worked not only with Mphela but also with Champuru Makhenzo as the producer of the song. While many are happy that he was considerate enough to work with South African artists, where amapiano originated from, others were not entirely impressed. “I feel like US artists are now using African artists to stay relevant, ever since we started supporting our own artists most of them are no longer relevant, and this T.I. and…

Non-profit milking Gauteng purse while vulnerable clients are left in abject poverty Non-governmental and non-profit organisations have been milking the Gauteng government’s purse while the supposed people in need are being left in destitute states. The Star has blown open an NGO syndicate that costs the taxpayers billions of rand. The Gauteng Social Development Department spends a whopping R2.3 billion a year on NPOs while the Western Cape spends R1bn, KZN R600 million and the remainder of the provinces below R500m each. Premier Panyaza Lesufi drew ire earlier this year when he announced that NPO funding would be directed towards vulnerable children, the elderly and those with disabilities but it would also have to address food insecurity, substance abuse, homelessness and environmental sustainability. Social Development, Agriculture, Rural Development…

The Gauteng Department of Community Safety has handed over appointment letters to more than 5 000 successful job applicants as part of the #NasiiSpani mass recruitment drive. The department revealed that this would be a continuous process by the Gauteng provincial government to reduce youth unemployment. It is reported that the successful crime-prevention wardens will be deployed in townships, informal settlements and hostels across the country. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, who attended the ceremony on Saturday, encouraged the newly appointed wardens to defend against and combat crime and gangsterism in their areas. Lesufi also took to X, where he wrote about how many criticised the initiative at first, citing it as a political statement. “When we said Nasi iSpane we were told it’s a hoax and a political statement.…

A young beekeeper from the West Coast has clinched a top award at one of the world’s leading honey shows. Dawid Rooifontein from St Helena Bay came first in the international honey category at the UK’s National Honey Show, held on October 27 and 28. His winning nectar was a light, perfumed orange honey, produced by his bees in orchards in the Citrusdal area. It’s the first time South African beekeepers – all from the Western Cape – have taken part in this top beekeeping competition, which celebrated its centenary this year. Entries poured in from across the British Isles and elsewhere in the world. Rooifontein, who is from Upington and has a farming background, became a beekeeper three-and-a-half years ago when he was barely 20. Pieter Loubser, a…

Fatti’s and Moni’s Penne Rigate Pasta Quills 500g 1 Tbsp Mrs Ball’s original chutney 470g 2 Tbsp tomato paste 4 tomatoes, diced 1 Tbsp canola oil 1 onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 500g beef mince 1 cup beef stock 2 sprigs rosemary 200g mushrooms, sliced 200g baby spinach 100ml cream 50g grated Parmesan cheese Heat the oil in a medium sized pot, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the beef mince and cook for 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, rosemary, chutney and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 1 hour. Stirring occasionally, stir in the cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Cook the penne as per packet instruction and set…

When 38-year-old Phakisa started acting out of character, preferring to be alone and participating less in family activities and chores 26 years ago, his family, in particular his wife, got concerned and contacted his family. What would follow was months of visits to doctors, and then a diagnosis – depression. He lost his accountancy job due to being unreliable and failing to meet targets. Doctors in Pretoria West referred him to Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital where, for the first few months, he was an outpatient. “But, after almost a year they called the family in and suggested he be admitted,” his nephew Abel said. “He had completely withdrawn into a world of his own, would be aggressive sometimes, and this unsettled his children,” he said, requesting not to reveal the family…

Letsitele police are searching for a 26-year-old man over the rape of his 16-year-old sister at Babanana village, Limpopo police said on Friday. Spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said the incident happened on September 21, at about 10pm. Mashaba said that, according to the information , she was asleep in the bedroom she shared with her 11-year-old and 26-year-old brothers. “It is reported that the elder brother joined the victim who was sleeping on separate blankets with her younger brother. The suspect allegedly undressed the victim and raped her while the younger brother was asleep,” Mashaba said. The next day, the teenager went to school without informing anyone about what had transpired. “Fortunately, while attending school, the victim was confronted by one of the educators who noticed that something was wrong…

THE 29th SA Music Awards (Samas 29) nominees for Record of the Year and Music Video of the Year awards have been announced, in spite of the withdrawal of the Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Department in KwaZulu-Natal to host the prestigious affair. The organisers have promised that this year’s edition will be a thrilling celebration of the nation’s musical excellence. Wanitwa Mos and Master KG have taken the lead among the Music Video of the Year nominees, each securing three entries in the competition, according to the nominees revealed. Dali Nguwe, featuring Nkosazana Daughter, Basetsana, and Obeey Amor, and Sofa Silahlane, featuring Lowsheen and Nkosazana Daughter, are in the running for Music Video of the Year, and Dali Nguwe and Sofa Silahlane for Record of the Year. Daliwonga…

AmaZulu head coach Pablo Franco Martin has been fired up by the opportunity to break the club’s long-standing trophy drought after qualifying for the semifinals of the Carling Knockout Cup Usuthu produced a scintillating first-half performance as they dispatched rivals Golden Arrows on Saturday and placed themselves among the last four teams remaining in the competition. The KwaZulu-Natal-based club reached two major cup finals in the past 13 years, losing to Bidvest Wits in 2010 and most recently to Orlando Pirates last season. With new ownership at the helm, the club is now determined to emerge as a team known for collecting silverware, an attribute that has been missing for over 30 years. “Cijimpi”, as Martin is known to the Usuthu faithful, has challenged himself and his players to…

TS Galaxy coach Sead Ramović used Saturday’s post-match presser to acclaim his industrious team and to appeal for prayers for the people of Palestine. Galaxy defeated Sekhukhune United 4-2 after the penalty shoot-out at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane in their Carling KO quarter-final clash. Ramović was delighted with the team effort because the players were battling fatigue because of the heavy fixture congestion over the past few days. “This was our third game in six days,” said Ramović, the German-born coach. “It has not been easy, but I am proud of my players’ great attitude. It has not been easy to put this kind of energy into this kind of game after having played two days ago against another tough opponent SuperSport, where we were so unlucky…

England's miserable early exit from the World Cup has left the reigning champions facing several questions but with few simple answers. A departure before the knock-out stages was finally confirmed by Saturday's 33-run loss to arch-rivals Australia in Ahmedabad – with England's sixth defeat in seven games at the tournament leaving them rock bottom of the 10-team table. Even non-Test playing The Netherlands, the lowest-ranked side, have managed two wins. It was their batting that let England down again as they failed to chase a target of 287 that would once have been well within the grasp of a powerful top order. England have managed just one individual century in this World Cup thus far, through Dawid Malan, with star batsmen Jonny Bairstow out for a duck on Saturday, and…

COUNTRIES in the sub-Saharan African region would lose out more than South Africa if the duty-free trade benefits under the multi-million dollar Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) are withdrawn from Africa’s most advanced economy. This was the rallying cry of many delegates, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, at the 20th Agoa Forum, which came to an end on Saturday in Johannesburg. South Africa’s ongoing eligibility for expanded duty-free access to US markets through Agoa has become uncertain in recent months following the government’s geopolitical stance concerning Russia and the war in Ukraine. Agoa provides eligible sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access to the US market for more than 1 800 products, in addition to the more than 5 000 products that are eligible for duty-free access under the…

CONGRESS of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Zingiswa Losi said at the 20th African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) Forum that Agoa had created 450 000 jobs in South Africa since it was enacted in 2000 and that is why the trade union supported its extension beyond September 2025. “We have come here to be with some 70 other trade union federations from Africa and our partner American labour unions to protect existing jobs and create new jobs. This is the first time that labour unions have been part of the discussions at the forum, but we were part of the South African delegation that went to Washington in December last year and July this year to make the case for the extension of Agoa to 2035 and…

IN SPITE OF a week of drama on the political and economic front in South Africa, financial markets have improved since last Wednesday. The US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) Federal Open Market Committee meeting on on interest rates last Tuesday and Wednesday as well as the US Non-Farm Payrolls report on Friday seem to have led to a remark- able change in sentiment globally. This sentiment overshadowed the worrying aspects of the Minister of Finance’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) on Wednesday. The minister painted a bleak picture on the state’s financial position, with the Budget deficit expected to have increased by R54.7 billion compared with the February 2023 Budget estimates. Lower revenue from especially the primary sectors (mining and agriculture), higher wage bill costs and higher projected debt-service costs,…

DIS-CHEM Pharmacies’ business model, its brand position and a tighter focus on key growth drivers should enable it to adapt and mitigate against the current environment where the consumer is struggling financially. This is according to chief executive Rui Morais and its chief financial officer, Julia Pope, who said in the pharmacy chain’s results for the six months to August 31, that for two months of the second half, to October 31, group revenue grew 12.1% over the comparative period. This was above the 9.4% revenue growth to R17.9 billion for the interim period. However, the interim dividend per share fell 17.3% to 23.2 cents, in line with a drop in headline earnings per share by much the same percentage. The share price closed 1% up at…

AP MOLLER-MAERSK, a bellwether for global trade, says it’s cutting at least 10 000 jobs to shield its profitability in a shipping market that is set to remain weak until about 2026. “If you look at the order book and what is going to come over the next couple of years, I think we’re probably settling in for a very subdued and pressured environment for two to three years ahead,” chief executive Vincent Clerc said in an interview with Bloomberg TV’s Mark Cudmore and Tom MacKenzie. The personnel reductions, equivalent to 9% of headcount, are prompted by lower freight rates and increased competition in marine transport. About 6 500 of those positions had already been eliminated, Clerc said. Maersk expects to save $600 million (about R11…

Health-care facilities in remote and rural areas will soon not be impacted by power cuts, even when Eskom is load shedding, says Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. At a briefing yesterday, he announced that South Africa had received the first shipment of R170 million in emergency power equipment, donated by the Chinese government At the BRICS Summit in August, Ramokgopa signed a joint memorandum of co-operation with Chinese entities that made available a grant of about R500m as development assistance to alleviate SA’s energy crisis. Beijing, via eight state-owned companies, agreed to supply South Africa with 552 alternative energy units – ranging from 6kW generators to 200kW diesel generators, power supply vehicles and off-grid PV energy storage supply systems – to help cushion public facilities such as schools and hospitals…

With more than 21 000 signatures on its petition, the Beer Association of South Africa (Basa) is calling for beer to be sold at supermarkets, but it’s unclear if this would have any impact on current legislation. The National Liquor Act prohibits the sale of alcohol other than natural wine at grocery stores and supermarkets. Basa says this needs to change as it limits consumer choice and creates an uneven playing field for passionate brewers. Patricia Pillay, CEO of Basa, said beer is a part of South African culture and tradition, and it is also the drink of choice for most South Africans. However, current national and provincial legislation restricts a significant aspect of consumer choice: the absence of beer, including unique craft beers, from regular store shelves. “Basa is…

THE National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) says it will not allow Tshwane consumers to be ripped off by independent power producers looking to take over and generate electricity from the city’s Rooiwal and Pretoria West power stations. The Tshwane Municipality wants to lease out the two currently non-operating power stations to independent power producers. Nersa’s head of compliance and licensing division, Chiliso Mwanza, sought to allay fears that customers would be likely to see steep electricity price hikes in future as a result of the municipality’s move to lease out its power stations for a period of 40 years. He said the regulator would go through a public participation process to solicit all views with regard to electricity tariffs. “However, we are guided by (legislation) in terms…

POLICE at Saselamani, in the Vhembe District, have launched a manhunt for three awaiting-trial prisoners, aged 32 and 33, who escaped from police detention. Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said the trio escaped in the early hours of Thursday. He said officers were conducting hourly patrol duties at about 3.26am when they heard “an unusual noise” from the cells. “They discovered that three of the inmates had escaped through the roof.” The circumstances surrounding the escape are being investigated. The escapees are Mikateko Ronald Chauke, 33, arrested for burglary; Jimmy Matirhele, 32, for burglary; and Dumisani Respect Chauke, 32, for two counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. “The police immediately activated a manhunt for the three male escapees. They are all South African citizens and…

Newcastle United winger Jacob Murphy could be out of action for three months due to a shoulder injury that requires an operation, manager Eddie Howe said on Saturday. Murphy’s is the latest in a long list of injuries at Newcastle that have sidelined key players, including Sven Botman, Alexander Isak, Harvey Barnes and Elliot Anderson. The 28-year-old Murphy, who sustained an initial injury during Newcastle’s 1-0 home loss to Borussia Dortmund in the Uefa Champions League last month, was brought on as a second-half substitute against Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday but suffered another shoulder dislocation after about 15 minutes. Newcastle, sixth in the league, handed third-placed Arsenal their first top-flight defeat of the season with a 1-0 win at St James’ Park, thanks to a controversial second-half…

Nottingham Forest snapped a six-match winless run to beat Aston Villa 2-0 in a Premier League Midlands derby yesterday, denying the visitors a top-four spot after Ola Aina and Orel Mangala scored goals from outside the box. The defeat ended Villa's six-match unbeaten run and left Unai Emery's side in fifth place, five points behind leaders Manchester City, while Forest kept their first clean sheet at home this season to move up to 12th. “It’s a really good win. We came up against an in-form Aston Villa side with really good players,” Forest boss Steve Cooper told Sky Sports. “We were committed to the plan and we’ve scored two goals from where we could create chances ... A lot of gratitude for the players to stick with the plan. We…

Rolex Series champions Ryan Fox and Victor Perez are among a host of DP World Tour stars ready to tee it up at the Nedbank Golf Challenge (NGC), as the field is set for the latest edition of ‘Africa’s Major’ from Thursday. Frenchman Perez, who triumphed in the first Rolex Series event of the year at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, and Kiwi Fox, winner of the prestigious BMW PGA Championship, will join defending champion Tommy Fleetwood; Major winners Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari and Justin Thomas; and Ryder Cup stars Max Homa, Nicolai Hojgaard and Robert MacIntyre in the field at Sun City’s Gary Player Country Club. The $6 million event will welcome a 66-player field, including over 40 proven DP World Tour winners, and carries an increased number of…

Yet more good news for Springbok fans is the confirmation in weekend reports that Rassie Erasmus is to return to the role of head coach that has just been vacated by Jacques Nienaber, who will join Leinster in Dublin. It has been a week that just keeps giving for the ever-growing army of Bok supporters because, with arguably the finest rugby mind in the world in charge for the next four years, nobody is going to bet against the Boks nailing a hat-trick of titles in Australia in 2027. Nienaber had announced in April that he was to depart the Boks for a new challenge and there was a flurry of speculation as to who would take the reins but few expected it to be Rassie once more. Erasmus…

Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha said his players have retreated into “a shell” at the World Cup, insisting their problems are “between the ears”. The Tigers have just one win in seven games and are already out of contention for a semi-final place despite having two group games left to play. “We didn’t play our best cricket but the thing is nothing has changed from the first game to now. Only change is what's going on between our ears. Our skills haven’t gone anywhere,” said Hathurusingha yesterday. Bangladesh face Sri Lanka in pollution-choked New Delhi today before rounding off their campaign against five-time champions Australia in Pune on Saturday. They began the World Cup with a victory over Afghanistan but they were only chasing 156 to win. Since then, they have…